me. I don't know his present official position, but he was certain to
become prominent. I'll tell him how you've acted up to now, and your
attitude, and of course that you're Med Service. He'll be glad to help
you, I'm sure."

"Splendid!" said Calhoun, nodding. "That will be Korvan."

She started. "How did you know?"

"Intuition," said Calhoun dryly. "All right. I'll count on him."

But he did not. He worked in the tiny biological lab all that ship-day
and all the next. The girl was very quiet. Murgatroyd tried to enter
into pretended conversation with her, but she was not able to match
his pretense.

On the ship-day after, the time for breakout approached. While the
ship was practically a world all by itself, it was easy to look
forward with confidence to the future. But when contact and, in a
fashion, conflict with other and larger worlds loomed nearer,
prospects seemed less bright. Calhoun had definite plans, now, but
there were so many ways in which they could be frustrated.

Calhoun sat down at the control board and watched the clock.

"I've got things lined up," he told Maril, "if only they work out. If
I can make somebody on Dara listen, which is unlikely, and follow my
advice, which they probably won't; and if Weald doesn't get the ideas
it probably will get; and isn't doing what I suspect it is--why,
maybe something can be done."