ightly disreputable, hangdog manner, then reached for his
body shield controls.

Quickly, he cut out visibility, then actuated the levitator modulation
and narrowed out of the alley, rose over the city, and headed toward the
rugged mountains that formed the backbone of the island.

* * * * *

Lanko was waiting, and quickly lowered the base shield.

"Well," he asked, "how did it go?"

"I found him." Banasel walked over to the cabinets, and started sorting
the goods he had been carrying. "Sold him a miniature communicator. Now,
I hope he wears the thing."

"We'll have to keep a close watch on him," commented Lanko, "just in
case he puts it in his luggage and forgets about it. Did you give him a
good sales talk?"

"Sure. Told him to wear it always. I pawed the air, raved a little, and
made him think I was crazy. But I've an idea he'll remember and grab the
thing if he sees trouble coming." Banasel put the last ornament in its
place, and started unhooking his personal equipment. Then, he turned.

"Look," he commented, "why bother with all this mystic business? We've
got mentacoms. Why not just clamp onto him, and keep track of him that
way? It'd be a lot simpler. Less chance of a slip, too."

"Yeah, sure it would." Lanko gave his companion a disgusted look. "But
have you ever tried that little trick?"

"No. I never had the occasion, but I've seen guardsmen run remote
surveillances, and even exert control when necessary. They didn't have
any trouble. We could try it, anyway."

Lanko sat up. "We could try it," he admitted, "but I know what would
happen. I did try it once, and I found out a lot of things--quick." He
looked into space for a moment. "How old are you, Banasel?"

"Why, you know that. I'm forty-one."

Lanko nodded. "So am I," he said. "And our civilization is a few
thousand years old. And our species is somewhat older than that. We were
in basic Guard training, and later in specialist philosophical training
together. It took ten years, remember?"

"Sure. I remember every minute of it."

"Of course you do. It was that kind of training. But how old do you
think some of those young guardsmen we worked with were?"

"Why, most of 'em were kids, fresh from school."

"That they were. But how many years--our years--had they spent in their
schooling? How old were the civilizations they came from? And how old
were their species?"

Lanko eyed him wryly.

Banasel looked th