ments. But that's
just what the psych-docs think, and they've been known to be wrong."

"And the appointed time?"

Tommy spread his hands helplessly. "If we knew, you'd still be in L.A.
Roughly six months and four days, plus or minus a month for the time
differential. That's strictly tentative, according to the math boys.
It's a parallel universe, one of several thousand already explored,
according to the Grdznth scientists working with Charlie Karns. Most of
the parallels are analogous, and we happen to be analogous to the
Grdznth, a point we've omitted from our PR-blasts. They have an
eight-planet system around a hot sun, and it's going to get lots hotter
any day now."

Pete's eyes widened. "Nova?"

"Apparently. Nobody knows how they predicted it, but they did. Spotted
it coming several years ago, so they've been romping through parallel
after parallel trying to find one they can migrate to. They found one,
sort of a desperation choice. It's cold and arid and full of impassable
mountain chains. With an uphill fight they can make it support a
fraction of their population."

Tommy shook his head helplessly. "They picked a very sensible system for
getting a good strong Grdznth population on the new parallel as fast as
possible. The males were picked for brains, education, ability and
adaptability; the females were chosen largely according to how pregnant
they were."

Pete grinned. "Grdznth in utero. There's something poetic about it."

"Just one hitch," said Tommy. "The girls can't gestate in that climate,
at least not until they've been there long enough to get their glands
adjusted. Seems we have just the right climate here for gestating
Grdznth, even better than at home. So they came begging for permission
to stop here, on the way through, to rest and parturiate."

"So Earth becomes a glorified incubator." Pete got to his feet
thoughtfully. "This is all very touching," he said, "but it just doesn't
wash. If the Grdznth are so unpopular with the masses, why did we let
them in here in the first place?" He looked narrowly at Tommy. "To be
very blunt, what's the parking fee?"

"Plenty," said Tommy heavily. "That's the trouble, you see. The fee is
so high, Earth just can't afford to lose it. Charlie Karns'll tell you
why."

* * * * *

Charlie Karns from Math Section was an intense skeleton of a man with a
long jaw and a long white coat drooping over his shoulders like a
shroud.