y human clothing again. But Bart folded
his Lhari tights and the cloak tenderly, with regret. They were the
memory of an experience no one else would ever have.

Raynor Three let him take the controls as they flew back to the
spaceport city; and a little before noon they entered the great crystal
pylon that was the headquarters of the Federation Trade Bureau on
Procyon Alpha. Men and Lhari were moving in the lobby; among them Bart
saw Vorongil, Meta at his side. He smiled at her, received a wan smile
in return.

Would Vorongil feel that Bart had deceived him, betrayed him, when he
heard Bart today?

In the hearing room, four white-crested Lhari sat across from four
dignified, well-dressed men, representatives of the Federation of
Intergalactic Trade. The space beyond was wholly filled with people,
crowded together, and carrying stereo cameras, intercom equipment, the
creepie-peepie of the on-the-spot space commentator.

"Mr. Steele, we had hoped to make this a quiet hearing, without undue
publicity. But we cannot deny the news media the privilege of covering
it, unless you wish to claim the right to privacy."

"No, indeed," Bart said clearly. "I want them all to hear what I'm going
to say."

Raynor One came up to the bench. "Bart, as your guardian, I advise
against it. Some people will call this a publicity stunt. It won't do
Eight Colors any good to admit that men have been spying on the Lhari--"

"I want press coverage," Bart repeated stubbornly, "and as many
star-systems on the relay as possible."

"All right. But I wash my hands of it," Raynor One said angrily.

Bart told his story simply: his meeting with the elder Briscoe, his
meeting with Raynor One--carefully not implicating Raynor One in the
plot--Raynor Three's work in altering his appearance to that of a Lhari,
and the major events of his cruise on the _Swiftwing_. When he came to
the account of the shift into warp-drive, he saw the faces of the press
reporters, and realized that for them this was the story of the year--or
century: _humans can endure star-drive!_ But he went on, not
soft-pedaling Montano's attempted murder, his own choice, the trip to
the Lhari world--

One of the board representatives interrupted testily, "What is the point
of this lengthy narrative? You can give the story to the newsmen without
our official sanction, if you want to make it a heroic epic, young
Steele. We have heard sufficient to prove your guilt, and that of
Ra