mountains. Camouflage jobs. What they actually are is spacegoing
superlaboratories, from what I've heard. This one has a couple of those
topnotchers on board, and one of them will take you on. It's due here in
a day or so."

Trigger had paled somewhat. "You know," she said, "I feel a little
shaken myself now."

"I'm not surprised," said the Commissioner.

She shook her head. "Well if they're topnotchers, they must know what
they're doing." She gave him a smile. "Looks like I'm something
extremely unusual! Like a bothersome planetary culture.... Weak joke,"
she added.

The Commissioner ignored the weak joke. "There's another thing," he said
thoughtfully.

"What's that?"

"When I mentioned your reluctance about being interviewed, they told me
not to worry about it--that you wouldn't try to duck out again. That's
why I was surprised when you brought up the matter of the interview
yourself just now."

"Now that is odd," Trigger admitted after a pause. "How would they
know?"

"Right," he said. He sighed. "Guess we're both a little out of our depth
there. I've come close to getting impatient with them a few times--had
the feeling they were stalling me off and holding back information. But
presumably they do know what they're doing." He glanced at his watch.
"That hour's about up now, by the way."

"Well, if there's something else that should be discussed I can break my
dinner date," Trigger said, somewhat reluctantly. "I had a chance to
talk with Brule at the spaceport for a while, when we came in this
morning."

"I wasn't suggesting that," said Holati. "There still are things to be
discussed, but a few hours one way or the other won't make any
difference. We'll get together again around lunch tomorrow. Then you'll
be filled in pretty well on all the main points of this business."

Trigger nodded. "Fine."

"What I had in mind right now was that the Service people suggested
having you look over their last report on you after your arrival. You'd
have just enough time for that before going to keep your date. Care to
do it?"

"I certainly would!" Trigger said.

The transmitter signaled for attention while she was studying the
report. Holati Tate went off to answer it. The report was rather
lengthy, and Trigger was still going over it when he got back. He sat
down again and waited.

When she looked up finally, he asked, "Can you make much sense of it?"

"Not very much," Trigger admitted. "It just states wha