what she tells them to think,
and no more. Disobedient ones are punished by death. Rather a terrible
death, I gather.

"Well, her chief aim is to stop the production of temite. She wishes
to bargain with the Council--at her own terms."

"What's her price?" I asked. "What does she want, wealth?"

"No. _Power!_" Fetter leaned forward across the desk, hammering it
with both fists to emphasize the word, his eyes gleaming from their
deep sockets. "Power, Hanson, that's what she craves. She's insane on
the subject. Utterly mad. She lusts after it. You asked her price;
it's this: a seat in the Council!"

* * * * *

I gasped audibly. A seat in the Council! The Council, composed of the
wisest heads of the universe, and ruling the universe with absolute
authority!

"She _is_ mad," I said.

"Crazy," grunted Correy. "Plain crazy. A woman--in the Council!"

Fetter nodded solemnly.

"Mad--crazy--use your own terms," he said. "But that's her price. The
Chief didn't tell you that, did he? Well, perhaps he didn't know. I
learned it in a very roundabout way. She'll make the formal demand
when the time is ripe, never fear. And what's more, unless these
Worshipers of the Flame are stamped out--_she'll get what she
demands!_"

"Impossible!"

"Not at all. You know what this place is. Only a Lakonian can stand
this atmosphere long. No vitality to the light that does come through
this damned green stuff they breathe for air; and after a few days,
the acid, metallic tang of it drives you frantic. Never can get used
to it.

"So the Lakonians have to mine the temite. And the universe must have
temite, in quantities that can't be supplied from any other source. If
the Lakonians won't mine it--and they won't, when Liane tells them to
quit--what will the Council and your Service do about it?"

"Plenty," growled Correy.

"Nothing," contradicted Fetter. "You can kill a man, disintegrate him,
imprison him, punish him, as you will, but you can't make him work."
And there that phase of the matter rested.

I asked him a number of questions which I felt would help us to start
our work properly, and he answered every one of them promptly and
fully. Evidently, Fetter had given his problem a great deal of
thought, and had done more than a little intelligent investigating of
his own.

"If there's anything else I can do to help you," he said as he
accompanied us to the door, "don't fail to call upon me. And