iously, he'd have no compunctions against
dirty fighting."

"Well--" said the instructor.

"There's only one thing wrong with all this," Smith told him. "Nobody on
Earth uses psi-power."

Jorak slapped his hand against the mat. "Then you admit that there are
psi-powers on Earth?"

"Yes," Smith said. "There are psi-powers on Earth." Things were
happening to Smith. He felt vague stirrings inside of him, and he
dampered them.

"There. He admits it," Jorak said. "The men of Earth are not without
their psi-powers, and Smith or Earthsmith--I still don't know the
barbarian's name--used them on me." He shook his fist. "You just can't
trust these barbarians."

The instructor still did not seem sure of himself, but there were angry
mutterings in the crowd, and the albino woman who had almost but not
quite joined the fighters said, "Let me try a fall with him. Probably I
would lose, but we of Nugat can perceive the psi-powers readily."

Smith stormed away from her, felt hot anger rushing through him. "I
wouldn't fight with a woman."

Jorak taunted, "He's afraid she'll discover--"

"Nothing! I'm afraid of nothing, Jorak. I just won't fight a woman." He
was shouting now, and he couldn't help it. Again, there was the odd
feeling that part of his mind at least stood away from all this,
observing, shaking its head and telling him to curb his temper.

A hand lay heavily on his shoulder, big gnarled, orange. "Kard of Shilon
would like a fall with you, Earthsmith of Earth. Perhaps I am not as
subtle as the woman from Nugat, but still I think I could tell."

The instructor nodded, and Kard spun Smith around, kept him spinning
with a short chopping blow to his jaw. Smith hardly felt it. But
something told him deep inside his whirling brain to fall, fall,
fall--and the faintest shadow of a smile flickered across Jorak's lips.

Win or lose--what was the difference? Those who could would feel the
psi-powers, and Smith would be their man.

By crotch and collar he caught the huge man of Shilon, lifted him.
Kard's arms and legs flailed air, helplessly. He bellowed as Smith began
to whirl, slowly at first, but then faster. Up he raised the great
orange hulk, held it aloft on outstretched arms for one moment--hurled
it.

Arms and legs still flailing wildly, Kard struck the mat, seemed almost
to bounce, landed in a heap atop Jorak.

Geria jumped up and down delightedly, but the woman of Nugat scowled.
"Psi," she said. "I felt it.