Produced by Greg Weeks, Annika Feilbach and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net STAR SURGEON by ALAN E. NOURSE [Transcriber's note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the copyright on this publication was renewed.] DAVID McKAY COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK COPYRIGHT (C) 1959, 1960 BY ALAN E. NOURSE _All rights reserved_ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NO. 60-7199 Manufactured in the United States of America VAN REES PRESS . NEW YORK _Typography by Charles M. Todd_ Sixth Printing, April 1973 Part of this book was published in _Amazing Science Fiction Stories_ CONTENTS 1 The Intruder 3 2 Hospital Seattle 15 3 The Inquisition 25 4 The Galactic Pill Peddlers 37 5 Crisis on Morua VIII 54 6 Tiger Makes a Promise 66 7 Alarums and Excursions 78 8 Plague! 98 9 The Incredible People 107 10 The Boomerang Clue 121 11 Dal Breaks a Promise 136 12 The Showdown 151 13 The Trial 165 14 Star Surgeon 175 STAR SURGEON CHAPTER 1 THE INTRUDER The shuttle plane from the port of Philadelphia to Hospital Seattle had already gone when Dal Timgar arrived at the loading platform, even though he had taken great pains to be at least thirty minutes early for the boarding. "You'll just have to wait for the next one," the clerk at the dispatcher's desk told him unsympathetically. "There's nothing else you can do." "But I _can't_ wait," Dal said. "I have to be in Hospital Seattle by morning." He pulled out the flight schedule and held it under the clerk's nose. "Look there! The shuttle wasn't supposed to leave for another forty-five minutes!" The clerk blinked at the schedule, and shrugged. "The seats were full, so it left," he said. "Graduation time, you know. Everybody has to be somewhere else, right away. The next shuttle goes in three hours." "But I had a reservation on this one," Dal insisted. "Don't be silly," the clerk said sharply. "Only graduates can get reservations this time of year--" He broke off to stare at Dal Timgar, a puzzled frown on his face. "Let me see that reservation."