recaution resulted in disaster for Hovig. Chief Engineer Graylock
had time to consider that his share in the profits of the raid would be
relatively insignificant, and that there was a possibility of increasing
it.

Graylock and his friends attacked their shipmates as the raider was
touching down to the surface of an uncharted world to replenish its
water supply. The attack succeeded but Hovig, fatally wounded, took a
terrible revenge on the mutineers. He contrived to set off one of his
grisly devices, and to all intents and purposes everyone still alive on
board the Antares immediately went insane with fear. The ship crashed
out of control at the edge of a lake. Somebody had opened a lock and a
number of the frantic crew plunged from the ramp and fell to their death
on the rocks below. Those who reached the foot of the ramp fled
frenziedly from the wreck, the effects of Hovig's machine pursuing them
but weakening gradually as they widened the distance between themselves
and the Antares. Finally, almost three miles away, the fear impulses
faded out completely....

But thereafter the wreck was unapproachable. The fear generator did not
run out of power, might not run out of power for years.

Dasinger said, "Doctor, let's hurry this up! Ask him why they weren't
affected by their murder machines when they robbed Dosey Asteroids. Do
the generators have a beam-operated shut-off, or what?"

Graylock listened to the question, said, "We had taken kwil. The effects
were still very unpleasant, but they could be tolerated."

There was a pause of a few seconds. Dr. Egavine cleared his throat. "It
appears, Dasinger," he remarked, "that we have failed to consider a
very important clue!"

Dasinger nodded. "And an obvious one," he said drily. "Keep it moving
along, doctor. How much kwil did they take? How long had they been
taking it before the raid?"

Dr. Egavine glanced over at him, repeated the questions.

Graylock said Hovig had begun conditioning the crew to kwil a week or
two before the Antares slipped out of Aruaque for the strike on the
station. In each case the dosage had been built up gradually to the
quantity the man in question required to remain immune to the
generators. Individual variations had been wide and unpredictable.

Dasinger passed his tongue over his lips, nodded. "Ask him ..."

* * * * *

He checked himself at a soft, purring noise, a shadowy fluttering in the
air. Gr