"Uh, very good, Mr. Ormond." He consulted the card again. "That'll be fourteen hundred and eleven credits." He beamed. "We included a case of Ruykeser's Concentrate, compliments of the management." He handed a circular to Tee. "This is a list of our ports and facilities on other planets. Our accommodations are the finest, and we carry a complete line of parts." He smiled professionally. "What about my key?" asked Tee, pulling out his wallet. "Uh, let's see, number thirty-seven." The clerk started for a numbered board hanging on the wall. He never got there. Tee whipped a stun-gun from inside his jacket and waved it at the clerk's back. It caught him in mid-stride, and unbalanced, he crashed heavily to the floor. Tee glanced briefly down as he stepped over the paralyzed form, avoiding the accusing eyes, and snatched the magnetic key off the hook. He forced himself to walk calmly across the field toward the hangar that housed the _Starduster_. A uniformed guard stopped him at the hangar door. "May I see your clearance, sir?" he asked, politely. Tee hesitated for a moment. "Oh, I'm just going to get something out of my ship," he said, smoothly. "The clerk said it was roj." "The clerk said? But he can't--" The guard tensed. "Mind if I check, sir? Orders, you know." He bent his head slightly as he pressed a knob on his wrist radio. As his eyes turned downward, Tee swung the stun-gun in an arc that ended on the back of the guard's head. As he leaped into the _Starduster_ he was sorry for a moment that he hadn't had time to recharge the gun, and hoped he hadn't struck too hard. [Illustration] * * * * * OCTOBER 11, 433rd Year GALACTIC ERA Tee stepped out of the hangar and surveyed the twin suns. The pale binaries sat stolidly on the horizon, forty degrees apart. Their mingled light washed down dimly on the single continent of the planet, Aurora. He started, as a man walked around the corner of the hangar. The man looked at Tee searchingly for a moment, then asked, "Anything troubling you, Tee?" "Why ... why, no, Mr. Jenner. You just startled me, that's all." "Well, how's everything coming?" "Right on schedule. We'll be ready for the final test by the end of the week." "By the way," asked Jenner, speculatively, "how come you ordered the ship stocked and provisioned, for the test?" "Why ... why I think she should be tested under exactly the same conditions as she'll encounter in actual use." "We could have done it a lot cheaper by just using ballast," said Jenner. "After this, I want to personally see any voucher for over a hundred credits before it's cleared." "Yes, sir, but I just didn't want to bother you with details."