ock's hut?" Duomart asked.

"No charge left in them. If I'm reasonably careful, I really don't see
what Dr. Egavine can do. He knows he loses his half-interest in the
salvage the moment he pulls any illegal stunts."

A minute or two later, he called out, "Hold it there, doctor?"

The group shuffled to a stop near the foot of the ramp, staring up at
him.

"Yes, Dasinger?" Dr. Egavine called back, sounding a trifle winded.

"Have Quist come up first and alone, please." Dasinger disarmed the
little man at the entrance to the lock, motioned him on to the center of
the compartment. The others arrived then in a line, filed past Dasinger
and joined Quist.

"You've explained the situation to everybody?" Dasinger asked Egavine.
There was an air of tenseness about the little group he didn't like,
though tension might be understandable enough under the circumstances.

"Yes," Dr. Egavine said. "They feel entirely willing to assist us, of
course." He smiled significantly.

"Fine." Dasinger nodded. "Line them up and let's get going! Taunus
first. Get ..."

There was a momentary stirring of the air back of his head. He turned
sharply, jerking up the gun, felt twin needles drive into either side of
his neck.

His body instantly went insensate. The lock appeared to circle about
him, then he was on his back and Graylock's pet was alighting with a
flutter of wings on his chest. It craned its head forward to peer into
his face, the tip of its mouth tube open, showing a ring of tiny teeth.
Vision and awareness left Dasinger together.

The other men hadn't moved. Now Dr. Egavine, his face a little pale,
came over to Dasinger, the birdlike creature bounding back to the edge
of the lock as he approached. Egavine knelt down, said quietly, his
mouth near the wrist communicator, "Duomart Mines, you will obey me."

There was silence for a second or two. Then the communicator whispered,
"Yes."

Dr. Egavine drew in a long, slow breath.

"You feel no question, no concern, no doubt about this situation," he
went on. "You will bring the ship down now and land it safely beside the
Antares. Then come up into the lock of the Antares for further
instructions." Egavine stood up, his eyes bright with triumph.

* * * * *

In the Mooncat three miles overhead, Duomart switched off her wrist
communicator, sat white-faced, staring at the image of the Antares in
the ground-view plate.

"Sweet Jana!" she whispere