"We thank you, sir and madam, from our hearts. We will accept with joy your help in finishing our ship; we will do all that in us lies to further the cause of the Galactic Service. Until a day, then?" "Until a day." Then, to Belle, "Okay, ace. Ready? Go!" And up in the Main--"Sweet Sin!" Belle exclaimed. "What a pair _they_ turned out to be! Clee, that simply scared me witless." "You can play that in spades." Garlock jammed his hands into his pockets and prowled about the room, his face a black scowl of concentration. Until, finally, he pulled himself out of the brown study and said: "I've been trying to think if there's any other thing, however slight, that I have and you haven't. There isn't. You've got it all. You're just as fast as I am, just as sharp and as accurate--and, since we now draw on the same field, just as strong." "Why Clee! You're worrying about _me_? You've done altogether too much for me, already." "Anything I can do, I've got to do ... well, shall we go?" "We shall." * * * They visited four more planets that day. And after supper that night, standing in the corridor between their doors, Belle began to soften her shield, as though to send a thought. Almost instantly, however, she changed her mind and snapped it back to full on. "Good night, Clee," she said. "Good night, Belle," and each went into his own room. The next day they worked nine planets, and the day after that they worked ten. They ate supper in friendly fashion; then strolled together across the Main, to a davenport. "It's funny," Belle said thoughtfully, "having this tremendous ship all to ourselves. To have a private conference right out here in the Main ... or is it?" He triggered the shields, she watched him do it. "It is now," he assured her. "Prime-proof? Not ordinary Gunther blocks?" "Uh-huh. Two hundred kilovolts and four hundred kilogunts. Backed by all the force of the Prime and Op fields and the full power of the engines. I told you I'd made some changes in the set-up." "Private enough, I guess ... what a mess those Primes are! And we'll have to make the rounds twice more--when we alert 'em and when we pick 'em up." "Not necessarily. This new set-up ought to give us a galaxy-wide reach. Let's try Semolo, on Lizoria, shall we?" "Uh-huh--Let's." "Tune in, then ace." "_Ace_, darling?" "Ace, _Darling_?" "Darling. You said you weren't going to fight with me any more. Okay--I'm not going to try any more to lick you until after I've licked myself. I'm tuned--you may fire when ready, Gridley." They fired--and hit the mark dead center. Top-lofty and arrogant and belligerent as ever, the Lizorian Prime took the call. "I thought all the time you wanted something. Well, I neither want nor need...." "Cut it, you unlicked cub, until you can begin to use that half-liter of golop you call a brain," Garlock said, harshly. "We're just trying out a new ultra-communicator. Thanks for your help."