ing a few seconds of
relaxation on the pretext of dumping an armful of light plastic packing,
wandered into the haze.

He froze.

After a few heartbeats, he dropped the trash and stared at ship and men
as if he had never seen either. A hail from his master moved him.

"Coming, Chief!" he called but, returning at a moderate pace, he
murmured, "My name is Frazer. I'm a second assistant steward. I'll think
as Unit One."

Throughout the cloud of spores, the mind formerly known as Peter Kolin
congratulated itself upon its choice of form.

_Nearer to the original shape of the Life than Ashlew got_, he thought.

He paused to consider the state of the tree named Ashlew, half immortal
but rooted to one spot, unable to float on a breeze or through space
itself on the pressure of light. Especially, it was unable to insinuate
any part of itself into the control center of another form of life, as a
second spore was taking charge of the body of Chief Slichow at that very
instant.

_There are not enough men_, thought Kolin. _Some of me must drift
through the airlock. In space, I can spread through the air system to
the command group._

Repairs to the _Peace State_ and the return to Haurtoz passed like weeks
to some of the crew but like brief moments in infinity to other units.
At last, the ship parted the air above Headquarters City and landed.

The unit known as Captain Theodor Kessel hesitated before descending the
ramp. He surveyed the field, the city and the waiting team of inspecting
officers.

"Could hardly be better, could it?" he chuckled to the companion unit
called Security Officer Tarth.

"Hardly, sir. All ready for the liberation of Haurtoz."

"Reformation of the Planetary State," mused the captain, smiling
dreamily as he grasped the handrail. "And then--formation of the
Planetary Mind!"

END

[ Transcriber's Note:
This e-text was produced from Worlds of If January 1962. Extensive
research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on
this publication was renewed.
]

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Talkative Tree, by Horace Brown Fyfe

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