Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

ships. A thirty-first, the Haggard, is far enough along to be counted in.”

‘Vhat about the Assegai?’ someone asked.

‘Out of the question. It would take more than a year just talking about the

heat and the storms, eitherthough both are awful enough already. Public

panic is rising so rapidly now that we won’t be able to keep workers on the

Assegai another year without promising them all a berth on her; and as you

all know, our complement is filled. Believe me, I hate to leave that ship

behind-I hate to leave any ship behind, but particularly the Assegai with

her refinements. But we have to stop somewhere. It would be nice to wait

for the Boonwrang, too; on paper she!s far and away the trimmest ship of

her class on the ways-but at the moment sh&s nothing but a keel and a heap

of loose I-beams. This has got to be the end.”

“Why not call a halt on the Haggard, too?” Kamblin proposed. ‘Shell take

another five months, it seems.”

“Because,” Dr. Chase-Huebner said gently, “we have a crew and passengers

for the Haggard, and the Director dosen’t mean to leave anyone behind whom

we have promised can go.”

From what little Jorn knew of Ertak, this did not seem very like the

Director; but perhaps the doctor herself had somehow persuaded him to so

rule. But then, suddenly a thought so wild that sheer surprise prevented

him from censoring it came tumbling out of him in a rush.

“If so, how much government are we carrying?” he heard himself demanding,

in a voice at the same time cracking with alarm as he overheard his own