by Moulton, CD
"Isn't a hundred a very large number for a true work of art like this?" Djin asked.
"Tabori said there are more than six thousand worlds in the empire," Tab replied. "One hundred ten, which is the entire run, means there wouldn't be but one piece for each sixty planets. That's why they think nothing of demanding we take thousands of times the price we were asking."
"We've developed a process for making lenses for a variety of purposes that will be of better quality than anything we've ever seen," one of the engineers suggested. "We can explore that phase of the business while we’re at it."
"I've also gotten some positive results on an idea I had for developing a light-transmitting glass that'll be something else for the Parf to work with," the other added. "We have lots of ideas!"
The people at the plant were more enthusiastic than ever. They felt they had proved their race was among the better in the galaxy, but knew they would have much to do to keep that fact at the forefront. They had pride in the fact it was something done by the Grandish and for the Grandish. They'd all heard of the Zeenans, the Mord, the Feach, the Parf and other races who were held in the highest esteem by all worlds in the empire because of their insistence on the finest quality in everything they produced. The workers at the plant were determined Grandish was to share that reputation.
The day was spent with the business, then Tab and Kit went into Koosd for the evening. They would return in the morning. They could also contact the ships en route to learn what was happening outside of the local area.
Things were being held in a nondeteriorating state if not a bit better. Maita was in on the transmissions, too. It was concerned deeply with the problems on Grandish.
*I'm most satisfied with what you've done there, but don't you think your primary concern should be that fungus and not with how soon the Grandish people are to enter the empire and how deserving they're seen as being?*
"Maita, we can't do much about the fungus here until Givzoo and Nortich develop the ... whatever it is they're working on," Tab answered. "These people deserve all the encouragement we can give them. I'm convinced."
"I agree," T6 threw in. "TR and I can handle the fungus so long as we don't get any weather that sets off a rampant growth cycle."
"We can't vaguely hope to get all the plants that sprout," TR continued. "I guess we're going to get some that mature and spore. It's still up to Givzoo. Tab thinks they have some new ideas that'll work on Kuhlicht. They seemed excited enough when we were there."
*They're on the right track, but it will take some time. My concern is that the Grandish are being pushed a bit too hard to donate too much to the empire. There will be tremendous profit from this glassware bit. I've seen all of the items. Looph is working at Z's place on the new batch because of the spectacular light show EC gives us every day. Shouldn't more of it be spent there on Grandish?*
"No!" Kit cried. "They want a certain type of reputation. They want to be seen like Zeena, among the very finest craftsmen in the empire on at least one kind of thing. They also want to be known as the kind of people the Feach are – people who care about others as much as they do about their own race. I know that, Maita. I'm here. I know!"
"It's true," Tab agreed. "They aren't really interested in profit for profit's sake. They want to feel worthy – and they damned well are!"
*I have some reservations, but it's your choice. As you say, you're there. Thing, Kurk and Z agree with you totally so I'm outvoted regardless. Just be careful.*
They were a few hundred meters outside of Koosd so got back into character before going to Veen's where they ordered a late meal, then told about the amazing orders from offworld and about the plan to finance the biologists' ship and the education of new members of the team.
"We won't make any demands, of course," Kit promised. "But I don't see any reason why there shouldn't be just one member of that team from this world."
"I think that would be the fairest, too," Barst agreed. "But you should stipulate that Grandish is to be represented on that team only when and if we have someone who has earned the position. As a Grandish I refuse any special consideration for any reason!"
"We'll insist the Grandish earn each and every little thing they get. Bet on it!" Tab replied. "I think we've proved very clearly that Grandish has a lot to offer. The representative from the empire, this weird Tabori character you all met, came for another reason entirely, but found our product to be of surpassingly fine quality and workmanship. THEY came to US! We didn't have to beg, we EARNED our sales!"
"We can earn our way anywhere in the galaxy!" Veen stated proudly. "The empire doesn't have to GIVE us anything at all! I think it should be up to us to handle this infection or whatever, too. If it started here it's our problem."
"It's not nearly that simple," Kit said. "From what little I understand about this project even the tremendous ability of the empire is having trouble with it. That's why I think we should help finance the biologists'. We have to be realistic. Tabori said the thing would cost billions of empire credits before it was over.
"You see, their only alternative is to quarantine us here. Emperor Maita demanded that no such thing happen if there's any way whatever to avoid it. The emperor himself said the Grandish are one of the most worthy races he's studied. He wants us in the empire. He thinks we have a large contribution to make.
"I liked Tabori. He's working personally to help us because he thinks we're as good as Zeenans in our own specialties – and he has the most enormous respect for the Zeenans, who he says have contributed more than a thousand times what could be expected of a race to the empire. This infection or whatever is our only stumbling block in this. If it isn't defeated all is lost. Grandish is lost. I do think we should be told what this thing is and we should be kept up to date on what will work against it. It IS our problem even if we do need help with it! We can't fight something if we don't what it is!"
"Tabori said he would send what they call a floater with any requests for assistance or with any instructions," Tab agreed. "Djin would know to send it on here. I think we'll have a very definite part in this and I think we'll be asked for help."
