First he needed to stir some ambition in them, prod them out of their lethargy. He looked around at the assembled members of his joint Terran-Nemarian staff. The Terran members were making an attempt to stand stiffly at attention, somewhat awkwardly as though they were out of practice. They threw rather disconcerted looks at his stern, impassive young face. The Nemarians stood casually erect or lounged against the wall. Once more, he found himself troubled by a faint sense of incongruity. Something about these natives was not primitive. Without saying a word, just by standing and looking at him, they made him feel awkward and insecure. He straightened his shoulders and tried to make his expression even more stern. He wished he looked older. A sense of the power of his position overwhelmed him for a moment. He glanced at the speech he'd prepared, then at the faces before him. Slowly he pushed it aside. Somehow he couldn't use those formal sentences with these people. Diplomatic phrases didn't sound right in Nemarian. "Good morning," he said abruptly. "I won't waste time on preliminaries." He paused. "I've only been here a day, but so far I've seen very few signs of Terran influence--a more or less obsolete type of ground transportation, a few tools and household conveniences, some art objects. Very little else. I don't fully understand why conditions are so backward here on Nemar when it has been part of the Galactic Union for forty years." The Terrans in the group stirred uneasily. "The important thing, however, is that the situation be changed so that Nemar may be given the benefits of galactic culture." He paused and looked around. The natives were listening courteously and looking slightly bored. The Terrans looked uneasy or embarrassed. "What prevents this change," he went on, "is the fact that there is nothing of value to export." He leaned forward. "But I don't believe that this or any planet can possess nothing of value. It's simply a matter of finding it. It's a matter of looking into new places, with new techniques, or for new things. If a sufficiently thorough search is made, something will turn up." He tried to ignore the signs of restlessness in his audience. "I'm going to organize research groups for this purpose immediately. Each of you will head a committee to investigate the possibilities in a particular field--fuels, plants, animal products, etc. You will bring the reports to me, and I will check them and indicate further directions of search." He continued, outlining his plans in detail, stressing the great advantages to be gained, the wonderful things galactic culture had to offer them--the marvelous machines and labor-saving devices, the rich fabrics and jewels, the vidar entertainments, the whole fabulous technology of a great, advanced civilization. He spoke with enthusiasm, but as he continued, a growing sense of apprehension began to creep into his energetic, determined mood.