ons of terrain and physical
features in the log were accurate enough. The city had obviously been
moved since the first landing. Whatever records had been kept would be
in the library--and he had exhausted that source. Anything else would
have been left behind and long since destroyed.

Rain lashed against the thick window above his head, lit suddenly by a
flare of lightning. The unseen volcanoes were active again, vibrating
the floor with their rumblings deep in the earth.

The shadow of defeat pressed heavily down on Jason. Rounding his
shoulders and darkening, even more, the overcast day.

XIV.

Jason spent one depressed day lying on his bunk counting rivets, forcing
himself to accept defeat. Kerk's order that he was not to leave the
sealed building tied his hands completely. He felt himself close to the
answer--but he was never going to get it.

One day of defeat was all he could take. Kerk's attitude was completely
emotional, untempered by the slightest touch of logic. This fact kept
driving home until Jason could no longer ignore it. Emotional reasoning
was something he had learned to mistrust early in life. He couldn't
agree with Kerk in the slightest--which meant he had to utilize the ten
remaining days to solve the problem. If it meant disobeying Kerk, it
would still have to be done.

He grabbed up his noteplate with a new enthusiasm. His first sources of
information had been used up, but there must be others. Chewing the
scriber and needling his brain, he slowly built up a list of other
possibilities. Any idea, no matter how wild, was put down. When the
plate was filled he wiped the long shots and impossibles--such as
consulting off-world historical records. This was a Pyrran problem, and
had to be settled on this planet or not at all.

The list worked down to two probables. Either old records, notebooks or
diaries that individual Pyrrans might have in their possession, or
verbal histories that had been passed down the generations by word of
mouth. The first choice seemed to be the most probable and he acted on
it at once. After a careful check of his medikit and gun he went to see
Brucco.

"What's new and deadly in the world since I left?" he asked.

Brucco glared at him. "You can't go out, Kerk has forbidden it."

"Did he put you in charge of guarding me to see if I obeyed?" Jason's
voice was quiet and cold.

Brucco rubbed his jaw and frowned in thought. Finally he just shrugged.
"No, I