The alien whirled uncertainly and fixed his bleary green eyes on Reese. "Trouble, Earthman," he wheezed. "Go away. Away. Big trouble."
Reese frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Kuhli came near and rocked unsteadily on the pads of his seven-toed feet. "Everyone crazy there. Not safe. Trouble, Earthman." He moaned softly to himself. "Sad things happening."
Reese glared at the alien; grasped him by his scaly shoulders and shook him. "Speak up, Kuhli! Is this just another pipedream of yours or is there something wrong in the Colony? I have to know!"
The alien whined piteously. "Don't hurt Kuhli. Don't hurt. Trouble, Earthman!"
Reese noticed a pack slung over the creature's back. "What's in here?"
"Mine! Mine! Don't touch!"
Curiosity impelled Reese to turn the alien around and peer in the bulging pack while the old man gibbered in fear.
Reese whistled. The pack was brim-full of ampoules of benzolurethrimine, the pain-killing drug to which Kuhli had been made an addict. The alien had stumbled into the colony one day, his chest slashed open by the talons of a khaljek-bird; the colony doctor had administered the drug to ease his agony and only then discovered benzolurethrimine was a powerful narcotic for the aliens.
"Where'd you get all this stuff?" Reese demanded.