CHAPTER 9

The _Pleiades_ landed on Margonia's Galaxian Field, where the Tellurians
found the project running smoothly, a little ahead of schedule. Delcamp
and Fao were working at their fast and efficient pace, but the hairy
pair from Thaker seemed to be, literally, everywhere at once.

"Hi, Belle." Fao 'ported up and shook hands warmly. "I thought I was
going to have the first double-Prime baby, until _she_ appeared on the
scene."

"Didn't it make you mad? I'd've been furious."

"Maybe a little at first, but not after I'd talked with her for half a
minute. She'd never even thought of that angle. Besides, she thinks the
whole galaxy is fairly crawling with double-Primes."

"That's funny--so does Clee. But there are other things--strictly not
angles--that she hasn't thought of, too. If those coveralls were half an
inch tighter they'd choke her to death. You'd think she'd...."

"Huh?" Fao interrupted. "_You_ should scream--oh, that ridiculous
Tellurian prud...."

"It _isn't_ ridiculous!" Belle snapped. "And it isn't prudishness,
either--not with me, anyway. It's just that," she ran an indicative
glance over Fao's lean, trim flanks and hard, flat abdomen, "it spoils
your figure. It's only temporary, of course, but...."

"_Spoils_ it! Why, how _utterly_ idiotic! Why, it's magnificent! Just as
soon as it starts to show on me, Belle, I'm going to start wearing only
half as many clothes as I've got on now."

"You couldn't." Belle eyed the other girl's bathing-suit-like garment.
Except for being blue instead of yellow, it was the same as the one she
had worn before. "Not without the League for Public Decency sending the
wagon out after you."

"Oh, Miss Experience? Well, three-quarters, maybe...."

"Hey, you two!" came Delcamp's hail. "How about cutting the gab and
getting some work done?"

"Coming, boss! 'Scuse it, please!" and two fast and skillful women went
efficiently to work.

* * *

With six Prime Operators on the job the work went on very rapidly, yet
without error. The _Celestial Queen_ was finished, tested, and found
perfect, one full day ahead of James' most optimistic estimate for
construction alone. The six Primes conferred.

"Do you want us to help you pick up the other Primes?" Delcamp asked.
"Your Main, big as it is, will be crowded, and we have three ships here
now instead of one."

"I don't think so ... no," Garlock decided. "We told 'em we'd do it, and
in