alance. Then he crashed to the
floor, his head banging violently against the stones.

Stan looked at the body in consternation. He had merely intended to
make the fellow look a little silly.

"Hope he's got a hard head," he told himself.

The workroom guard came up warily.

"What's all this?"

"I don't know, sir." Stan managed a vaguely puzzled look. "First thing
I knew, he was swinging his arms all over the place. Then he went
down. Maybe he had a fit, huh?"

"Yeah." The guard was sardonic. "Yeah, maybe he had a fit. Well, no
more trouble out of him for a while." He raised his voice.

"Hey, you over by the first-aid kit. Grab that stretcher."

Big Carl Marlo was in his bunk when Stan came into the cell. He looked
up with a grin.

"Hey, kid, you start at the top, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"This Vernay, what else? Like I said, you start at the top. I didn't
think you got it when I told you about the muscle racket. How'd I know
you was already figuring something?" Marlo shook his head admiringly.

"Real nice job, too. You take it easy, set this chump up, and there
you are. Only you get a real big fish. Think you can handle this guy
again?"

Stan blinked. "Look," he said, "punch in some more data, will you? And
run it by real slow. I'm way off co-ordinates."

"Huh? What you--Oh, I get you." Marlo frowned.

"Now don't go telling me you don't know about this Vernay. Don't give
me you ain't figured how you can land a big job with Janzel Equipment.
You know me--Big Carl. I don't talk, remember?" He looked at the blank
expression on Stan's face.

"Besides, there ain't a guy in the walls, don't figure this deal by
now. Man, you just don't know how many guys been watching that
Vernay."

Stan walked across the cell and sat down on his bunk.

"Look," he said patiently, "let's just say I'm some stupid kid from
off planet. Maybe I don't get things so well. Now, what's this all
about?"

Marlo shrugged. "So all right, but for some guy don't know what he's
doing, you sure pick 'em pretty. Well, anyway, here's the layout.

"See, this guy, Vernay, is one of Janzel's big strong-arms. Real salt
and butter guy. Been pushing them poor apes of theirs all over the
place, see. Don't know too much about the business, but they tell him
some mug's not putting out, Vernay goes over and bends the guy around
his machine a while, he should maybe work faster. See what I mean?"

Stan frowned distastefully and Marlo held up a