u spoke about a forest on the asteroid. Do you allow the crew
to go into the forest at will? Or do you restrict them to the buildings
and grounds?"

* * * * *

Watts rubbed his jaw. "Well, it's a difficult situation, Harris. I have
to let the men leave the grounds sometimes. They can _see_ the forest
from the buildings, and as long as you can see a nice place to stretch
out and relax that does it. Once every ten days they have a full period
of rest. Then they go out and fool around."

"And then it happens?"

"Yes, I suppose so. But as long as they can see the forest they'll want
to go. I can't help it."

"I know. I'm not censuring you. Well, what's your theory? What happens
to them out there? What do they do?"

"What happens? Once they get out there and take it easy for a while they
don't want to come back and work. It's boondoggling. Playing hookey.
They don't want to work, so off they go."

"How about this business of their delusions?"

Watts laughed good-naturedly. "Listen, Harris. You know as well as I do
that's a lot of poppycock. They're no more plants than you or I. They
just don't want to work, that's all. When I was a cadet we had a few
ways to make people work. I wish we could lay a few on their backs, like
we used to."

"You think this is simple goldbricking, then?"

"Don't you think it is?"

"No," Harris said. "They really believe they're plants. I put them
through the high-frequency shock treatment, the shock box. The whole
nervous system is paralyzed, all inhibitions stopped cold. They tell the
truth, then. And they said the same thing--and more."

Watts paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. "Harris,
you're a doctor, and I suppose you know what you're talking about. But
look at the situation here. We have a garrison, a good modern garrison.
We're probably the most modern outfit in the system. Every new device
and gadget is here that science can produce. Harris, this garrison is
one vast machine. The men are parts, and each has his job, the
Maintenance Crew, the Biologists, the Office Crew, the Managerial Staff.

"Look what happens when one person steps away from his job. Everything
else begins to creak. We can't service the bugs if no one services the
machines. We can't order food to feed the crews if no one makes out
reports, takes inventories. We can't direct any kind of activity if the
Second in Command decides to go out and sit in the su