"I'd just finished the survey here," he said defensively, "when a cycle of sunspot cycles matured. All the sunspot periods got in phase, and the solar constant dropped. So I naturally offered what help I could to meet the situation."
The skipper regarded him incredulously.
"But…it couldn't be done!" he said blankly. "They told me how you did it, but…it couldn't be done! Do you realize that these vapor-curtains will make fifty border-line worlds fit for use? Half a pound of sodium vapor a week!" He gestured helplessly. "They tell me the amount of heat reaching the surface here has been upped by fifteen per cent! D'you realize what that means?"
"I haven't been worrying about it," admitted Massy. "There was a local situation and something had to be done. I…er…remembered things, and Riki suggested something I mightn't have thought of, and it's worked out like this." Then he said abruptly: "I'm not leaving. I'll get you to take my resignation back. I...I think I'm going to settle here. It'll be a long time before we get really temperate-climate conditions here, but we can warm up a valley like this for cultivation, and…well…it's going to be a rather satisfying job. It's a brand new planet with a brand-new ecological system to be established—"
The skipper of the Survey ship sat down hard. Then the sliding door of Herndon's office opened and Riki came in. The skipper stood up again. Massy rather awkwardly made the introduction. Riki smiled.
"I'm telling him," said Massy, "that I'm resigning from the Service to settle down here."
Riki nodded. She put her hand in proprietary fashion on Massy's arm. The Survey skipper cleared his throat.
"I'm not going to take it," he said doggedly. "There've got to be detailed reports on how this business works. Dammit, if vapor-clouds in space can be used to keep a planet warm, they can be used to shade a planet, too! If you resign, somebody else will have to come out here to make observations and work out the details of the trick! Nobody could be gotten here in less than a year! You need to stay here to build up a report—and you ought to be available for consultation when this thing's to be done somewhere else! I'll report that I insisted as a Survey emergency—"
Riki said confidently:
"Oh, that's all right! He'll do that! Of course! Won't you?"
Massy nodded dumbly. He thought, I've been lonely all my life. I've never belonged anywhere. But nobody could possibly belong anywhere as thoroughly as I'll belong here when it's warm and green and even the grass on the ground is partly my doing. But Rikki will like for me still to be in the Service. Women like to see their husbands wearing uniforms.
Aloud he said:
"Of course. It…really needs to be done. Of course, you realize that there's nothing really remarkable about it. Everything I've done has been what I was taught, or read in books."
"Hush!" said Riki. "You're wonderful!"