contestants,
grateful to be alive, have contributed the amounts to the Interne's
Benefit Association."

Thane and the others picked up their glasses. The stuff was yellow,
sticky, sweet, and without the slightest doubt, alcoholic. When Thane
could manage to speak, he said, "By all means, Pyuf. I'm sure that
both my opponent and I will contribute to the internes, dead or alive.
Shall we proceed with the main event?"

Before answering, Pyuf poured a small chaser from the same bottle and
stood up, a little unsteadily. "By all means. But before we start I
might mention that I have been ordained in fourteen systems' religions
and will be glad to perform last rites...."

"Enough, enough," said the Third, who was beginning to show signs of
nervousness. "Let us get on with it."

Pyuf stepped over to the weapons racks and removed a set of knives and
a pair of anti-grav jackets. He laid them on his table and gestured
to the Third. "Take a knife and jacket." The Third chose the knife and
jacket to the left without more than a cursory glance.

Pyuf reached in his jacket pocket and brought out one of the
twelve-faced dies of Kadenar. "Pyuf, the gambler," he said. "You two
gentlemen will now roll the die. He who is high has his choice of
either group of weapons."

The Third Officer rolled first, and the Kadenar equivalent of nine
came up. Thane rolled a five.

"Now," said Pyuf, "it's Pyuf, the couturier. Step forward, gentlemen,
to be fitted."

Pyuf fitted the anti-grav jackets to Thane and the Third, and gave
each a brief, efficient test. He stepped back and leaned against his
counter. "And now, Pyuf, the referee." He pointed to a green line
bisecting the enclosure. "You gentlemen will remain on the other side
of the line during the contest. You remain within the fences. You do
not ascend higher than fifteen feet. The contest lasts till blood has
been drawn three times or until a prior fatality--or do I need add
that? At any rate, that's all the rules. The State wishes you well,
while it frowns on your activity. To your circles, gentlemen, and
await my signal."

Thane judged the area marked off for the "contest" to be about ten
meters square. It was smoothly surfaced with one of the hard local
metals, and Thane noticed a few bloodstains near the edges. Most of
them were the dark brown of dried human blood, but there were other
alien colors mixed in here and there.

As he walked across the court Thane looked carefully