"You, too, have citizens who do not always obey, your laws,
who sometimes ... that is--"

"Who are born to die under the axe, as we say," interrupted Klaft, as if
to ease the concern plain on Kinton's face. "In other words, criminals.
You suspect this Albirken is such a one, George?"

"It is not impossible," admitted Kinton unhappily. "He will tell me
little about himself. It may be that he was caught in Tepokt's gravity
while fleeing from justice."

To himself, he wished he had not told Birken about the spaceship. He
didn't think the man exactly believed his explanation of why there was
no use taking off in it.

* * * * *

Yet he continued to spend as much time as he could visiting the other
man. Then, as his helicopter landed at the city airport one gray dawn,
the news reached him.

"The other Terran has gone," Klaft reported, turning from the
breathless messenger as Kinton followed him from the machine.

"Gone? Where did they take him?"

Klaft looked uneasy, embarrassed. Kinton repeated his question,
wondering about the group of armed police on hand.

"In the night," Klaft hissed and clucked, "when none would think to
watch him, they tell me ... and quite rightly, I think--"

"Get on with it, Klaft! Please!"

"In the night, then, Albirken left the chamber in which he lay. He can
walk some now, you know, because of Dr. Chuxolkhee's metal pin. He--he
stole a ground car and is gone."

"He did?" Kinton had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Is it
known where he went? I mean ... he has been curious to see some of
Tepokt. Perhaps--"

He stopped, his own words braying in his ears. Klaft was clicking two
claws together, a sign of emphatic disagreement.

"Albirken," he said, "was soon followed by three police constables in
another vehicle. They found him heading in the direction of our town."

"Why did he say he was traveling that way?" asked Kinton, thinking to
himself of the spaceship! Was the man crazy?

"He did not say," answered Klaft expressionlessly. "Taking them by
surprise, he killed two of the constables and injured the third before
fleeing with one of their spears."

"_What?_"

Kinton felt his eyes bulging with dismay.

"Yes, for they carried only the short spears of their authority, not
expecting to need fire weapons."

* * * * *

Kinton looked from him to the messenger, noticing for the first time
that the latter w