"Enough. We find you guilty of treasonable acts, Maynard. You will be removed from command, relieved of any connection with the Terran Space Patrol, and your citizenship in the Terran and Colonial Alliance destroyed. We'll see how popular you are, Maynard. No matter how big a man may get, he still is less than the world itself. We'll find out whether you can find friends who trust you when you've been dishonorably discharged from the Patrol. "There is this fact. To remove the Act of Treason from your record, you must remove the charge. By leading us to Ertene you will remove any cause for action, and by doing so you will regain your position. Understand?" Maynard's lips curled in a sneer. He said nothing because there was nothing to say. The President of the Court approached him and harshly ripped the insignia from his uniform. "Thus I remove the sacred shields of honor from a man of dishonor. He has defiled them." The insignia were dropped into a small box, which was then burned so that no trace of the original shapes remained. During the firing of the insignia, Guy stood woodenly. His former friends looked past him, through him, ignoring him. They arose and filed out of the room, leaving Guy standing alone. Completely alone. * * * * * He stood on the edge of the great spaceport and watched the activity. It was hard to realize that he was no longer a part of it; he knew that he could return as soon as he grew tired of going hungry, of finding no work, of being without a single friend. But before he did that--well, he was not reduced to starvation yet. Perhaps something would turn up. He heard a footstep beside him, and found it was Kane. "Sorry," he said to the publisher. "So am I, Guy. But I believe with you. You should have been permitted your little secret. Would they have preferred another Mephisto? A planet such as you describe ruined and sterilized because of pride? No--and believing that I know the mettle of the people on that mysterious planet, I know that they'd die before they'd permit invasion. Right?" "Absolutely. That's why I did nothing. They were human, Kane, as you and I are human. A dead specimen is no good in a zoo." "I know. What are you going to do?" "I don't know." "Don't take it too hard. I'm still the big publisher. I'll see that your case reaches the public in the proper light. You'll be a victim of Patrol politics, thrown out because of personal pettiness over practical action." "That may help." "They'll never stand for it." "You should know." "I do. Now look, Guy. Will you take the _Loki_ and head for Pluto? Get lost there on Pluto; hire out as a workman. When the time is ripe, you'll know and can come back. I'm not going to see my friend broken because of their high-handed methods." "That's offering a lot."