g with the boys once in a while for
the exhilarating pleasure of it."

"I imagine the boys get a little pleasure out of having her along,
too," Mike said.

Then, with the queenly nude not a dozen feet away, Doree grasped
Mike's arm. He glanced across and saw that her eyes were sweeping past
Katal'halee to the small cabin. Its door had again opened. Two men
emerged and moved forward. They seemed entirely at home and wore smug
smiles.

"Lorn McKee!" Doree gasped. "Dean Talbott!"

The Terran origination of these two was obvious. McKee was bald,
paunchy, middle-aged, his face loose from easy living. Talbott tended
toward the more athletic figure. He was dark, his eyes clear and
sharp, his mouth cruel.

"Surprise," Nicko said with a noticeable lack of warmth in his voice.
"Bet you never expected to see us on your front porch."

* * * * *

Talbott smiled coldly. "Yes, and no. After we left you in space we
thought we were rid of you. But we saw you tagging after us when we
were over the planet and it was too late to do anything about it.
Congratulations. How did you manage it?"

"What have you done with my father?" Doree asked.

Talbott pondered the loathing in her eyes. It did not seem to bother
him. "Your father is well taken care of. He will be--" McKee raised a
delicate hand. "But the details would only horrify you."

Mike was on his feet and had the Terran by the throat. Talbott gagged
and flailed helplessly. He was no weakling, but still not a match for
Mike's strength and rage.

The haughty-eyed native girl had been standing silent, regarding the
tableaux. Now she snapped a command and two soldiers stepped forward
and seized Mike. A third hit Mike a vicious blow across the skull with
the flat of an ugly jeweled sword he carried. Mike staggered and fell
back on the bench, blood running from his scalp.

Talbott rubbed his throat and adjusted his clothing. Viciousness shone
in his eyes. "We had no great animosity toward you before, but now--"

"That's why you left us stranded in space?" Mike asked.

"It was just that we did not want to bloody our hands killing you but
you had to be got out of the way."

* * * * *

"Well, we're in the way now."

"Not at all. We have had time to put ourselves in solid with these
fierce but rather stupid people. We've also had time to arrange for
this hostile reception accorded you. We told them--"

"I can't