"I've anyone as angry as that doctor," Brion said.
"Can't him." Ihjel his weight and from the console, where he was having a with the ship's brain. He the keys quickly, and read the answer from the screen. "You took away his medical moment of glory. How many times in his life will he have a to nurse to health the Winner of the Twenties?"
"Not many, I imagine. The wonder of it is how you managed to him that you and the ship here take of me as well as his hospital could."
"I him of that," Ihjel said. "But I and the Cultural Relationships Foundation have some powerful friends on Anvhar. I'm to admit I a little pressure to bear." He and read the tape as it out of the printer. "We have a little time to spare, but I would it waiting at the other end. We'll blast as soon as I have you in a field."
The of the no on the or mind. In it there is no weight, no pressure, no pain—no of any kind. Except for a of very long duration, there is no of time. To Brion's consciousness, Ihjel the off with a of the same motion that had it on. The ship was unchanged, only of the port was the red-shot of jump-space.
"How do you feel?" Ihjel asked.
Apparently the ship was the same thing. Its unit, just of Brion's field, and settled[Pg 30] on his forearm. The doctor on Anvhar had the medical of the ship's brain a complete briefing. A quick check of a dozen of Brion's was to the norm. Apparently was going well, the only was the of and glucose.
"I can't say I'm yet," Brion answered, himself higher on the pillows. "But every day it's a better—steady progress."
"I so, we have about two we to Dis. Do you think you'll be in shape by that time?"
"No promises," Brion said, a to one bicep. "It should be time, though. Tomorrow I start mild and that will me up again. Now—tell me more about Dis and what you have to do there."
"I'm not going to do it twice, so just save your awhile. We're for a point now to up another operator. This is going to be a three-man team, you, me and an exobiologist. As soon as he is I'll do a complete for you at the same time. What you can do now is your into the language box and start on your Disan. You'll want to speak it perfectly by the time we touchdown."
With an for complete recall, Brion had no in the and of Disan. Pronunciation was a different altogether. Almost all the word were swallowed, or gargled. The language was rich in stops, and sounds. Ihjel in a different part of the ship when Brion used the voice and analysis scope, that the with his digestion.
Their ship through jump-space along its calculated course. It its warm, them and air. It had orders to worry about Brion's health, so it did, against its recorded and[Pg 31] his progress. Another part of the ship's brain with fixation, a when a number had in its heart. A light and a but insistently.
Ihjel yawned, put away the report he had been reading, and started for the room. He when he passed the room where Brion was to a of his Disan efforts.
"Turn off that and in," he called through the thin door. "We're to the point of possibility and well be into normal space soon."
The mind can the the stars, but cannot possibly itself a of them. Marked out on a man's hand an is a large unit of measure. In space a area with a hundred thousand miles long is a division. Light this in a of a second. To a ship moving with a relative speed than that of light, this unit is smaller. Theoretically, it to a particular area of this size. Technologically, it was a that too often to be interesting.
Brion and Ihjel were in when the jump-drive cut off abruptly, them into normal space and time. They didn't unstrap, but just sat and looked at the pattern of stars. A single sun, of magnitude, was their only neighbor in this of the universe. They waited while the computer took star to a position in three dimensions, to itself while it did the calculations to their position. A and the drive cut on and off so that the two simultaneous. This again, twice, the brain was satisfied it had as good a as possible and a NAVIGATION POWER OFF light. Ihjel unstrapped, stretched, and them a meal.[Pg 32]
Ihjel had their passage time with allowances. Less than ten hours after they a powerful into their waiting receiver. They in again as the NAVIGATION POWER ON insistently.
A ship had paused in near in the of space. It had entered normal space just long to a of radio on an length. Ihjel's ship had this and with a signal. The had this and a ten-foot metal egg in space. As soon as this had its jump the parent ship its destination, light years away.
Ihjel's ship up the it had received. This had been recorded and minutely. Angle, and Doppler movement were to and distance. A minutes of were to range of the in the drop-capsule. Homing on this was so simple, a pilot have done it himself. The up, then out of of the as the ship to the into line. Magnetic cut in when they contact.
"Go and let the bug-doctor in," Ihjel said. "I'll and the in case of trouble."
"What do I have to do?"
"Get into a and open the lock. Most of the is of foil, so don't to look for the entrance. Just cut a in it with the can-opener you'll in the tool box. After Dr. Morees the thing. Only the radio and unit out first—it used again."
The tool did look like a can-opener. Brion the metal skin that the lock entrance, until he was sure there was nothing on the other side. Then he the point through and cut a in the thin foil. Dr. Morees out of the sphere, Brion aside.[Pg 33]
"What's the matter?" Brion asked.
There was no radio on the other's suit; he couldn't answer. But he did shake his angrily. The were opaque, so there was no way to tell what with the gesture. Brion and to the pack, pushing the free and the lock. When pressure was to ship-normal, he his and the other to do the same.
"You're a pack of dirty dogs!" Dr. Morees said when the came off. Brion was baffled. Dr. Lea Morees had long dark hair, large eyes, and a mouth now with anger. Dr. Morees was a woman.
"Are you the for this atrocity?" Dr. Morees asked menacingly.
"In the room," Brion said quickly, when was to valor. "A man named Ihjel. There's a of him to hate, you can have a good time doing it. I just joined up myself...." He was talking to her as she from the room. Brion after her, not wanting to miss the of in the to date.
"Kidnapped! Lied to, and against my will! There is no in the that won't give you the maximum sentence, and I'll with as they roll your into solitary—"
"They shouldn't have sent a woman," Ihjel said, her words. "I asked for a for a difficult assignment. Someone and to do work under conditions. So the office sends me the smallest female they can find, one who'll melt in the rain."
"I will not!" Lea shouted. "Female is a well-known fact, and I'm in condition than the woman. Which has nothing to do with what I'm telling you. I was for a job in the on Moller's World and a to[Pg 34] that effect. Then this of an agent tells me the has been changed—read 189-C or some such nonsense—and I'll be transhipping. He me into that without a by-your-leave and they me overboard. If that is not a of personal privacy—"
"Cut a new course, Brion," Ihjel in. "Find the nearest settled and us there. We have to this woman and a man for this job. We are going to what is the most an of, but we need a man who can take orders and not when it too hot."
Brion was lost. Ihjel had done all the and Brion had no idea how to a search like this.
"Oh, no you don't," Lea said. "You don't of me that easily. I in my class, and most of the five hundred other students were male. This is only a man's the men say so. What is the name of this garden where we are going?"
"Dis. I'll give you a as soon as I this ship on course." He to the and Lea out of her and into the to her hair. Brion closed his mouth, aware it had been open for a long time. "Is that what you call psychology?" he asked.
"Not really. She was going to go along with the job in the end—since she did the if she didn't read the print—but not until she had her feelings. I just the by her onto the male-superiority hate. Most who succeed in have a there; they have been on the with it so much."
He the tape into the and scowled. "But there was a good of truth in what I said. I wanted a young, fit and from recruiting. I they would a[Pg 35] female one—and it's too late to send her now. Dis is no place for a woman."
"Why?" Brion asked, as Lea appeared in the doorway.
"Come inside, and I'll you both," Ihjel said.[Pg 36]
