Part 52 (1/2)

”I have it.” Lyad handed it to him. She looked at him with concern. ”You don't think--”

”It seems possible. We did come in here last night, remember? And we came straight from the lab.”

”But we had been decontaminated,” Lyad said puzzledly.

”Don't try to walk in here, Professor!” Trigger warned as he lumbered forward. ”We might have to de-electrocute you. The Commissioner will sc.r.a.pe off a sample and hand it out. This stuff--if it's what you think it might be--is poisonous?”

”Quite harmless to life, my dear,” said the professor, bending over the patch of greenish-gray sc.u.m the Commissioner had reached out to him.

”But ruinous in delicate instruments! That's why we're so careful.”

Holati Tate glanced at Trigger. ”Better look in the black box, Trig,” he said.

She nodded and wormed herself farther into the innards of the transmitters. A minute later she announced, ”Full of it! And that's the one part we can't repair or replace, of course. Is it your beast, Professor?”

”It seems to be,” Mantelish said unhappily. ”But we have, at least, a solvent which will remove it from the equipment.”

Trigger came sliding out from under the transmitters, the detached black box under one arm. ”Better use it then before the stuff gets to the rest of the s.h.i.+p. It won't help the black box.” She shook it. It tinkled.

”Shot!” she said. ”There went another quarter million of your credits, Commissioner.”

Mantelish and Lyad headed for the lock to get the solvent. Trigger slipped off her work gloves and turned to follow them. ”Might be a while before I'm back,” she said.

The Commissioner started to say something, then nodded and climbed back into the transmitters. After a few minutes, Mantelish came puffing in with sprayers and cans of solvent. ”It's at least fortunate you tried to put out a call just now,” he said. ”It might have done incalculable damage.”

”Doubt it,” said Holati. ”A few more instruments might have gone. Like the communicators. The main equipment is fungus-proof. How do you attach this thing?”

Mantelish showed him.

The Commissioner thanked him. He directed a fine spray of the solvent into the black box and watched the fungus melt. ”Happen to notice where Trigger and Lyad went?” he asked.

”Eh?” said Mantelish. He reflected. ”I saw them walking down toward camp talking together as I came in,” he called. ”Should I go get them?”

”Don't bother,” Holati said. ”They'll be back.”

They came walking back into the s.h.i.+p around half an hour later. Both faces looked rather white and strained.

”Lyad has something she wants to tell you, Holati,” Trigger said.

”Where's Mantelish?”

”In his lab. Taking a nap, I believe.”

”That's good. We don't want him here for this. Go ahead, Lyad. Just the important stuff. You can give us the details after we've left.”

Three hours later, the s.h.i.+p was well away from Luscious, traveling subs.p.a.ce, traveling fast. Trigger walked up into the control section.

”Mantelish is still asleep,” she said. They'd fed the professor a doped drink to get him aboard without detailed explanation and argument about how much of the lab should be loaded on the s.h.i.+p first. ”Shall I get Lyad out of her cabin for the rest of the story or wait till he wakes up?”

”Better wait,” said the Commissioner. ”He'll come out of it in about an hour, and he might as well hear it with us. Looks like navigating's going to be a little rough for a spell anyway.”

Trigger nodded and sat down in the control next to his. After a while he glanced over at her.