military base was reached. Phil himself could get by with the
guaranteed retention of the CLU presidency, and a membership moving up
year by year to the half million mark and beyond--he could get by very,
very comfortably, in fact. While Celia Adams would develop a discreetly
firm hold on every upcoming minor racket, facilitated by iron-clad
protection and an enforced lack of all competitors.

"We're all thinking of Roye's future, Celia," Phil said amiably, "each
in his own way. And the future looks pretty bright. In fact, the only
possible stumbling block I can still see is right here on Roye, and it's
Honest Silas Thayer. If our colonel covers up the Geest gun find
tomorrow--"

Jackson grinned, shook his head. "Leave that to me, my boy--and to our
very distinguished visitors from Earth. Commissioner Sanford has
arranged to be in Thayer's company on Territorial Office business all
day tomorrow. Science Officer Vaughn is dizzy with delight because
Ronald Black and most of the newsgathering troop will inspect his
diggings in the ruins in the morning, with the promise of giving his
theories about the vanished natives of Roye a nice spread on Earth.
Black will happen to ask me to accompany the party. Between Black and
Sanford--and myself--Colonel Silas Thayer won't have a chance to
suppress the discovery of a Geest gun on Roye until the military has had
a chance to look into it fully. And the only one he can possibly blame
for that will be Science Officer Norm Vaughn--for whom, I'll admit, I
feel just a little bit sorry!"

* * * * *

First Lieutenant Norman Vaughn was an intense and frustrated young man
whose unusually thick contact lenses and wide mouth gave him some
resemblance to a melancholy frog. He suspected, correctly, that a good
Science Officer would not have been transferred from Earth to Roye which
was a planet deficient in scientific problems of any magnitude, and
where requisitions for research purposes were infrequently and
grudgingly granted.

The great spiraled ruin on the peninsula of Fort Roye had been Vaughn's
one solace. Several similar deserted structures were known to be on the
planet, but this was by far in the best condition and no doubt the most
recently built. To him, if to no one else, it became clear that the
construction had been carried out with conscious plan and purpose, and
he gradually amassed great piles of notes to back up his theory that the
vanishe