"Odd you would know that," replied the second man. "It was through quantum mechanics that we learned to approximate the speed of light. While nine years pass on Earth when we make the trip, our RT is mere moments." "Good Lord!" Brandon said. "You must have passed us up." "Been on this planet for nearly a year," the first man said. "Got men on dozens of planetary systems throughout the Milky Way. One ship went a thousand light years out. By the time they come back, civilization on Earth will be two thousand years older." "Have you got a tele-talkie?" Brandon asked. "Sure," said the first man, producing a set one-third the size of Brandon's. "Could you tune it to 28.6 microcycles?" "Sure," the man said again. He turned a dial with his thumb and handed the unit to Brandon. Brandon depressed the "talk" button. A crystal clear image of Colonel Towers, putting the finishing touches on his full dress uniform, appeared on the screen. "This is an historic occasion," Colonel Towers was announcing to his crew. "Open the hatch--and, Reinhardt, be sure to stand by with the motion picture camera." "Excuse me, Colonel Towers," said Brandon quietly. Towers swung around and looked out at Brandon. The colonel's face paled. "I have something to tell you," said Brandon grinning, "about the quantum jump." THE END