he skipper nodded again.

Baird opened the inner door. It was 08 hours 10 minutes ship time.

The Plumie stepped confidently out into the topsy-turvy corridors of the
_Niccola_. He was about the size of a ten-year-old human boy, and
features which were definitely not grotesque showed through the clear
plastic of his helmet. His pressure suit was, engineering-wise, a very
clean job. His whole appearance was prepossessing. When he spoke, very
clear and quite high sounds--soprano sounds--came from a small
speaker-unit at his shoulder.

"For us to talk," said the skipper heavily, "is pure nonsense. But I take
it you've something to say."

The Plumie gazed about with an air of lively curiosity. Then he drew out
a flat pad with a white surface and sketched swiftly. He offered it to
the _Niccola's_ skipper.

"We want this on record," he growled, staring about.

Diane's voice said capably from a speaker somewhere nearby:

"_Sir, there's a scanner for inspection of objects brought aboard. Hold
the plate flat and I'll have a photograph--right!_"

The skipper said curtly to the Plumie:

"You've drawn our two ships linked as they are. What have you to say
about it?"

He handed back the plate. The Plumie pressed a stud and it was blank
again. He sketched and offered it once more.

"Hm-m-m," said the skipper. "You can't use your drive while we're glued
together, eh? Well?"

The Plumie reached up and added lines to the drawing.

"So!" rumbled the skipper, inspecting the additions. "You say it's up to
us to use our drive for both ships." He growled approvingly: "You
consider there's a truce. You must, because we're both in the same fix,
and not a nice one, either. True enough! We can't fight each other
without committing suicide, now. But we haven't any drive left! We're a
derelict! How am I going to say that--if I decide to?"

Baird could see the lines on the plate, from the angle at which the
skipper held it. He said:

"Sir, we've been mapping, up in the radar room. Those last lines are
map-co-ordinates--a separate sketch, sir. I think he's saying that the
two ships, together, are on a falling course toward the sun. That we have
to do something or both vessels will fall into it. We should be able to
check this, sir."

"Hah!" growled the skipper. "That's all we need! Absolutely all we need!
To come here, get into a crazy right, have our drive melt to scrap, get
crazily welded to a Plumie ship, and then for both of