Kit looked a bit startled, then linked with the internal radio to see what Tab was up to. Tab sent instructions to TR to send a com floater in the morning to the plant where it would receive directions from Djin as to where Mar and Fel were. It would then come on to the inn. It was to be timed to arrive at dawnmeal. It was to ask the Grandish to seek out the fungus.
"They have to take part in this," Tab explained. "It'll be a good time to educate the people around here about what we're up against, too. T Six and TR can send floaters to the governments and to the places where there's likely to be any kind of sudden growth of the spores. The people CAN help a lot by locating the things, then the floaters can get rid of them."
Kit agreed in essence. They passed the entire evening in serious conversations with various people, then went back to their rooms until the dawnmeal when TR’s com floater arrived right on schedule. The speakers were heard in the common dining room from the front entrance asking if Mar and/or Fel were in attendance at the inn. Veen went to the door to let it in, though he wasn't sure how to act toward a small disk that floated at eye height and talked to him.
"This is Tabori DeSixtee speaking. The floater carries speakers or papers for me," TR explained through the floater. "There's the medium we call two-way television aboard. The screen will rise now to show me. I have a similar screen here aboard my ship that shows me a picture of you."
The screen rose with a simulated picture of Tab looking out at the assemblage.
"Ah, there's Fel. Hello, my friend. Hello, Mar. I recognize Veen and Barst from my earlier visit and the lovely Peld," the image said in Tab's voice. "I haven't yet met these other three.
"I'm called Tabori. I'm an agent of the Maitan Empire here on Grandish on special assignment for Emperor Maita."
"Er, this is Kon, Jorn Kon, this is Meer, Lap Meer, and this o
ther is Anj, Cahl Anj," Veen introduced. "I understand your full name is Tabori R. DeSixtee and that your people use the primary name in familiar conversation."
"Call me Tab," the floater replied. "We actually often use a shortened part of our first name. I'm now acting as agent for Maita and not as a salesman or buyer for private companies. Maita wants me to inform the people of Grandish there's a major problem with a lifeform on your world. That plant, for it's a fungoid type of growth, is a great danger to Grandish. It has a real potential of doing devastating damage to the entire galaxy if it escapes this planet.
"I believe you've seen some examples of what it can do. It was the thing that contaminated Flint Creek and was the thing that drove the grazers from their pastures."
"But we moved the rotten wood that it feeds on so it's no problem anymore!" Meer cried. "All it did was stink so bad it made us sick."
"There are several things to bear in mind about that thing," TR replied. "First, that it's a fungus that spreads through spores carried for thousands of kilometers on the wind. What you found were some of those spores beginning to grow. From what we know at this time the spores may live for as much as twenty four years before they begin to grow (That was to inform Tab and Kit that Givzoo had used the growth acceleration chambers to learn how long the spores would be able to survive under perfect conditions). There are already billions of spores all over Klormedt if not all over Grandish. The fungus does NOT produce an odor. It simply has a little of what you call the witchmind power to reach your minds.
"You've only seen the smallest beginning plantlets. They were young and had little power. If they were much more mature you couldn't resist them, so you see the danger. They can take control of your minds and can make you do their bidding.
"I repeat, you cannot resist a mature plant!"
"But that would.... How can you be sure?" Veen stammered.
"You have seen very clear evidence of what the fungoid can do," TR continued. "Pause to think for a moment about Flint Creek. There was one large plant a little above Milk Lake. It caused the fertilization of the lake and the creek, as you've all noted. Consider that you had that strange condition for four long years if what Veen told me when I visited there is accurate, yet no one ever went to investigate past a certain point.
"The thing was large and was ready to spore when Mar and Fel came along, but they went along Flint Creek to the lake looking in swamps and branches. They wasted days there doing almost nothing! Lope and his children went up the creek when the thing was small, but stopped far short of where the plant was growing – and they did NOT go again!
"Why? You're as curious a people as are we Swaz, this amazing phenomenon was going on all the time, yet no one bothered to find out what it was?
"You made excuses about not having time, which you certainly couldn't really believe. The thing was directing your thoughts. If Mar and Fel hadn't come there looking for the place to start a business you would've never known about it. It would make you forget everything about it in moments.
"Our investigators have found there were four people who were held captive by the thing for those four years. They were made into slaves to feed it and to do as it demanded. Our operatives have freed them now.
"That one plant has spored. We estimate there are more than three billion spores that have been released on Grandish now. We desperately need the help of the Grandish people. You're far too potentially great a race to permit some plant to enslave and destroy you. I am empowered by the Emperor Maita to seek your help in this. It's a danger we don't know for certain we can triumph over with all of our science. I'm now contacting people over the entire planet to ask for your aid.
"We have biologists working toward some kind of agent with which to fight this thing, but it will take time. If the things grow and produce more spores they can overpower us through the sheer force of numbers. While the plants are small they have little strength. You will feel the repulsion which you've thought to be a powerful smell when you approach any of them. It's a natural defense mechanism of the fungoid. It has no control of it.
