The teletype machine in the office of the hotel began to click rapidly. The message to Wilneda was arriving. And fifty-five minutes after the operator told Korvus that less than an hour would ensue, Wilneda was saying, humorously, "So, Korvus was drunk again last night--" * * * * * Completion of Korvus' message to Wilneda completes also one phase of the tale at hand. It is not important. There were a hundred and fifty other messages that might have been accompanied in the same manner, each as interesting to the person who likes the explanation of the interplanetary communication service. But this is not a technical journal. A more complete explanation of the various phases that a message goes through in leaving a city on Venus to go to Terra may be found in the Communications Technical Review, Volume XXVII, Number 8, pages 411 to 716. Readers more interested in the technical aspects are referred to the article. But it so happens that Korvus' message was picked out of a hundred-odd messages because of one thing only. At the time that Korvus' message was in transit through the decoupler machines at Venus Equilateral Relay Station, something of a material nature was entering the air lock of the station. It was an unexpected visit. Don Channing looked up at the indicator panel in his office and frowned in puzzlement. He punched a buzzer and spoke into the communicator on his desk. "Find out who that is, will you, Arden?" "He isn't expected," came back the voice of Arden Westland. "I know that. But I've been expecting someone ever since John Walters retired last week. You know why." "You hope to get his job," said the girl in an amused voice. "I hope you do. So that someone else will sit around all day trying to make you retire so that he can have your job!" "Now look, Arden, I've never tried to make Walters retire." "No, but when the word came that he was thinking of it, you began to think about taking over. Don't worry, I don't blame you." There was quite a protracted silence, and then her voice returned. "The visitor is a gentleman by the name of Francis Burbank. He came out in a flitter with a chauffeur and all." "Big shot, hey?" "Take it easy. He's coming up the office now." "I gather that he desires audience with me?" asked Don. "I think that he is here to lay down the law! You'll have to get out of Walters' office, if his appearance is any guide." * * * * * There was some more silence. The communicator was turned off at the other end, which made Channing fume. He would have preferred to hear the interchange of words between his secretary and the newcomer. Then, instead of having the man announced, the door opened abruptly and the stranger entered. He came to the point immediately. "You're Don Channing? Acting Director of Interplanetary Communications?" "I am."