"There isn't a chance," I said, seizing her thought before it was uttered. "It would take ten of our lifetimes to reach our nearest outpost on normal spacedrive. Forget it." "But--" "Come along," I said, "I'll need your help to modify these brutes." * * * * * Actually it wasn't a hard job. Their brains were well developed and nicely compartmentalized. With our probes and instruments it was a simple enough matter to implant the necessary organic extensions of our instruments. "That should do it," I murmured as I disconnected the leads I had jury-rigged into the analyzer. "They're clean as a Fardel's tooth." I was tired, but I had the pleasant feeling of accomplishment that comes from working with organic matter. Possibly if I were not so interested in History, I'd have become a medic. I do have a certain talent along that line. At any rate, we now had a pair of proxies. With only normal fortune they would be completely undetectable. "Is it all done?" Ven asked as she looked over my shoulder. "Yes," I said. "But leave the probes in place until we test them." I dragged my weary body once again into the control room and tried the headgear and circuits. They functioned absolutely perfectly. "What do we do now?" Ven's projection came to me. "Remove the probes and send them back to their camp. There's no sense in leaving them here." "But Eu--" "No," I said. "They are not toys. They're tools. They're to do a job for us. Now stop acting like a child. When they bring us metal you can play games with them--but not now. They're stressed, tired, and need rest. And they're going to get it." "Yes, Eu." Her projection was submissive. "But don't worry," I added kindly. "You can monitor them. I installed two extra circuits, one to the hypothalamus and the other to the tactile centers. You will be able to feel every sensation they experience. It will be just like having an extra body." "Can I try it now?" she asked eagerly as she came into the control room. "Go ahead," I said. "Put on a helmet and use the double control. Take them back to their camp and then neutralize the controller. As for me, I'm going to the refresher. I need it." III I awoke from partial estivation with Ven's projection vibrating my antennae. "Eu! Come quickly! They're awake!" I groaned. What did she expect? But it might be interesting to see how they behaved. And if they panicked, someone should be there to assume control. I checked the chronometer. I had rested for eight satts which should be enough. I felt as well as could be expected, so with only a few choice Low-Thalassic expletives to help me, I managed to clamber out of the tank and stagger into the control room. Ven already had one of the helmets on. I picked up the other and flicked the switch to "on." It was the male's--and he was talking. The words were gibberish, but the thoughts behind them were easy to read.