ugh to fill a scrub bucket. It
sat on the floor, quivering noxiously. Then it sent out pseudopods in
several directions, probing the metal floor. After a few moments it
began oozing along the strand of itself that lay on the floor, and
squeezed through the hole into the next hold.

"Ugh," said Sam Jenkins, feeling suddenly sick.

"The hydroponic tanks are in there," the Black Doctor said. "You've seen
one of those before?"

"Not in person." Jenkins shook his head weakly. "Only pictures. It's a
_hlorg_. We thought it was only a Maukivi persecution fantasy."

"This thing is growing pretty fast for a persecution fantasy. We spotted
it eight hours ago, demolishing what was left of your food supply. It's
twice as big now as it was then."

"Well, we've got to get rid of it," said Jenkins, suddenly coming to
life.

"Amen, Doctor."

"I'll get the survey crew alerted right away. We won't waste a minute.
And my apologies." Jenkins was hurrying for the door. "I'll get it
cleared out of here fast."

"I do hope so," said the Black Doctor. "The thing makes me ill just to
think about."

"I'll give you a clean-ship report in twenty-four hours," the Red Doctor
said as confidently as he could and beat a hasty retreat down the
corridor. He was wishing fervently that he felt as confident as he
sounded.

The Maukivi had described the _hlorg_ in excruciating detail. He and
Green Doctor Stone had listened, and smiled sadly at each other, day
after day, marvelling at the fanciful delusion. _Hlorgs_, indeed! And
such creatures to dream up--eating, growing, devouring plant, animal and
mineral without discrimination--

And the Maukivi had stoutly maintained that this _hlorg_ of theirs was
indestructible--

* * * * *

Green Doctor Wally Stone, true to his surgical calling, was a man of
action.

"You mean there _is_ such a thing?" he exploded when his partner
confronted him with the news. "For real? Not just somebody's pipe
dream?"

"There is," said Jenkins, "and we've got it. Here. On board the _Mercy_.
It's eating like hell-and-gone and doubling its size every eight hours."

"Well what are you waiting for? Toss it overboard!"

"Fine! And what happens to the next party it happens to land on? We're
supposed to be altruists, remember? We're supposed to worry about the
health of the Galaxy." Jenkins shook his head. "Whatever we do with it,
we have to find out just what we're tossing before we tos