"Why not sit down and relax, Lan Yotar?" he suggested mildly. "A glass of wine?"
With a sigh the Chief of the Council of Elders sank into a padded chair. "Thank you," he answered. "This tension is rather hard on me. I suppose I am getting old," he added wistfully.
"You are only a hundred and eighty-six," smiled the Chief Scribe. "That might have been considered old five or six generations ago, but our life expectancy is increasing so rapidly I think you can safely count on another century, at least."
Lan Yotar paid but scant attention to the comforting words, his thoughts far away in space. "Isn't it soon time for the Commander's daily report?" he asked. "If System A93 contains no suitable planets—" He stopped with a sigh.
"Yes, I know," murmured Var Dalum. "I newscasted a resume of the whole situation this morning, so the people will be prepared if the Commander's report tonight is negative."
"I didn't hear it. Will you read it to me?"
Pulling a tablet from a rack, the Chief Scribe commenced reading.
"It is now almost four years since Commander Ros Vinla set out to discover a planet or planets in some other solar system that would relieve the food shortage and lack of living space now prevailing here.
"In that time the spaceship 'Norga II' has visited eleven solar systems and reported on one hundred and thirty-nine planets. Of the latter, one hundred and three are uninhabited and unsuitable for colonization; nineteen can be made suitable and we have already dispatched colonists to twelve of them. It will, however, be several years before they can produce food to any practical amount. Of the remaining seventeen, nine are inhabited by beings in a primitive stage of development, who are at present hostile; we are endeavoring to establish friendly relations with them, but, owing to their low mentality, progress will doubtless be slow. The remaining eight are inhabited by beings similar to us and friendly relations have been established. Unfortunately, they have very little living space and food to spare; certainly not enough to be of any practical help to us at present.
"Ten days ago the 'Norga II' entered the solar system marked on your space-charts as System A93. This consists of a sun and nine planets. Only three of these are inhabited. One of these is a dying planet, arid and thin-aired, and it can barely support its own rapidly diminishing population. The second is too watery to support any life except the amphibious creatures native to it. The third is the one Commander Ros Vinla will report on tonight.