moments
later Trippe came back bearing food, but his eyes by now had begun to
penetrate the dirt of the girl, and he stood watching her, bemused.
Then suddenly he began to look happier than he had in several days.
Travis told him briefly what had happened in the sewer, also about the
brains of Lappy. Trippe was impressed. But he continued to regard the
girl.

"Well," Travis said, munching, "fill me in on what's been going on.
The eclipse come off?"

Trippe jerked. He focussed on Travis unhappily.

"Oh boy, did it come off. Wait'll you hear. Listen, you know the way
it is now, I think they're going to kick _all_ Earthmen off this
planet. The M.C. says we may have to leave and come back a hundred
years from now. Not anybody going to get a contract now."

"What happened?"

"Well, you wouldn't believe it. You have to understand these people's
astrology. You know the little moon these people have--Felda, they
call it--it's only a tiny thing, really only a few hundred yards wide.
Well, when the Mapping Command first came by here they set down on
that Moon and set up a listening post before landing, you know, the
way they always do, to size up the situation through telescopes,
radio, all that. Mostly they just orbit but this time they landed. God
knows why. And took off again, naturally, throwing in the star drive.
So today the eclipse comes off all right, but it comes off late."

He could not help smiling.

"You see what happened. A star drive is a hell of a force. It altered
the orbit of the moon. Not enough to make any real difference, just a
few hours a year, only minutes a day, but boy, you want to hear these
people howl. And I guess you can see their point. Every movement that
damn moon makes is important to them, they know where it should be to
the inch. And now not only is it slightly off course, but so is every
ephemeris printed on Mert. And they have them printed up, I
understand, for the next thousand years. Which runs into money. We
offered to pay, of course, but paying isn't going to help. It seems
we've also messed up interpretations, predictions, the whole doggone
philosophy. Oh it's a real ding dong. But contract? Not in a million
years."

Travis sighed. That seemed to put the cap on it, all right. After
all, when you start pushing people's moons around, where will it end?
He brooded, his appetite gone. But he made a last effort.

"Did you discover anything at all we could use?"

"Nope. Not a thi