her wield or
stop--down into the innermost private office of that immense and
far-flung base. Through Lola's inner eyes they saw a tall, trim,
handsome, fiftyish man in a resplendent uniform of purple and gold; they
watched her brush aside that officer's hard-held mental block.

* * *

"I greet you, Supreme Grand Marshal Entlore, Highest Commander of the
Armed Forces of Nargoda. This is the starship _Pleiades_, of System Sol,
Planet Tellus. I am Sol-System Vice-Admiral Lola Montandon. I have with
me as guests three of my superior officers of the Galactic Service,
including the Galactic Admiral himself. We are making a good-will tour
of the Tellus-Type planets of this region of space. I request permission
to land and information as to your landing conventions. The landing
pad--bottom--of the _Pleiades_ is flat; sixty feet wide by one hundred
twenty feet long. Area loading is approximately eight tons per square
foot. Solid, dry ground is perfectly satisfactory. While we land
vertically, with little or no shock impact, I prefer not to risk
damaging your pavement."

They all felt the Marshal's thoughts race. "Starship! Tellus--Sol, that
insignificant Type G dwarf! Interstellar travel a commonplace! A ship
_that_ size and weight--an organized, uniformed, functioning Galaxy-wide
Navy and they don't want to _damage_ my _pavement_! My God!"

"Good going, Brownie! Kiss her for me, Jim." Garlock flashed the
thought.

Entlore, realizing that his every thought was being read, pulled himself
together. "I admit that I was shocked, Admiral Montandon. But
landing--really, I have nothing to do with landings. They are handled
by...."

"I realize that, sir; but you realize that no underling could possibly
authorize my landing. That is why I always start at the top. Besides, I
do not like to waste time on officers of much lower rank than my own,
and," Lola allowed a strong tinge of good humor to creep into her
thought, "the bigger they are, the less apt they are to pass the
well-known buck."

"You have had experience, I see," the Marshal laughed. He _did_ have a
sense of humor. "While landing here is forbidden--top secret, you
know--would my refusal mean much to you?"

"Having made satisfactory contact, I introduce you to Galactic Admiral
Garlock. Take over, sir, please."

* * *

Entlore winced, for the probe Garlock used then compared to Lola's very
much as a diamond dr