very long way from the Hub."

Kerim's large eyes showed a degree of confidence which made him almost
uncomfortable. "If we are," she said serenely, "you'll get us back
somehow."

Gefty cleared his throat. "Well, we'll see. If the power shutoff is
something the _Queen's_ repair scanners can handle, the instruments will
come back on any minute. Give the scanners ten minutes. If they haven't
done it by that time, they can't do it and I'll have to play repairman.
Then, with the instruments working, we can determine exactly where we
are."

Unless, he told himself silently, they'd wound up in a distant cluster
never penetrated by the Federation's mapping teams. And there was the
other little question of where they now were in time. But Kerim looked
rosy with relief, and those details could wait.

He took up another emergency light, switched it on and said, "I'll see
how Maulbow is doing while we're waiting for power. If the first aid
treatment has pulled him through so far, the autosurgeon probably can
fix him up."

Kerim's face suddenly took on a guilty expression. "I forgot all about
Mr. Maulbow!" She hesitated. "Should I come along?"

Gefty shook his head. "I won't need help. And if it's a case for the
surgeon, you wouldn't like it. Those things work painlessly, but it gets
to be a mess for a while."

He shut off the light again when he reached the sick bay which was
running on its independent power system. As he opened the cabin door
from the dispensary, carrying the autosurgeon, it became evident that
Maulbow was still alive but that he might be in delirium. Gefty placed
the surgeon on the table, went over to the bed and looked at Maulbow.

To the extent that the emergency treatment instruments' cautious
restraints permitted, Maulbow was twisting slowly about on the bed. He
was speaking in a low, rapid voice, his face distorted by emotion. The
words were not slurred, but they were in a language Gefty didn't know.
It seemed clear that Maulbow had reverted mentally to his own time, and
for some seconds he remained unaware that Gefty had entered the room.
Then, surprisingly, the slitted blue eyes opened wider and focused on
Gefty's face. And Maulbow screamed with rage.

Gefty felt somewhat disconcerted. For the reason alone that he was under
anesthetic, Maulbow should not have been conscious. But he was. The
words were now ones Gefty could understand, and Maulbow was telling him
things which would have been inter