e. The
passengers and the two crewmen on that particular waking shift
(including Jakdane) were eating lunch on the center-deck. Quest picked
up his bulb of coffee, but inadvertently pressed it before he got it to
his lips. The coffee squirted all over the front of Asrange's clean
white tunic.

"I'm sorry!" exclaimed Quest in distress.

The man's eyes went wide and he snarled. So quickly it seemed
impossible, he had unbuckled himself from his seat and hurled himself
backward from the table with an incoherent cry. He seized the first
object his hand touched--it happened to be a heavy wooden cane leaning
against Jakdane's bunk--propelled himself like a projectile at Quest.

Quest rose from the table in a sudden uncoiling of movement. He did not
unbuckle his safety belt--he rose and it snapped like a string.

For a moment Trella thought he was going to meet Asrange's assault. But
he fled in a long leap toward the companionway leading to the
astrogation deck above. Landing feet-first in the middle of the table
and rebounding, Asrange pursued with the stick upraised.

In his haste, Quest missed the companionway in his leap and was cornered
against one of the bunks. Asrange descended on him like an avenging
angel and, holding onto the bunk with one hand, rained savage blows on
his head and shoulders with the heavy stick.

Quest made no effort to retaliate. He cowered under the attack, holding
his hands in front of him as if to ward it off. In a moment, Jakdane and
the other crewman had reached Asrange and pulled him off.

* * * * *

When they had Asrange in irons, Jakdane turned to Quest, who was now
sitting unhappily at the table.

"Take it easy," he advised. "I'll wake the psychosurgeon and have him
look you over. Just stay there."

Quest shook his head.

"Don't bother him," he said. "It's nothing but a few bruises."

"Bruises? Man, that club could have broken your skull! Or a couple of
ribs, at the very least."

"I'm all right," insisted Quest; and when the skeptical Jakdane insisted
on examining him carefully, he had to admit it. There was hardly a mark
on him from the blows.

"If it didn't hurt you any more than that, why didn't you take that
stick away from him?" demanded Jakdane. "You could have, easily."

"I couldn't," said Quest miserably, and turned his face away.

Later, alone with Trella on the control deck, Jakdane gave her some
sober advice.

"If yo