e gestured
Ishie to the bunk, and parked himself at his console.

"We're in trouble," he said. "You and I together are responsible for
the first space attack on Earth."

He stopped and waited, owl-eyed, but the small physicist simply
tackled his breakfast with no further comment than a raised eyebrow.

"We," said Mike solemnly, "wiped out Thule Base last night."

"As Confusion would say, there's no Thule like a dead Thule. What are
you getting at Mike? You sound serious."

"You mean you slept through ... you didn't know we ... you didn't hear
the ... yes, I guess you slept! Well...."

Rapidly Mike sketched the events of the past nine hours, bringing his
story completely up to date, including the information he'd gleaned
from the Cow, but making no reference to his access to the computer's
knowledge. Instead, he attributed the conclusions to himself.

The physicist sat so still when he had finished that Mike became
seriously concerned. "Thule...." he began, but Ishie started to speak.

"Mike, it did? It couldn't ... but ... of course, it must have ... the
fields ... six hundred forty pounds of thrust! Only six hundred forty,
yet ... yes, it could, if the thrust were exactly aligned ... thrust ...
Mike, thrust! _Mike, thrust!_ Real thrust! Mike do you know what this
means?" His eyes were alight. His voice was reverent. He sprang from
the bunk and knelt before the rack that held the churkling Confusor.

"My pretty," he said. "My delicate pretty. What you have done! Mike,
we've got a space drive!"

"Ishie. Don't you realize? We wiped out Thule!"

"Thule, schmule--Mike, we've got a space drive!"

Mike grinned to himself. He needn't have worried. Not about Ishie, any
how.

But now Ishie was gesturing him over.

"Mike," he said, "you must show me in detail. In exact detail. What
did you do? What was your procedure?"

Mike came over and casually reached towards the churkling device,
saying "Why, I--" but Ishie reacted with catlike swiftness, blocking
the man before he could even touch the rack.

"No, don't touch it! Just _tell_ me what you did!"

Carefully now, Mike began outlining in detail his inspection of the
device and each step he had taken as he added to its complexities.

When he had finished, the two sat back on their heels thinking.
Finally, Mike spoke.

"Ishie, will you please tell me just how does this thing ... this
Confusor ... _get_ that thrust? Just exactly what is involved here?"

Ishie