u out, and I won't be too careful about how many of your bones I
break. One.... Two...."

"Pipe down, Rezdo!" the girl exclaimed. "They have something we haven't,
or they wouldn't be here. Whatever it is, we want it."

"Oh, let him try, Miss Mitala," Garlock said, through her hard-held
block, in the depth of her mind. "He won't hurt us a bit and it may do
him some good. While he's wasting effort I'll compare notes with my
partner here, Galactic Vice-Admiral Belle Bellamy. I'm glad to see that
one of you has at least a part of a brain."

"... Three!" Semolo did his best, with everything he had, without even
attracting Garlock's attention. He then tried to leap at the intruder
physically, despite the latter's tremendous advantage in weight and
muscle, but found that he could not move.

Then, through Belle's solidly-set blocks, "How are you doing, ace?
Getting anywhere?"

"My God!" came Belle's mental shriek. "What--how can--but no, you
_didn't_ give _that_ to Fao, surely!"

"I'll say I didn't--nor to Delcamp. But you're going to need it, I'm
thinking."

"But _can_ you? Even if you _would_--and I'm just beginning to realize
how big a man you really are--can that kind of stuff be taught? I
probably haven't got the brain-cells it takes to handle it."

"I'm not sure, but I've reworked our Prime Fields into one and made a
couple of other changes. Theoretically, it ought to work. Shall I come
in and try it?"

"Don't be an idiot, darling. _Of course!_"

* * *

As impersonally as a surgeon exploring an organ, Garlock went into
Belle's mind. "Tune to the field ... that's it--fine! Then--I'll do it
real slow, and watch me close--you do like so ... get it?"

"Uh-huh!" Belle breathed, excitedly. "Got it!"

"Then this ... and this ... and there you are. You can try it on me, if
you like."

"Uh-uh. No sale. I don't need practice and I'd like to preserve the
beautiful illusion that maybe I _could_ crack your shield if I wanted
to. I'll work on Miss Snake-Hips here, the serpentine charmer--but say,
I'll bet there's a bone in it. _You_ can block it, can't you?"

"Yes. It goes like this." He showed her. "It takes full mastery of the
Prime Field, but you've got that."

"Oh, wonderful! Thanks, Clee darling. But do you mean to actually say I
can now completely block you or any other Prime out?"

"You're going too far, ace. Me, yes--but don't forget that there very
well may be people--or things