Stewart accepted the earphones and listened to the clicks and hisses that translated readily into: "How many gun batteries left?" "Two more and they will have all been dismantled." "And the stun weapons?" "There isn't a single one left on the ship." Stewart tensed. The questioning voice--it couldn't be-- Anxiously, he picked up the microphone and ignored the bewilderment on Randall's face as he hissed, "Mittich! Is that you?" And the Tzarean who had practically been his companion during the Curule Assembly hearing phase of his captivity answered with a series of startled clicks: "Friend Stewart? It's not _really_ Stewart, is it?" THE END