ed a systematic seeding procedure for the starfish that kept
arriving by the freighter load. In a few months Bergdorf reported that
an ecological balance had been achieved.

* * * * *

"But didn't the starfish create another pest problem?" Perkins asked.

"Not at all," Lanceford said. "I told you that the Niobians had an odd
sense of taste. Starfish proved to be quite acceptable to the Niobian
palate. They merely added another item to Niobe's food supply."

Perkins shuddered delicately. "I wouldn't eat one of those things in a
million years."

"You're going to have to eat vorkum if you expect to survive on this
world. Compared to vorkum, a starfish is sheer pleasure! But that wasn't
the end of it," Lanceford added with a smile. "You see, shortly after
things had simmered down to normal Kron dropped into my office.

"'I think, friend Lanceford,' he said, 'that we are going to have to
create a permanent organization to keep unwanted visitors out. This
little affair has been a needed lesson. I have been reading about your
planetary organization, and I think a thing like your Customs Service is
vitally needed on our world to prevent future undesirable biological
importations.'

"'I agree,' I replied. 'Anything that would prevent a repetition of this
business would be advisable.'

"So that was how the Customs Service started. The insigne you will
recognize as a starfish opening an oyster. Unfortunately the Niobians
are quite literal minded. When they say any biological importation will
be quarantined and examined, they mean Confederation citizens too!

"And that, of course, was the entering wedge. You'll find things quite
homelike once you get out of here. The natives have developed an
organization that's a virtual copy of our Administrative Branch.
Customs, as you know, is a triumph of the bureaucratic system, and
naturally the idea spread. Once the natives got used to a permanent
government organization that was available at all times, it was only a
question of time before the haphazard tribal organization became
replaced by a planetary union. You could almost say that it was an
inevitable consequence."

Lanceford grinned. "The Niobians didn't realize that the importation of
foreign Customs was almost as bad as the importation of foreign
animals!" He chuckled at the unconscious pun.

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO CHOKE AN OCEAN***

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