Schiemann operated out of Capella IV with cargoes of whatever he could get. He was able to make a living with the _Valkyrie_ only because he would take on jobs that no sane skipper would touch. Some were dangerous; most were illegal into the bargain. The risks were out of all proportion to the profit, which was why the only helper he'd been able to get was Balas--a big, powerful man, not old but mad. He'd been a deckhand on one of the big starships and had broken too early to be entitled to a pension. Mattern had met old Schiemann at a bar in Burdon, the capital of Capella IV, and had had a few drinks with him whenever the _Perseus_ and the _Valkyrie_ had happened to hit port at the same time. Schiemann had a favorite joke he kept repeating over and over: "If you ever get sick of the _Perseus_, Lennie--sick of good food and hot water and decent quarters--you can always come to the _Valkyrie_. I'll take care of you." Now Mattern went to him and said he'd like to take Schiemann up on that offer. The old man's pale green eyes protruded even further from his head. "You want to leave the _Perseus_ for a berth on my ship! You're madder than Balas!" "Not a berth, Pop," Mattern told him. "A share of her--a half share." Schiemann grinned. "Now you must think _I'm_ crazy, to hand over half my ship just like that. Maybe you'd like me to sign her over to you entirely." And he puffed savagely upon his Venuswood pipe. "Look," Len said, "let's not kid ourselves. You're a crook, Pop, but such a lousy crook that you make it look as if crime really doesn't pay. And I'll tell you what's wrong with the way you operate. You have no organization, no system, no imagination. I have 'em all. You contribute the ship; I'll contribute my know-how. Together, we'll make a fortune." "Modest, aren't you?" the old man jeered. "What kind of know-how do you get working as a deckhand on a starboat? All right, maybe you're the universe's best metal polisher, but--" "Look, Pop," Len interrupted, "I'll make a deal with you. We work together for a year. If you don't pull in at least three times the amount you got before, as just your share, my half of the ship reverts to you. What could be fairer than that?" Schiemann still wasn't convinced that he was not being played for a sucker. Being what he was, he could never expose himself to a court battle, no matter how much justice might be on his side in a particular instance. But he didn't think Len could be so rotten as to figure on something like that. Besides, the old captain couldn't help liking the boy. So he agreed, saying as he did so, "I should have my head examined." But before the fourth voyage was out, he realized that he had never done a wiser thing in his life. Under Len's direction, the _Valkyrie_ as a business enterprise was cleaning up.