The weird new wonder of it strong within him, Frederix looked down at Andres, silent, immovable on the couch. A strange little smile played on sensitive, parted lips beneath the thin black mustache. Frederix wondered if he dreamed-- Spinning around to the radio, he discovered that to repair it would take hours. Yet he must call Kaa, summon the Service men, and depart in Del's ship for Calidao, on the slim chance that Onupari might still be there and that he might stay the take-off. Atomics moaning above. He rushed to the window. Five ships V-ed into the south, magnificent against a dust-darkened sky, flashing swiftly out of sight under full power. Service ships, so near and yet so far! Of course, the ship! Del's ship would have radio equipment. He rushed out on the impulse, his breath coming fast within his helmet. Snapping on the transmitter, he called quickly into the microphone: "Frederix calling KBM, Kaa. Calling KBM...." QRM snapped through his receiver, born of those lowering skies over Botrodus, one of those rare but violent sandstorms come to disrupt radio communication. Now a calm official voice answered, badly distorted by atmospheric disturbance: "KBM to Frederix. What (brrrrrt) ... message?" "Andres is paralyzed at the Rendezvous. Send a doctor. Send all available ships to Calidao--" "Andres paralyzed.... Rendezvous.... Repeat ... mess ... can't...." Frederix repeated grimly, persistently, but Kaa kept calling: "KBM ... do not get ... repeat ... K ... rrrrrrrr...." And then QRM blotted even that out. * * * * * Disgustedly he turned towards the port and the grim old mansion looming large in the cold, storm-born dusk, and hesitated. The message had gotten through. They at least knew Andres' condition and position; they would doubtless come plunging to the Rendezvous. He must leave a message! Moments later he returned to the ship, a disrupter and a freshly-charged paralysis-pellet gun buckled at his waist. Before him scurried the automaton, its tragi-comic simian face turned back to him as if exhorting him to greater speed. Gently, awesomely, almost reverently (for is not reverence born in recognition of the mighty and the mystic unknown which man cannot quite understand?), he handed the monkey-like thing into the cabin and followed. Blasting off, he set a Mercator course, with all due corrections, for Calidao. Soon he outflew the fringes of the storm and then night fell like a finely-stitched widow's veil, the stars danced crazily as the air cooled, and he was alone in the darkness, roaring at full speed towards Calidao. Alone, aye, save for the weird little robot standing by his side, whatever life it possessed recording his every movement.