oked blank, and Alexander chuckled. "Australia was a
subcontinent on Earth," he explained. "Its ecology, however, was
exceedingly primitive when compared with the rest of the planet. Flora's
on the contrary, was--and is--exceedingly advanced when compared with
other native life forms on Kardon."

"Your grandfather stumbled on a real bonanza," Kennon said.

"For which I'm grateful," Alexander grinned. "It's made me the biggest
operator in this sector of the galaxy. For practical purposes I own an
independent nation. There's about a thousand humans here, and nearly six
thousand Lani. We're increasing the Lani now, since we found they have
commercial possibilities. Up to thirty years ago we merely used them for
labor."

Kennon didn't speculate on what Alexander meant. He knew. For practical
purposes, his employer was a slave trader--or would have been if the
natives were human. As it was, the analogy was so close that it wasn't
funny.

They entered the fortress, passed through a decontamination chamber that
would have done credit to an exploration ship, and emerged dressed in
tunics and sandals that were far more appropriate and comfortable in
this tropical climate.

"That's one of Old Doc's ideas," Alexander said, gesturing at the door
from which they had emerged. "He was a hound for sanitation and he
infected us with the habit." He turned and led the way down an arched
corridor that opened into a huge circular room studded with iris doors.

Kennon sucked his breath in with a low gasp of amazement. The room was
a gem of exquisite beauty. The parquet floor was inlaid with rare
hardwoods from a hundred different worlds. Parthian marble veneer
covered with lacy Van tapestries from Santos formed the walls. Delicate
ceramics, sculpture, and bronzes reflected the art of a score of
different civilizations. A circular pool, festooned with lacelike
Halsite ferns, stood in the center of the room, surrounding a polished
black granite pedestal on which stood an exquisite bronze of four Lani
females industriously and eternally pouring golden water from vases held
in their shapely hands. "Beautiful," Kennon said softly.

"We like it," Alexander said.

"We?"

"Oh yes--I forgot to tell you about the Family," Alexander said grimly.
"I run Outworld, and own fifty per cent of it. The Family owns the other
fifty. There are eight of them--the finest collection of parasites
in the entire galaxy. At the moment they can't block me sin