"What's happened, sir?" asked Tom.

"What hasn't happened you mean!" snorted Logan. "The very next day we
had a visit from Vidac himself. He made a routine check of all the
departments, stopped and talked to some of the colonists, and he seemed,
in general, like a nice fellow. Then all of a sudden it started."

"What?" asked Astro.

"Our skipper Winters and another fellow, Ed Bush, began treating us
like--well, like prisoners!"

"Prisoners!" cried Tom.

"Yes!" said Logan. "They began to tell us when we couldn't go to the
workshop and to the stereos, and made us eat our meals together in the
main assembly room, with the wives taking turns doing all the cooking.
And the schooling has been cut altogether."

"Why, why--" Tom was floored by the information. "But how can that be?"

"I don't know," said Logan, "but that's the way it is. I came over to
tell you boys about it, since you were the only ones I knew. You struck
me as being honest and I felt I could trust you."

"What else have Winters and Bush done?" asked Astro tensely.

"I guess the worst of all is the fact that we're having to pay for
everything we eat," said Logan.