Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

discharged. Let us proceed.”

“At your peril, Doctor,” Afliss said, as though she were driving nails.

Jorn had never seen her looking

And all the Stars a Stage 71

so downright ugly before; her mouth was white, her cheekbones stood out like

flying buttresses, even her eyebrows seemed to have become blacker. “I think

I know why you’re now speaking for the Director, and why he has not suffered

any breakdown. And why you have not extended the ruling you tried to make to

include all the other … to include the rest of the crew. You’re afraid of

universal breakdown of … those elements … if you do promulgate that

ruling; so you are going to take the Director along instead.”

“I don’t find such vague talk worthy of comment.”

“You don’t find it in the least vague, Haryt. Do you think that the

Matriarch will stay home and die for her people once she knows the facts?

In the face of … in the face of such wholesale ballasting of–“

“Stop,- Dr. Chase-Huebner said, her face working. After a moment, she

managed to become a little more composed. “All right, Ailiss, you may be

right. I agree that you should talk to the Director; on some points,

obviously, you won’t be convinced you’re wrong until he tells you so. But

in the meantime, this discussion is explosive in the extreme; it had better

be closed.”

Insofar as Jorn could read Ailiss’ expression, she was about to agree to

this baffling, inconclusive proposal; but she never had the chance. In

mid-air in Ertak’s office a siren groaned briefly, urgently, and on Ertak’s