ia.

"Odd," he said quietly, reaching in to stroke Fuzzy's head. "Quite a
gathering of the clans, eh? What do you think? Last time I saw a
gathering like this was back at home during one of the centennial
conclaves of the Galactic Confederation."

On the twenty-second floor, a secretary ushered him into an inner
office. There he found Black Doctor Thorvold Arnquist, in busy
conference with a Blue Doctor, a Green Doctor and a surgeon. The Black
Doctor looked up, and beamed. "That will be all right now, gentlemen,"
he said. "I'll be in touch with you directly."

He waited until the others had departed. Then he crossed the room and
practically hugged Dal in delight. "It's good to see you, boy," he said,
"and above all, it's good to see that silver star at last. You and your
little pink friend have done a good job, a far better job than I thought
you would do, I must admit."

Dal perched Fuzzy on his shoulder. "But what is this about an interview?
Why did you want to see me, and what are all these people doing here?"

Dr. Arnquist laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "You won't have to stay
for the council meeting. It will be a long boring session, I fear.
Doubtless every single one of these delegates at some time in the next
few days will be standing up to give us a three hour oration, and it is
my ill fortune as a Four-star Black Doctor to have to sit and listen and
smile through it all. But in the end, it will be worth it, and I thought
that you should at least know that your name will be mentioned many
times during these sessions."

"My name?"

"You didn't know that you were a guinea pig, did you?" the Black Doctor
said.

"I ... I'm afraid I didn't."

"An unwitting tool, so to speak," the Black Doctor chuckled. "You know,
of course, that the Galactic Confederation has been delaying and
stalling any action on Hospital Earth's application for full status as
one of the Confederation powers and for a seat on the council. We had
fulfilled two criteria for admission without difficulty--we had resolved
our problems at home so that we were free from war on our own planet,
and we had a talent that is much needed and badly in demand in the
galaxy, a job to do that would fit into the Confederation's
organization. But the Confederation has always had a third criterion for
its membership, a criterion that Hospital Earth could not so easily
prove or demonstrate."

The Black Doctor smiled. "After all, there could be no place