reachery. The ship moved
in, came to rest filling the screen.

Mannion's men reported out. I saw the red dot of our power lead move
away, then a yellow point glowed on the side of the vast iodine-colored
wall looming across the screen.

Nothing else emerged from the alien ship. The red pilot drifted across
the face of the sphere. Mannion reported six thousand feet of cable out
before the pilot disappeared abruptly.

"Captain," Mannion reported, "they're drawing power."

"O.K.," I said. "Let them have a sample, then shut down."

I waited, watching carefully, until Mannion reported the cannister
inside.

"Kramer," I said. "Run me a fast check on the samples in that
container."

Kramer was recovering his swagger. "You'll have to be a little more
specific," he said. "Just what kind of analysis do you have in mind? Do
you want a full...."

"I just want to know one thing, Kramer," I said. "Can we assimilate
these substances, yes or no. If you don't feel like co-operating, I'll
have you lashed to your bunk, and injected with them. You claim you're a
medical officer; let's see you act like one." I turned my back to him.

Mannion called. "They say the juice we fed them was 'amusing,' Captain.
I guess that means it's O.K."

"I'll let you know in a few minutes how their samples pan out," I said.

* * * * *

Kramer took half an hour before reporting back. "I ran a simple check
such as I normally use in a routine mess inspection," he began. He
couldn't help trying to take the center of the stage to go into his Wise
Doctor and Helpless Patient routine.

"Yes or no," I said.

"Yes, we can assimilate most of it," he said angrily. "There were six
samples. Two were gelatinous substances, non-nutritive. Three were
vegetable-like, bulky and fibrous, one with a high iodine content; the
other was a very normal meaty specimen."

"Which should we take?" I said. "Remember your teeth when you answer."

"The high protein, the meaty one," he said. "Marked '6'."

I keyed for Mannion. "Tell them that in return for 1,000 KWH we require
3,000 kilos of sample six," I said.

Mannion reported back. "They agreed in a hurry, Captain. They seem to
feel pretty good about the deal. They want to chat, now that they've got
a bargain. I'm still taping a long tirade."

"Good," I said. "Better get ready to send about six men with an
auxiliary pusher to bring home the bacon. You can start feeding them the
ju