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that she hadat had the chance to see the Great Race personally.

Picnic on the mountainside, below the vast pit the great ship had left. Barton and Limila and Ferenc and Racelle.

"Which do you think we were," Ferenc said, "and which were the Others? In terms of sperm and ova, I mean."

The question took Barton a moment to figure; then he knew. The humans had been like sperm, traveling blindly in search of their own extinction as a species-an extinc- tion they didn't foresee and bitterly resisted. The Others waited like ova, knowing, and drew humans into a unity the Others intuited and welcomed. Now, though, with a little caution the gamete species wouid survive on their own.

He must be a little drunk. Barton thought, to be specu- lating on this kind of stuff. He said, "What does it matter, actually, which was which?"

But he could see how it might matter to Ferenc Szabo.

The fourth day. Barton got through to Tarleton to Phasewave. The picture was better than he expected, but Tarleton looked pooped. First he talked about fleet doings, and to Barton it sounded as if he had things pretty well in hand. Then he said, "Have you heard what Helaise did?" Barton shook his head. "Locked herself in her room and kept zapping herself with a sleep-gun until she couldn't remember how to use it." Barton wondered if he looked as shocked as he felt. The other man said, "Mentally she's about fourteen, I think, and a rather cheerful youngster. Ap Fenn's taking care of her, and he's quite patient about waiting for her to develop grown-up attitudes. I don't think it's going to take too long."

A lot of things Barton wanted to ask, then, but he couldn't think how. Finally he said, "Where do / stand, Tarleton? I mean, last I knew on TUara, I was in tough.

I asked Cummings but she didn't know."

Tarleton frowned. "Well, there's a little problem. We have your tape, explaining what happened, and the testi- mony of Doctor Arleta Fox. But Hennessy, when he was in charge here, set up a Board of Inquiry, and that Board still wants to do some inquiring."

Barton grinned. "They may have quite a wait. Unlessi

520.

they want to convene on the other side of the dead belt, that is."

He saw Tarleton lean forward. "You mean you're not coming back here?"

"Not hardly. I'd like to hoist drinks with you, but Ferenc's heading down-Arm again, and-"

Tarleton cut in. "What happened there, anyway? I've heard rumors, and now I'm told the great ship's lifted off from Sisshain and gone God only knows where. I think somebody owes me some answers."

Barton considered, decided Tarelton was right, and told it-the bare bones, anyway. At the end, the big man nodded. "You and Szabo did right; that bombshell must not get out in public. Matter of fact, I don't expect to sleep too well myself, tonight. Oh, there'll be leaks, but without any solid proof . . ." He shrugged, then frowned.

"But if down-Arm's a trap for humans, what can you do there?"

"Plenty." Barton explained some of it. First-off, take auxiliary fuel pods and a prize crew out to the drifting derelict supply ship, so as to return it to Tilara for re- fitting. "Group B wants to look good in the budget,

"And two more of these big ships, full of colonists, we're escorting to Endatheline. Plus a contact team for Blaine's Mistake, to negotiate -colonization rights on the uninhabited continent."

"The down-Arm mapping project's dead, though, isn't it? I mean, we can't risk having this whole thing happen again."

"We won't." Barton grinned. "The job needs a crew trained in group resistance to mental force. Just hap- pens, that's exactly what Ferenc has, aboard here."

"And you feel you have to go along?"

"Right, boss. Vice-Admiral Barton, on detached service.**

"Yes. Well, Alene and I would like to see you and Uroila, and I did have the funny idea you were work- ing for me-but I guess I can't argue." A pause. "Barton.

it's been good."

"That it has. And, Tarleton-we'll be back s^ He cut the circuit.

Lying with Barton, Limila again discussion: should she ovutate D' '

had done before? Barton wasn't sure. "This place wasn't

so lucky for us, the last time."

"But now it may be. Barton, why do we not try?"

The thing was, they got so involved that they didtft

notice when the ship lifted. So whether conception took

place on Sisshain or in space, they'd never know.