Nora returned Paul's appraisal of her with a flaunt of her hip. "So?" "So!" he said. Paul turned toward the control panel and made some computations and some settings on the dials. Nora pouted. "Why the cloud-up-and-rain?" he asked. Nora chuckled. "Trigonometry," she said. "First things first," Paul replied. The floor surged upward, causing Nora to lose her balance. Paul caught her neatly. "We're on our way," he said. Nora looked up in his eyes. Silently. There was no point in saying anything. The Z-wave, proved-in months ago on Neoterra, newly-proved to Paul and Nora, was a sort of landmark that did not require any further amplification. That was finished and done. There had been restraint. Now it seemed childish like a youngster who saves the fanciest chocolate for the last and best. This was the last and best and both of them knew it. Her lips were softer, warmer. More eager. In all of their previous lovemaking there had been a strident vigor and an avid clutching for one another, a sort of regret that fulfillment was yet to come, but not yet here. Now this frantic reaching seemed gone. Paul knew the free relaxation of Nora's softness against him, he felt the sweet lassitude soften her. His hands caressed her and Nora moved to relish the caress. "Paul--I love you." "I know--you don't mind if I know?" "I want you to know--" Eleven days later they landed on Latham Alpha IV. Stacey greeted them with, "So now what, children?" "Neosol." Stacey eyed them with envy. "Somewhere along in this mad pattern I recall vaguely that I have a wife named Gloria and a daughter, both of whom think I am deceased. Looking at you two makes me want to howl at the moon--if I could find a moon to howl at on this misbegotten planet. You can head for Neoterra, but does anybody mind if I head for home and fireside? I want to walk in and be a great shock to my wife." "You--" "Shut up," snapped Stacey. "Or I'll tell Nora about you." "Please do anyway." "Stacey, you stay out of this." "Bribe me, chum. I'm not incorruptible." Nora smiled. "Maybe I can offer something--" "Possibly." "Like a sum of money or a--" "Nah!" "Personal gift--" "What kind?" "Such as a good book?" "Nah." "He's hard to please," complained Nora. "I'm not hard to please. Just keep making offers. You'll hit on something." "I'll tell Gloria," suggested Paul. Stacey cleared his throat. "Gloria is a very smart woman," he said. "She would believe you only if she had seventeen confirming witnesses--or the odd look on my face. So--Migawd! What was that?" The ground trembled and the air racketed to the blast of explosion. A flash of white flame filled the sky. Had the blast been atomic the shock-wave would have flattened the Latham Alpha IV station. It was that close. But it was just common high explosive of the chemical type that shattered at them, and cracked a couple of windows in the Relay Station not far away. "Bombs!" shouted Stacey.