"Probably," agreed Docchi with indifference. "How soon can you be ready?" "Do we have to come up immediately?" Docchi shrugged. "I can shove the scout out of the way. I don't know what will happen if and when the Star Victory gets here." "It's too big to maneuver close to the surface of the planet." "Perhaps. But it carries other scouts it can launch." Cameron grimaced. "Two or three fast little ships would be difficult to brush away. But do we have to let them get close?" "How can we stop them? Better come up while you can." Cameron was fighting it, not recognizing the odds. "The scanner will work, won't it?" questioned the doctor. "Turned away from the planet, yes." "That's what I meant. Keep it trained on the alien world. If the Star Victory comes out of the clouds and heads this way you'll know it in plenty of time to scoop us up." It could be done but why jeopardize themselves further? He wanted to refuse but Jeriann was pressing close to him, whispering. "Do you have any reason for wanting to stay?" he asked reluctantly. "You see right through me, don't you?" said Cameron. "No, there's no real reason except this, Nona's interested in this world and wants to stay." It was as valid as anything else he could have said. That they had come so far, if only to fail at the final step, was due almost entirely to her efforts. She deserved some reward, though it was only the satisfaction of mild curiosity. "Wait," he said suspiciously. "Are you sure you know _what_ she wants? We're sometimes able to tell her what we want, but never the other way around." "But I know----" The doctor stopped and looked at him wildly, his face flooded with sudden exaltation which gradually faded. "I do know," he said at last. "For a moment I thought it was telepathy. But I guess not. I'm not a computer." He glanced out of the viewport at a world they couldn't see. "Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Docchi," he said when he faced them again. "It's just interest. For the first time she has someone she wants to understand--me--and a world outside she longs to visit. The combination is strong enough to stimulate her mind--and she's bright enough to learn anything she decides she has to." Cameron rubbed his hand across his face and he was tired too. "Let us stay here as long as you can without endangering yourselves. I want to work with her under these surroundings. I think now, looking back at the way she's behaved these last few days, I can make a start at teaching her to read." "It must be a lovely place if she likes it so well," said Jeriann. "Maybe you can turn the screen of your ship so we can see what it's like outside." "No," said Docchi hoarsely. "Don't waste time taking apart the ship. Get busy with her, teach her what you can. Take her outside if it's safe, but don't go far. We may call suddenly." He lowered his voice as he went on talking and at the end was no louder than usual.