man, except a good deal fatter in places, which hardly helped matters
from an abstract point of view.

Tensor could only assume that his point of view was becoming less
abstract.

He observed that, upon his disintegrating the sheath, the noise was
there again, issuing rapidly from her mouth, and lacking in detailed
semantic significance. It was very curious, he thought, watching the
rapid rise and fall of her pink-tipped breasts. He could not determine
whether the signal indicated terror or fury.

She solved the problem for him by grasping a small metal object from the
rack beside her and throwing it at him. He deflected it to the floor as
it left her hand.

"What," he asked politely, "is disturbing you so?" He liked the angry
sparkle of her eyes.

"You," she snapped. "Keep away from me."

"I don't understand," he replied, moving closer and reaching out his
hand to obtain a tactile sensation of her lovely hair texture. The woman
compressed her red lips firmly and stood there, uneasily watching him
out of the corner of her eyes as he gently stroked her head.

"Do all females of your race look nice like you?"

She nodded cautiously and said, "More or less."

"Very curious."

A sly expression came to her eyes then and she smiled radiantly. "Look,"
she said, "would you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Tensor murmured with unaccustomed eagerness. This was a
very interesting experience, even though he was constantly having to
reinforce and add to the chemical shift in his body in order to hold
down the possibility of fatigue. He could not recall ever before
permitting such an unusual somatic state.

She gestured guilelessly toward the panel. "Would you help me repair my
radio?"

"Radio?" Tensor echoed vacantly, gazing at the place indicated.

"Yes. I--er, have to report to my superiors that I may not be able to
return, even tonight." Again she smiled dazzlingly and with devastating
effect on Tensor.

"I'd be glad to," he said agreeably. "But I don't know anything about
mechanical things. Couldn't you just tell me where your superiors are
and let me teleport there? I'd let them know and come right back."

"Oh no," she replied quickly. She frowned a little wistfully. "No," she
repeated, "they wouldn't like that. They never like anything easy. And
besides--" again the smile "--I might not be here when you return, you
know!"

"Oh?" Tensor said, puzzled that she knew that he might be concerned over
her absence.