husband, a gambler, had killed himself after a bad loss, leaving her
with an impossible burden of debt and a disillusioned mind.

Since then she had worked, gradually paying off his debts. When Aron had
come along, she liked the big man and thought that the years on Kligor
would give her respite from a demanding reality.

She did not picture herself as a tragic figure, but rather as merely
competent and stable, not realizing that that attitude in itself is a
sure sign of instability. A smile seldom found her face. She was
slightly nervous with a tendency towards moodiness.

Aron's history was not so bitter. He was born in a large family and had
formed an aloof, reserved nature to achieve a sense of individuality in
the group. His life had been spent in government work and he had never
tasted the variable brew of the nuptial cup till he met Martha.

He was not a deep man in emotion. His nature was such that he had to be
constantly occupied with something--not the frenzied scurrying of
insecure individuals--but a solid problem that he could work out. A
project that he could carefully shape with a keen analytical mind or
capable hands.

They did not think of each other in terms of these thumbnail sketches,
but merely watched and observed--and adjusted to each other. Their
marriage was almost one of convenience, with just enough affection
involved to oil over any disputes.

The spell of the planet gradually lulled them into hypnotic acceptance
of their sequestered lives. Their daily duties became the only things
worth thinking about.

* * * * *

Aron learned about the planet in the next two months on his tours of
inspection. He used a small atmosphere flier to cover the various posts
scattered over its surface.

The small blockhouses were automatic and hermetically sealed to preserve
the instruments, but something could go wrong and then it was his job to
fix it.

As for the military defense system of Kligor, that was also automatic
but not Aron's responsibility. It was a series of artificial satellites
on the rim of the planetary system, with long-range detecting and
tracting systems that would activate and co-ordinate firing mechanisms
to blast any ship from the void.

It was Aron's duty to de-activate them with a control in his station if
he was signalled by a pre-arranged code from a friendly United Republic
ship. That was all he had to, or could, do with them.

The planetar