sting
between his chest and his forearm.

"It's regulation, isn't it?" Shann countered defensively.

"It's regulation," Thorvald agreed. He set down his stones in a row and
then tossed the supply bag over to his companion. "Too late to hunt
tonight. But well have to go easy on those rations until we can get
more."

"Where?" Did Thorvald know of some supply cache they could raid?

"From the Throgs," the other answered matter of factly.

"But they don't eat our kind of food...."

"All the more reason for them to leave the camp supplies untouched."

"The camp?"

For the first time Thorvald's lips curved in a shadow smile which was
neither joyous nor warming. "A native raid on an invaders' camp. What
could be more natural? And we'd better make it soon."

"But how can we?" To Shann what the other proposed was sheer madness.

"There was once an ancient service corps on Terra," Thorvald answered,
"which had a motto something like this: 'The improbable we do at once;
the impossible takes a little longer.' What did you think we were going
to do? Sulk around out here in the bush and let the Throgs claim Warlock
for one of their pirate bases without opposition?"

Since that was the only future Shann had visualized, he was ready enough
to admit the truth, only some shade of tone in the officer's voice kept
him from saying so aloud.

4. SORTIE

Five days later they came up from the south so that this time Shann's
view of the Terran camp was from a different angle. At first sight there
had been little change in the general scene. He wondered if the aliens
were using the Terran dome shelters themselves. Even in the twilight it
was easy to pick out such landmarks as the com dome with the shaft of a
broadcaster spearing from its top and the greater bulk of the supply
warehouse.

"Two of their small flyers down on the landing field...." Thorvald
materialized from the shadow, his voice a thread of whisper.

By Shann's side the wolverines were moving restlessly. Since Taggi's
attack on the Throg neither beast would venture near any site where they
could scent the aliens. This was the nearest point to which the men
could urge either animal, which was a disappointment, for the wolverines
would have been an excellent addition to the surprise sortie they
planned for tonight, halving the danger for the men.

Shann ran his fingers across the coarse fur on the animals' shoulders,
exerting a light pressure to signal the