sprayed from his twisted lips as
he sputtered curses.

The engineer let go suddenly and jolted the other under the chin with
the heel of his left hand. The man arched backward, but Phillips caught
a knee in the chest that sent him slithering across the deck. As he
strove to twist to his hands and knees, he saw Brecken groping for the
bar.

_Never reach him_, thought Phillips frantically.

Thrusting one foot against the leg of an anchored data desk, he raised
himself half upright as he lunged desperately at Brecken. Strangely, it
occurred to Phillips for a fleeting lapse of time that old Varret had
been reasonably astute in his selections, if he desired violent-tempered
throwbacks. Then the breath was knocked out of him as he smashed into
Brecken with a force that sent them both hurtling into the bulkhead.

The other's grunt of pain was almost lost beneath the sharp smack of
bone against metal. Phillips scrambled up hastily, but his opponent lay
still.

Over by the data desk, Donna was beginning to squirm quietly and make
groping motions with her outstretched hands. Truesdale had retreated to
the forward end of the control room, his features blanched by
apprehension.

_I'll bet_, thought Phillips, _that old Varret slipped up in your case,
my lad. Your reaction to violence must be what they call normal_.

He beckoned brusquely. "Give me a hand with him," he ordered.

Brecken still showed no sign of consciousness. Truesdale approached
warily, and with his aid Phillips lifted the unconscious man. With their
burden limp in their hands, they staggered down the corridor to one of
the sleeping compartments. There, they slung him into a bunk.

"He needs attention," said Truesdale.

"He won't get it from me," snapped Phillips. "Lumps on the head were his
idea; there's no time to fool with him."

He pulled the sliding door shut, noticing that it had no lock. Since
Brecken would probably be some time recovering, however, he put that out
of his mind.

* * * * *

Having returned to the control room, they discovered Donna sitting up.
At the sight of them, she pulled herself somewhat shakily to a standing
position, and brushed back her blonde hair.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He bumped his head on the bulkhead," said Phillips shortly.

This was accepted without comment. They turned to the instruments and
examined the dial of the range indicator.

"They aren't very far away," said