Page 7 (2/2)

The fandoor of the Director&039;s office opened before him and Sooma Sil-Chan put on his best mask of efficiency There had been no hint at why Director Patterson Tchung had summoned the Chief Accountant It was probably so stickler for detail The Director&039;s mouth apparently could ramble on for hours while all around him battled ennui

Sil-Chan stepped into the Director&039;s presence, heard the fandoor seal

Patterson Tchung sat behind his glistening desk like an ancient si of the brown eyes Wisps of black hair trailed across Tchung&039;s ht line which Sil-Chan could not interpret Disapproval?

Even before Sil-Chan took a seat across fro:

"Terrible problem, Sooma Terrible"

Sil-Chan eased himself into the cushioned chair carefully He had never heard that tone fro before Sil-Chan cast a quick look around the Director&039;s office, wondering if it contained evidence of this "Terrible problees had been silenced They presented a uniforrey The only touches of color in the office were behind the Director -- a low table cluttered with curios, each one a story fro collection ship of this "Pack Rat Planet" There was a gold statuette from the Researchers of Naos, an arrow thorn from Jacun, a tiny mound of red Atikan whisper seeds in their cere purpleeven an Eridanus fire scroll with its fla repeated "We will be destroyed within six months unless we solve it After all of these thousands of yearsthis!"

Sil-Chan, fa&039;s hyperbole as well as with his ability to bore even the dullest of Library workers, wanted to s&039;sleaned forward and studied his assistant Sil-Chan was a large reen eyes under brows so blonde as to be almost invisible His hair, of the sa the younger archivists

Misgivings began to fill the Director&039;s mind Can this be the &039;s high-ridged nose flared briefly, his eyes opened wide He took a deep breath and cal back

"Soo said

"What? I don&039;t"

"Of course you don&039;t But those governuiding through our files?"

"Those accountants," Tchung corrected hi passed a hand over his eyes "I must obey and yet I cannot"

Now, Sil-Chan saw at least the core of Tchung&039;s disturbance Galactive Archives -- this Library Planet -- had existed for thousands of years by the absolute dictuovernovern at the "Pack Rats," de about that event had created a dile

"What&039;s the problem?" Sil-Chan asked

"Those accountants came from a war monitor which is parked in orbit above us Accountants do not need a war monitor"

Sil-Chan stared at the Director in silence Was that it? Could that possibly constitute the essence of Tchung&039;s upset? Sil-Chan thought of a giant warover the park-like surface of this unique planet Up there lay serenity and open vistas, forests and lakes and rivers -- even a fe mountains But down here, in fact all the way to the planet&039;s core, was a honeyco activity The Library collection ships went out and came back with their information and their curios The random-selection system at the heart of the planet&039;s activity, chosen from all of that accurams daily all across the known universe -- a bit of this and a bit of that, so as old Tchung here

"That does not strike me as necessarily a terrible problem," Sil-Chan said

"There is more Believe me, there is more"