"
"It's not nonsense," Dal said. "It's the answer, if you'll only stop and
think."
"An intelligent _virus_?" Jack said. "Who ever heard of such a thing?
There's never been a life-form like that reported since the beginning of
the galactic exploration."
"But that doesn't mean there couldn't be one," Dal said. "And how would
an exploratory crew ever identify it, if it existed? How would they ever
even suspect it? They'd miss it completely--unless it happened to get
into trouble itself and try to call for help!" Dal jumped up in
excitement.
"Look, I've seen a dozen articles showing how such a thing was
theoretically possible ... a virus life-form with billions of
submicroscopic parts acting together to form an intelligent colony. The
only thing a virus-creature would need that other intelligent creatures
don't need would be some kind of a host, some sort of animal body to
live in so that it could use its intelligence."
"It's impossible," Jack said scornfully. "Why don't you give it up and
get some rest? Here we sit with our feet in the fire, and all you can do
is dream up foolishness like this."
"I'm not so sure it's foolishness," Tiger Martin said slowly. "Jack,
maybe he's got something. A couple of things would fit that don't make
sense at all."
"All sorts of things would fit," Dal said. "The viruses we know have to
have a host--some other life-form to live in.
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