Trigger felt a little sorry for them, though the Junior Scientists
didn't seem to mind the setup. Dedication stood out all over them. Since
about half were young women, one could assume that at any rate they
weren't condemned to a completely monastic existence.
A couple of workmen were guiding a dozen big cleaning robots around the
Plasmoid Exhibition Hall, which wouldn't be open to students or
visitors for another few hours. Trigger strolled across the floor of the
huge area toward a couple of exhibits that hadn't been there the last
time she'd come through. Life-sized replicas of two O.G.
Plasmoids--Numbers 1432 and 1433--she discovered. She regarded the
waxy-looking, lumpish, partially translucent forms with some distaste.
She'd been all over the Old Galactic Station itself, and might have
stood close enough to the originals of these models to touch them. Not
that she would have.
She glanced at her watch, walked around a scale model of Harvest Moon,
the O.G. station, which occupied the center of the Hall, and went on
among the exhibits. There were views taken on Manon Planet in one
alcove, mainly of Manon's aerial plankton belt and of the giant
plasmoids called Harvesters which had moved about the belt, methodically
engulfing its clouds of living matter. A whale-sized replica of a
Harvester dominated one end of the Hall, a giant dark-green sausage in
external appearance, though with some extremely fancy internal
arrangements.
"Miss Farn...."
She turned. A League cop, standing at the entrance of a hallway thirty
feet away, pitched her the old flourish and followed it up with a bow.
Excellent manners these guard boys had!
Trigger gave him a smile.
"Coming," she said.
Junior Scientist Rak and his advisory committee--two other young men and
a young woman--were waiting in the conference room for her. They all
stood up when she came in. This room marked the border of their
territory; they would have violated several League rules by venturing
out into the hall through which Trigger had entered.
And that would have been unthinkable.
Rak did the talking, as on the previous occasions when Trigger had met
with this group. The advisory committee simply sat there and watched
him. As far as Trigger could figure it, they were present at these
sessions only to check Rak if it looked as if he were about to commit
some ghastly indiscretion.
"We were wondering, Miss Farn," Rak said questioningly, "whether you
have the authority to requisition additional University League guards
for the Plasmoid Project?"
Trigger shook her head. "I've got no authority of any kind that I know
of, as far as the League is concerned. No doubt Professor Mantelish
could arrange it for you."
Rak nodded. "Is it possible for you to contact Professor Mantelish?"
"No," Trigger said. She smiled. "Is it possible for you to contact him?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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