ot as
the rest of the planet. Three, there'd be no interstellar supply line
for the Stretts to cut. Four, the environment matches our new physiques
a lot better than any normal planet could."

"That's the one I didn't think about."

"I think I'll take a quick peek at the Stretts--oh-oh; they've screened
their whole planet. Well, we can do that, too, of course."

"How are you going to select and reject personnel? It looks as though
everybody wants to stay. Even the men whose main object in life is to go
aground and get drunk. The Omans do altogether too good a job on them
and there's no such thing as a hangover. I'm glad I'm not in your
boots."

"You may be in it up to the eyeballs, Skipper, so don't chortle too
soon."

Hilton had already devoted much time to the problems of selection; and
he thought of little else all the way back to Ardry. And for several
days afterward he held conferences with small groups and conducted
certain investigations.

* * * * *

Bud Carroll of Sociology and his assistant Sylvia Banister had been
married for weeks. Hilton called them, together with Sawtelle and Bryant
of Navy, into conference with the Big Eight.

"The more I study this thing the less I like it," Hilton said. "With a
civilization having no government, no police, no laws, no medium of
exchange ..."

"No _money_?" Bryant exclaimed. "How's old Gordon going to pay for his
uranexite, then?"

"He gets it free," Hilton replied, flatly. "When anyone can have
anything he wants, merely by wanting it, what good is money? Now,
remembering how long we're going to have to live, what we'll be up
against, that the Masters failed, and so on, it is clear that the prime
basic we have to select for is stability. We twelve have, by
psychodynamic measurement, the highest stability ratings available."

"Are you sure _I_ belong here?" Bryant asked.

"Yes. Here are three lists." Hilton passed papers around. "The list
labeled 'OK' names those I'm sure of--the ones we're converting now and
their wives and whatever on Terra. List 'NG' names the ones I know we
don't want. List 'X'--over thirty percent--are in-betweeners. We have to
make a decision on the 'X' list. So--what I want to know is, who's going
to play God. I'm not. Sandy, are you?"

"Good Heavens, no!" Sandra shuddered. "But I'm afraid I know who will
have to. I'm sorry, Alex, but it'll have to be you four--Psychology and
Sociology."

Six heads