e to keep himself in suspense. Stepping into the
supply room, he stripped down to his undergarments and proceeded to
get into the custom-built suit of armor which he had purchased
expressly for the operation. Fortunately, while duplication of early
sixth-century design had been mandatory, there had been no need to
duplicate early sixth-century materials, and sollerets, spurs,
greaves, cuisses, breastplate, pauldrons, gorget, arm-coverings,
gauntlets, helmet, and chain-mail vest had all been fashioned of
light-weight alloys that lent ten times as much protection at ten
times less poundage. The helmet was his particular pride and joy: in
keeping with the period-piece after which it had been patterned, it
looked like an upside-down metal wastepaper basket, but the one-way
transparency of the special alloy that had gone into its construction
gave him unrestricted vision, while two inbuilt audio-amplifiers
performed a corresponding service for his hearing.

The outer surface of each piece had been burnished to a high degree,
and he found himself a dazzling sight indeed when he looked into the
supply-room mirror. This effect was enhanced no end when he buckled on
his chrome-plated scabbard and red-hilted sword and hung his
snow-white shield around his neck. His polished spear, when he stood
it beside him, was almost anticlimactic. It shouldn't have been. It
was a good three and one-half inches in diameter at the base, and it
was as tall as a young flagpole.

As he stood there looking at his reflection, the red cross in the
center of the shield took on the hue of freshly-shed blood. The
period-piece expert who had designed the shield had insisted on the
illusion, saying that it made for greater authenticity, and Mallory
hadn't argued with him. He was glad now that he hadn't. Raising the
visor of his helmet, he winked at himself and said, "I hereby christen
ye 'Sir Galahad'."

Next, he bethought himself of his steed. Armor clanking, he left the
supply room and walked down the short passage to the rec-hall. The
rec-hall occupied the entire forward section of the TSB and had been
designed solely for the benefit of the time-tourists whom Mallory
regularly conducted on past-tours as a cover-up for the illegal
activities which he pursued in between trips. In the present instance,
however, the hall went quite well with the _Yore's_ lumillusioned
exterior, possessing, with its gallery-like mezzanine, its long snack
table, and its