atrix, 215 light-years from
Earth, shortly before Alan's birth. Captain Donnell had won the
friendship of the little creature and had brought him back to the ship
when time came for the _Valhalla_ to return to Earth for its next
assignment.

Rat had been the Captain's pet, and he had given Alan the small animal
on his tenth birthday. Rat had never gotten along well with Steve, and
more than once he had been the cause of jealous conflicts between Alan
and his twin.

Rat was well named; he looked like nothing so much as a small
bluish-purple rodent, with wise, beady little eyes and a scaly curling
tail. But he spoke Terran clearly and well, and in every respect he was
an intelligent, loyal, and likable creature.

They ate in silence. Alan was halfway through his bowl of protein mix
when Art Kandin dropped down onto his bench facing him. The _Valhalla's_
First Officer was a big pudgy-faced man who had the difficult job of
translating the concise, sometimes almost cryptic commands of Alan's
father into the actions that kept the great starship going.

"Good rising, Alan. And happy birthday."

"Thanks, Art. But how come you're loafing now? Seems to me you'd be busy
as a Martian dustdigger today, of all days. Who's setting up the landing
orbit, if you're here?"

"Oh, that's all been done," Kandin said lightly. "Your Dad and I were up
all last night working out the whole landing procedure." He reached out
and took Rat from Alan's shoulder, and began to tickle him with his
forefinger. Rat responded with a playful nip of his sharp little teeth.
"I'm taking the morning off," Kandin continued. "You can't imagine how
nice it's going to be to sit around doing nothing while everyone else is
working, for a change."

"What's the landing hour?"

"Precisely 1753 tonight. It's all been worked out. We actually are in
the landing orbit now, though the ship's gimbals keep you from feeling
it. We'll touch down tonight and move into the Enclave tomorrow." Kandin
eyed Alan with sudden suspicion. "You're planning to stay in the
Enclave, aren't you?"

Alan put down his fork with a sharp tinny clang and stared levelly at
the First Officer. "That's a direct crack. You're referring to my
brother, aren't you?"

"Who wouldn't be?" Kandin asked quietly. "The captain's son jumping
ship? You don't know how your father suffered when Steve went over the
hill. He kept it all hidden and just didn't say a thing, but I know it
hit him hard. The wh