"Yes, I did, Tir Latoka. Sit down." As the Chief Scientist seated himself on the opposite side of the desk, he continued, "I am a little uneasy about the latest report on Rona."
Involuntarily, the Chief Scientist turned to look at the Wall of the Planets, Lan Yotar's eyes following his.
The Wall of the Planets was so called because it pictured that solar system known to its inhabitants as the Confederated Planets of Norga. One entire wall of the Council Chamber in the Hall of the Rulers was constructed of slabs of lapis lazuli, so cunningly joined that they presented the appearance of an unbroken whole. In the center shone a huge disc of gold, representing Norga, the sun of the Norgan solar system. Grouped around it at the proper intervals were other discs symbolic of the system's eleven planets. Yula, the planet nearest Norga, was a solid circle of onyx, the black color indicating mystery, as it was too close to their sun to permit exploration; Heta, consisting mostly of water, was a disc of shimmering silver; Mira, from which the system derived most of its minerals, was cleverly worked in seven different metals, while the remaining planets were also fashioned to symbolize their main features.
But it was the disc representing Rona that held their eyes. A single piece of pale green jade, marked with little squares of emeralds for the cultivated fields and small circles of sapphires for the freshwater lakes.
"An appropriate color for the planet that supplies over half the system's food," murmured Lan Yotar. "The latest jest is that the Ronans are afraid of turning over in bed for fear of crushing a vegetable!"
"I doubt if there's a square inch of available soil not under cultivation," assented Tir Latoka. "It is not for nothing Rona is known as 'The Food Planet'."
"Which brings us back to this report," continued the Chief. "Tell me, do you consider Nol Kosar an alarmist?"
"Far from it, Excellency," was the ready reply. "He is very clear-headed and reliable, which is why I picked him as Scientist of our most important planet. I added no comments to his report before passing it on to you, as I considered none necessary."
"Hmmmmm!" The Chief gazed reflectively at the report, reading parts of it aloud. "Interior heat definitely increasing—underground caverns possibly collapsed, letting inflammable gases into molten core—possible now to grow tropical fruits in temperate zones—seismologists report faint tremors—"
Tossing the report aside, Lan Yotar abruptly asked the question Tir Latoka had been anticipating: "What have you advised him to do?"