object to this, your Honor," Coombes said, rising.
"This is nothing but hearsay."

"This is part of a Navy Intelligence situation estimate given to
Lieutenant Ortheris, based on reports we had received from other agents,"
Captain Greibenfeld said. "She isn't the only one we have on Zarathustra,
you know. Mr. Coombes, if I hear another word of objection to this
officer's testimony from you, I am going to ask Mr. Brannhard to subpoena
Victor Grego and question him under veridication about it."

"Mr. Brannhard will be more than happy to oblige, Commander," Gus said
loudly and distinctly.

Coombes sat down hastily.

"Well, Lieutenant Ortheris, this is most interesting, but at the moment,
what we're trying to establish is how these Fuzzies got to Xerxes Naval
Base," the chubby associate justice, Ruiz, put in.

"I'll try to get them there as quickly as possible, your Honor," she said.
"On the night of Friday the twenty-second, the Fuzzies were taken from Mr.
Holloway and brought into Mallorysport; they were turned over by Mohammed
O'Brien to Juan Jimenez, who took them to Science Center and put them in
cages in a room back of his office. They immediately escaped. I found
them, the next morning, and was able to get them out of the building, and
to turn them over to Commander Aelborg, who had come down from Xerxes to
take personal charge of the Fuzzy operation. I will not testify as to how
I was able to do this. I am at present and was then an officer of the
Terran Federation Armed Forces; the courts have no power to compel a
Federation officer to give testimony involving breach of military
security. I was informed, through my contact in Mallorysport, from time to
time, of the progress of the work of measuring the Fuzzies' mental level
there; I was able to pass on suggestions occasionally. Any time any of
these suggestions was based on ideas originating with Dr. Mallin, I was
careful to give him full credit."

Mallin looked singularly unappreciative.

Brannhard got up. "Before this witness is excused, I'd like to ask if she
knows anything about four other Fuzzies, the ones found by Jack Holloway
up Ferny Creek on Friday."

"Why, yes; they're my Fuzzies, and I was worried about them. Their names
are Complex, Syndrome, Id and Superego."

"Your Fuzzies, Lieutenant?"

"Well, I took care of them and worked with them; Juan Jimenez and some
Company hunters caught them over on Beta Continent. They were kept at a
farm cente