king in mid space."

"But, but there's nothing to stop working--"

Candle's eyes twinkled. "No moving parts, eh?"

Hansen reddened. "I hope I've outgrown that silly notion."

Candle peered into Hansen's eyes. "I'm sure you have. I'm sure that you
will find out a lot more things for yourself. You're the kind. And we're
going to need a lot of your kind, because failures--failures of so-called
perfect mechanisms--are becoming more and more commonplace." Candle
pointed to the emergency light on the traffic control panel. "That light
will be flashing with more and more frequency in the months to come. But
not just to signal trouble in space. If I were a superstitious man, I'd
think that the age of the perfect machine is about to be superseded by the
age of the perfect failure--mechanical failures that can't be explained on
any level. I have several friends who've been in touch with me recently
about--"

"You think that it's time for a change?"

Candle smiled quickly. "That's the idea. And the truth of the matter is
that I _am_ a superstitious man. I really believe, childishly, that the
mechanics and motions of the galaxy may turn themselves upsidedown just to
snap man out of his apathy and give him some work to do."

* * * * *

Upsidedown turned out to be a good word. They boarded the big ship an hour
later and were respectfully ushered into the presence of Captain Fromer and
his staff.

"We're underway," Captain Fromer said. "We'll be landing in nine days to
deliver R'thagna Bar home."

"How is he?" Hansen asked.

Fromer shrugged. "He's been thawed out, frozen, and thawed out so many
times, it's anybody's guess. Take a look for yourself."

Someone pulled back a curtain to expose the recumbent, thawing, steamy form
of His Exhalted Excellency R'thagna Bar.

"Why's he undressed?" Hansen asked.

"Funny, now that you mention it," Fromer said, puzzled, "why _is_ he
undressed?"

"Fascinating! Damnedest thing I've ever seen," Candle said.

"What's so fascinating?" Fromer asked suspiciously, moving closer.

"His belly. Never saw anything like it. Those black squares keep appearing
and disappearing. If I've ever seen a truly random pattern--"

"It started right after they froze him the first time," Fromer said
disconsolately.

"Fascinating, by Heaven," said Candle, who was now down on his hands and
knees. "Look at that top sequence! Random, yet physiological. I've got a
friend on