board hanging on the wall. He never got there.

Tee whipped a stun-gun from inside his jacket and waved it at the
clerk's back. It caught him in mid-stride, and unbalanced, he crashed
heavily to the floor. Tee glanced briefly down as he stepped over the
paralyzed form, avoiding the accusing eyes, and snatched the magnetic
key off the hook. He forced himself to walk calmly across the field
toward the hangar that housed the _Starduster_.

A uniformed guard stopped him at the hangar door. "May I see your
clearance, sir?" he asked, politely.

Tee hesitated for a moment. "Oh, I'm just going to get something out of
my ship," he said, smoothly. "The clerk said it was roj."

"The clerk said? But he can't--" The guard tensed. "Mind if I check,
sir? Orders, you know." He bent his head slightly as he pressed a knob
on his wrist radio. As his eyes turned downward, Tee swung the stun-gun
in an arc that ended on the back of the guard's head. As he leaped into
the _Starduster_ he was sorry for a moment that he hadn't had time to
recharge the gun, and hoped he hadn't struck too hard.

[Illustration]

* * * * *

OCTOBER 11, 433rd Year GALACTIC ERA

Tee stepped out of the hangar and surveyed the twin suns. The pale
binaries sat stolidly on the horizon, forty degrees apart. Their mingled
light washed down dimly on the single continent of the planet, Aurora.

He started, as a man walked around the corner of the hangar. The man
looked at Tee searchingly for a moment, then asked, "Anything troubling
you, Tee?"

"Why ... why, no, Mr. Jenner. You just startled me, that's all."

"Well, how's everything coming?"

"Right on schedule. We'll be ready for the final test by the end of the
week."

"By the way," asked Jenner, speculatively, "how come you ordered the
ship stocked and provisioned, for the test?"

"Why ... why I think she should be tested under exactly the same
conditions as she'll encounter in actual use."

"We could have done it a lot cheaper by just using ballast," said
Jenner. "After this, I want to personally see any voucher for over a
hundred credits before it's cleared."

"Yes, sir, but I just didn't want to bother you with details."

"An expenditure of over two thousand credits isn't just detail; but let
it pass. It's already done. Anyway, on the drawing board she's the
fastest thing in the galaxy." He smiled. "If she lives up to
expectations, she'll make your ship look like an