The harsh blue bolt did not strike either man. But they went reeling back in a cloud of burning flakes, and when Shearing shouted to them to drop their weapons and get out they did so, half stunned from the shock. Hyrst and Shearing leaped down the stairs, stopping only long enough to pick up the guns. Then they scrambled outside. The two men were running as hard as they could for their ship, but they had not gone far and Shearing stopped them with another shot that sent a geyser of methane steam puffing up practically under their feet. "Not yet," he said. "Later." The two men stood, sullenly obedient. They were both young, and not bad looking. Just doing a job, Hyrst thought. No real harm in them, just doing a job, like so many people who never stop to worry about what the job means. They both wore Bellaver's insigne on their vac-suits. One of them said, as though he were reciting a lesson in which he had no real personal interest, "You're trespassing on private property. You'll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." "Sure," said Shearing. He motioned to the hoist tower. "Back inside." The young men hesitated. "What you going to do?" "Nothing fatal. It shouldn't take you more than half an hour to break out again." He marched them to the hatch and saw them inside it. Hyrst was watching the sky, the black star-glittering sky with the glorious arch of the Rings across it and one milky-bright curve of Saturn visible and growing above the eastern horizon. "They're coming," he said mentally to Shearing. "Good." He started to close the hatch, and one of the young men pointed suddenly to the sack clipped to Shearing's belt. "You've been stealing something." "Tell that to Bellaver." "You bet I will. The fullest extent of the law, mister! The fullest extent--" The hatch closed. Shearing jammed the fastening mechanism so it could not be turned from the inside. Then he went and stood beside Hyrst in the glimmering plain, watching the ship drop down out of the Rings. Hyrst said, "They'll tell Bellaver." "Naturally." "What will Bellaver do?" "I'm not sure. Something drastic. He wants our starship so hard he'd murder his own children to get it. You can see why. In itself it's priceless, a hundred years ahead of its time, but that's not all. It's what it stands for. To us it means freedom and safety. To Bellaver it means--" He gestured toward the sky, and Hyrst nodded, seeing in Shearing's mind the image of a gigantic Bellaver, ten times bigger than God, gathering the whole galaxy into his arms. "I wish you luck," said Hyrst. He unhooked the sack of Titanite from his belt and gave it to Shearing. "It'll take a little while to refine the stuff and build the relays, even so. That may be time enough. Come back for me if you can." "Vernon?" "Yes." Shearing nodded. "I said I'd help you get him. I will." "No. This is my job. I'll do it alone. You belong there, with them. With Christina." "Hyrst. Listen--"