e up as the
man went back. As they both reached their feet Thane saw it was the
sentry. They struggled for a moment on the edge of the parapet. Then
the sentry made a last grasp at Thane and went over.

Thane felt the sweat condense and freeze under his clothes as he
searched for his lost blaster. He found it and started back for the
entryway. Three more police ships were coming towards the roof. At
that moment the grav-well door slid open and Astrid and Selan stood
before him.

The first police ship fired before it landed. The blast came before
Thane had reached Astrid and Selan. He saw Selan crumple. She was dead
when he touched her. He had the impulse to do something, to say
something, for one who had forced herself to do so much. But there was
no time. He thrust the blaster at Astrid, who was still staring at the
dead Selan. "I'll try to get them with the Stoltz. You hit anything
that's dangerous with this!" He grasped the Stoltz from the ledge and
stepped forward. Running figures were coming towards them now. He
waited with a weary sort of calm for them to come close enough. An
explosion burst the tile just off his right heel. He waited. Finally
he pressed the impeller of the Stoltz. The wide-angle shot dissipated
the power, but it did include all of them. They kept coming forward.
One of them raised an arm and there was a blinding flash. Thane firmly
pressed the impeller again as he fell forward.

* * * * *

There was a voice, and Thane tried to get ready for what was coming
but it was too much effort. Anyway, the voice went away. And then
someone else was there, and someone else was saying something
important, if he could only catch it ... and then movement, up, and
around, and down.

When Thane finally opened his eyes Garth was standing over him biting
his cigar. "They tell me you've committed treason," Garth said.

Thane looked up at him steadily. "I guess that's right," he said.

"I suppose you know what we're going to do."

"I suppose so...." and Thane stopped. Full memory was coming back, and
all its implications. "Wait ... it's all wrong. What are you doing
here? And where is here? And ... if you're here--if we're together,
then it must have worked! It must have worked!"

Garth lit his cigar. His face changed slightly. It might have been a
smile. "Yes. It worked. The old girl really hit the Onzarians. They
hadn't heard any news at all in all the days of radio silenc