Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

Unfortunately, Kasi chose this moment to giggle. That was not going to

improve matters. All the same,

178 James Blish

Jorn enjoyed it. His small streak of sadism was one of his few remaining

pleasures.

“Ailiss, let’s go.” Heads high, the Director and his consort walked

arthritically out of the control barrel.

“Now, Director,” Ailiss said sardonically over the Castles board, “tell me

what you make of that affair, or I won~t make another move, double jeopardy

or no double jeopardy.”

“I’d make more of it if I knew more about synthetic biochemistry,” Jorn

said reluctantly. “I never saw a familiar that size before and I didn’t

know it was possible. But Ertak was old and he never married, so I suppose

be had the sheer time for it-though he must have pampered her beyond

belief, enough to make him quite sick now and then.”

“I knew that much,” Ailiss said. “It was his own special vice. There are a

few other cases in the literature, though none of them are this extreme.

His mother tried to–.!’

“His mother?”

‘Yes. Dr. Chase-Huebner. He was a reject of the Chase line. That’s how he

got her into The Project; she felt guilty at having made Jon Huebner such

a favorite, and a partner in her cancer research and so on, and having

dumped her earlier son. When Ertak got to be an eminent scientist in his

own right, he had a club he could use, and he did.”

Jorn stared at his wife with new eyes. “And you knew this all the time?”

“Well, ever since she tried to persuade him to give up the familiar before

take-off. She couldn’t make him; she was afraid to try. Otherwise, you’d