"Gendlemen," he intoned. "I hope I am nod indruding. I was leaning wearily againsd dis door, half asleep, and den I suddenly find myself lying here on de floor!" He gestured at the bare planks and laughed. It sounded like a snake hissing. "Mosd clumsy of me!" The Jovian's inability to pronounce the letter "T" made his speech sound like that of a Venusian gunman. I wondered how much he had overheard. The Jovian bowed again, brushing dust from his gleaming, spun-metal tunic. "I drusd I have nod inconvenienced you gendlemen. I musd be more careful, in de fudure. I have a nasdy habid of falling asleep ad odder people's doors! Now, if you will excuse me..." The Jovian slid through the door and lost himself in the hubbub beyond. I had a hunch we were going to have trouble from him. People just didn't go around 'falling asleep' against strange doors without a purpose. Twilken had sat all this time, his milky eyes looking about for a hole to crawl in to and his hand clutched his breast, as though about to have a heart attack. "Is that your formula?" I indicated his tunic pocket. "Yes! It must never fall into the hands of the Jovians, Tod. They could make fearful use of it! We must carry out my plan quickly, or that son-of--" Twilken clapped a hand over his mouth, to stifle the strong words he had been about to utter. "--that mad devil will warn his consorts and they'll be after us like hounds. In all fairness, Tod, you must know the Allied Worlds Council is not endorsing my venture. The diplomatic relations between worlds are stretched to the breaking point, and, if the Jovian government thought the Council was supporting such a plan, they might strike immediately with devastating results to the morale of our people, for there are some who think we can't possibly stand against such an efficient organization as Xan's. That's why I need you. You have a fast ship; you have courage and the brains to carry out my course of action if I should fall by the wayside. Will you help me?" I grinned and hitched up my pants, Earth-fashion. "When do we start?" * * * * * We were well out in the void, thundering toward Venus, when Twilken pointed excitedly at a small speck on the telescreen. "That's a ship, Tod!" he yelled. "That blasted Jovian's following us!" I poured more power to my craft and slammed down frantically on the meteor-shield stud--but it was too late. A great blast rocked the ship and girders groaned their protest as they buckled under the terrific pressure. A piece of flying metal smacked Twilken on the head and he sank to the floor, out cold. I ran to the navigation room locker and snatched out a couple of spacesuits. I tugged and stuffed Twilken into one and barely made it into my own when the air began to hiss out through the torn plates. We were caught up in the vacuum and whisked out into the dark, cold vastness, to float about like two corks in a millpond.