ide of the barrel.

The gun spun off to the edge of the clearing. "Now," he said angrily,
"don't you think we've wasted enough time? They have him now, and with
that jet they'll have enough start on us to leave the system before we
can catch them." As he spoke, the jet reappeared and slipped down low
over the trees to the west. "Hurry," he said, "they'll be on us in
seconds."

She looked at him, hesitated. Then, "All right. Inside."

She stepped over to the trunk of the tree and spoke softly. A panel
opened in the ground at the foot of the tree, over a grav-well. They
dropped gently, and the panel closed behind them. As they floated
slowly downward they heard a sharp explosion overhead. He smiled wryly
at Astrid, dropping beside him.

"Your change of heart," he said, "didn't come any too soon."

Reine's laboratory, like a great deal else in the Allied Systems, had
gone underground as galactic war approached. Far beneath the surface,
the grav-well ended in a corridor, stretching out a hundred meters.
Rooms filled with equipment opened out at either side. As they walked
down the corridor, Thane explained his mission and his Onzarian
appearance. "Now," he went on, "there's a lot for me to catch up on."

"It's been terrible," Astrid said. "First, there was the attack
yesterday. We fought them off, then. Liaison radioed that they were
sending more protection. But the jet that landed today flashed the
Liaison code to our auto-interrogator. We lowered the screen and they
began to attack. We didn't stand a chance, once they were inside."

It was all clear enough, and it was certainly also clear that he was
late. There was the faint possibility that Reine could still be
rescued before the Onzarians could leave the system.

He turned to Astrid. "If they plan to leave by the regular Onzarian
transport, we should be able to catch them at the Aberdeen spaceport.
Where's the radio?"

They had reached an open door. Astrid's gesture was hopeless. Thane
looked inside. The Onzarians had been there before they left. Twisted,
melted circuits were all they had left.

* * * * *

The anti-grav scout got them to the Aberdeen spaceport an hour late.
The Onzarian gold transport had left for Kadell IV. A few questions
were enough to justify Thane's growing pessimism. Several Onzarians
had taken passage. One was heavily drugged, under the care of a
physician.

The hours dragged till they were able to g