estroyed--a far
simpler operation than attempting to take her alive.

This was agreed to; and Balmordan was authorized to carry out both
operations.

Mantelish had begun shaking his head again. "No!" he said suddenly and
loudly. He looked at Lyad, then at Trigger. "Trigger!" he said.

"Yes?" said Trigger.

"Take that deceitful woman to her cabin," Mantelish ordered. "Lock her
up. I have something to say to the Commissioner."

Trigger arose. "All right," she said. "Come on, Lyad."

The two of them left the lounge. Mantelish stood up and went over to the
Commissioner. He grasped the Commissioner's jacket lapels.

"Holati, old friend!" he began emotionally.

"What is it, old friend?" the Commissioner inquired.

"What I have to say," Mantelish rumbled, "will shock you. Profoundly."

"No!" exclaimed the Commissioner.

"Yes," said Mantelish. "That plasmoid 112--it has, of course, an almost
inestimable potential value to civilization."

"Of course," the Commissioner agreed.

"But it also," said Mantelish, "represents a quite intolerable threat to
civilization."

"Mantelish!" cried the Commissioner.

"It does. You don't comprehend these matters as I do. Holati, that
plasmoid must be destroyed! Secretly, if possible. And by us!"

"Mantelish!" gasped the Commissioner. "You can't be serious!"

"I am."

"Well," said Commissioner Tate, "sit down. I'm open to suggestions."
Space-armor drill hadn't been featured much in the Colonial School's
crowded curriculum. But the Commissioner broke out one of the ship's two
heavy-duty suits; and when Trigger wasn't at the controls, eating,
sleeping, or taking care of the ship's housekeeping with Lyad and
Mantelish, she drilled.

She wasn't at the controls too often. When she was, they had to surface
and proceed in normal space. But Lyad, not too surprisingly, turned out
to be a qualified subspace pilot. Even less surprisingly, she already
had made a careful study of the ship's controls. After a few hours of
instruction, she went on shift with the Commissioner along the less
rugged stretches. In this area, none of the stretches were smooth.

When not on duty, Lyad lay on her bunk and brooded.

Mantelish tried to be useful.

Repulsive might have been brooding too. He didn't make himself
noticeable.

Time passed. The stretches got rougher. The last ten hours, the
Commissioner didn't stir out of the control seat. Lyad had been locked
in her cabin again as the critical p