"What is it, some kind of toxic condition?"
"The plants are healthy enough, but something's chewing them down as fast as they grow."
"Insects? There shouldn't be any, but if there are, we've got sprays. Use them."
"It's an animal," said Firmon. "We tried poison and got a few, but now they won't touch the stuff. I had electronics rig up some traps. The animals seem to know what they are and we've never caught one that way."
Halden glowered at the man. "How long has this been going on?"
"About three months. It's not bad; we can keep up with them."
It was probably nothing to become alarmed at, but an animal on the ship was a nuisance, doubly so because of their pilot.
"Tell me what you know about it," said Halden.
"They're little things." Firmon held out his hands to show how small. "I don't know how they got on, but once they did, there were plenty of places to hide." He looked up defensively. "This is an old ship with new equipment and they hide under the machinery. There's nothing we can do except rebuild the ship from the hull inward."
Firmon was right. The new equipment had been installed in any place just to get it in and now there were inaccessible corners and crevices everywhere that couldn't be closed off without rebuilding.