"What I ask is that you cover every bit of area between Koosd and the river, the ocean and the foothills on a regular basis. It will be a truly difficult thing to do because you must approach within about ten meters of the plants to trigger the response.
“Do NOT attempt to locate the things or to destroy them yourselves. They can act in concert with one another. If there are many in an area they can stop your heart or much worse. Just make notes as to where you feel the repulsion. I will send a floater to Veen's and to the glass plant as well as to the riverport once every twenty five days. I can then take the maps you make and send machines such as this floater, which can't be affected by the psy power, to destroy them.
"The Maitan Empire requests your help in this."
"By the gods, you can depend on Mar and me!" Kit cried. "We can stroll around the peninsula and to the south every twenty five days! We'll make your maps!"
The others agreed to cover the area near the town and to contact all the farmers. Each farmer would see to it his own property was covered each period and that anything out of the ordinary would be reported. Veen and Barst would keep the maps for the floaters to pick up.
"I got some land to the east by the hills," Jon said. "Would it be a good idea to cut out any dead wood and burn it? Sort of cut off the meals the thing needs to grow on?"
"We'uns kin get all ther farmers ter do that stuff – partic'lar those what raise grazers," Anj threw in. "We'uns what raises beans 'n sich kin use ther extry cleared spots fer ther veggies. Keep ther firewood kivvered up 'n dry 'n it'll not grow no fungus, neither. Ther kid'll walk ther place fer us reg'lar like. T'ain't no extry work. Git ther kids off'n our heads fer ther while. Give 'em somat ter do!"
"Er, Tab," Veen said. "This is our problem, not yours. We've got to lick it ourselves."
"It's much too big," TR replied. "It may be too big for the empire, even. Another thing is that it may have come here from somewhere else so it's the empire's problem, too. There seems to be some evidence the thing started on a planet called Tesfort. It may have migrated here on a ship, though very few ships ever stop there.
"You see, the thing on Tesfort grows on trees and doesn't have anything to make slaves of. It's found a way to take over the fungus here. It will learn to go to other worlds – that's our greatest fear – so we've restricted Tesfort totally. Only biological teams who're working on this kind of thing will ever be allowed to go there again. If this isn't the only place it's spread to we're already in unbelievable trouble! We have to work together!"
"Then work together we will!" Barst cried. "It can't be said and it never will be that Grandish didn't do its part! Maybe that thing didn't start here, but it'll damned well END here!"
The others in the room nodded solemnly. They talked awhile, then went out to recruit farmers in the surrounding area. Tab and Kit headed back to the glass plant.
Temporary Controls
Tab and Kit kept a close watch on the teams who were making the maps of where the fungus was located. Two farmers had come to the plant with the maps because it was closer than Koosd – and because they wanted to look around the place that was such a point of pride for the whole planet. The first 240 who came were presented a souvenir in the form of a small pitcher designed by Looph for that purpose. Each was a different color, had small details that made it unique and was signed. All who came after that received cast copies of the originals. Those pitchers would become heirlooms that would remain in a family for centuries. The fact each was a priceless signed work of art by a galaxywide famous artist was secondary to the fact that each was beautiful and was a lasting symbol of Grandish's abilities.
Maita spent time studying individual Grandish in various parts of the world through floaters sent out by TR and T6 to inform the people and to get the maps. The emperor was now in full agreement with its two robots about the people.
After only eight days a pattern
became evident where the maps were concerned. There were a few spots where there were no reports, but where there should have been.
"Because the damned things are a lot stronger there," TR ventured. "They got early starts from the first small sporing and are stopping reports. I say we send floaters there with psy detectors such as we put in these two boobs' heads, find the things and burn them! In fact, I've already started modifying a couple of my floaters."
They all agreed. T6 would modify three floaters for those areas while TR would do the same.
"Why not put the detectors on all the floaters?" Kit asked.
"Because, Fungusbrain, the floaters will have to wait around for something else to trigger the psy reaction. They aren't able to do it themselves!" TR replied.
"Hey!" Tab shot back. "You don't call Kit names! You're MY ship! You call ME names! T Six calls Kit names. You got that you defective reject from a computer dump?"
"Yup! Got it!" TR responded. "Kit's a nice guy. YOU'RE the fungusbrain! If I'm a defective REJECT, does that mean.... Hold it! Incoming from Maita! – You two get back here as fast as you can! There's big trouble on Kuhlicht! T Six, take these damned floaters! The damned fungus has taken over on Kuhlicht!"
"I'm receiving," T6 replied. "Control taken. Now! I have a floater at the plant demanding to see Fel and Mar immediately or sooner so we can work up an excuse by the time they get back – and they can get back fast!"
The two robots moved quickly toward the plant where the attention horn began ringing two short blasts and two long, the signal that Fel and Mar were needed in a dire emergency. When they were in sight of the place they slowed to a more normal running speed for a Grandish. A floater soared out to meet them. Djin and one of the engineers were running close behind so a screen popped up on the floater with the image of Tab on it.
"Friends, I am sorry to have to come to you like this," the floater announced in Tab's voice. "There is a large conveyance vehicle on its way there to bring you to my ship if you will be so kind as to come."
