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uch, to be exact?" "Twenty thousand, Earth weight." "Tons?" Pete shook his head. "Hundredweight." The captain raised his eyebrows. "I see. And there are--" he consulted the papers in his hand--"roughly two hundred and twenty colonists here on Baron IV. Is that right?" "That's right." "Seventy-four men, eighty-one women, and fifty-nine children, to be exact?" "I'd have to look it up. Margaret Singman had twins the other night." "Well, don't be ridiculous," snapped the captain. "On a planet the size of Baron IV, with seventy-four men, you should be producing a dozen times the _taaro_ you stated. We'll consider that your quota for a starter, at least. You have ample seed, according to my records. I should think, with the proper equipment--" "Now wait a minute," Pete said softly. "We're fighting a climate here, captain. You should know that. We have only a two-planting season, and the 'proper equipment,' as you call it, doesn't operate too well out here. It has a way of clogging up with dust in the summer, and rusting in the winter." "Really," said Captain Varga. "As I was saying, with the proper equipment, you could cultivate a great deal more land than you seem to be using. This would give you the necessary heavier yield. Wouldn't you say so, Nathan?" The little nervous man nodded. "Certainly, captain. With the proper organization of labor." "That's nonsense," Pete said, suddenly angry. "Nobody can get that kind of yield from this planet. The ground won't give it, and the men won't grow it." The captain gave him a long look. "Really?" he said. "I think you're wrong. I think the men will grow it." Pete stood up slowly. "What are you trying to say? This business about quotas and organization of labor--" "You didn't read our credentials as we instructed you, Farnam. Mr. Nathan is the official governor of the colony on Baron IV, as of now. You'll find him most co-operative, I'm sure, but he's answerable directly to me in all matters. My job is administration of the entire Baron system. Clear enough?" Pete's eyes were dark. "I think you'd better draw me a picture," he said tightly. "A very clear picture." "Very well. Baron IV is not paying for its upkeep. _Taaro_, after all, is not the most necessary of crops in the universe. It has value, but not very much value, all things considered. If the production of _taaro_ here is not increased sharply, it may be necessary to close down the co
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