to ourselves. To have a private conference right out here in the Main
... or is it?"

He triggered the shields, she watched him do it. "It is now," he assured
her.

"Prime-proof? Not ordinary Gunther blocks?"

"Uh-huh. Two hundred kilovolts and four hundred kilogunts. Backed by
all the force of the Prime and Op fields and the full power of the
engines. I told you I'd made some changes in the set-up."

"Private enough, I guess ... what a mess those Primes are! And we'll
have to make the rounds twice more--when we alert 'em and when we pick
'em up."

"Not necessarily. This new set-up ought to give us a galaxy-wide reach.
Let's try Semolo, on Lizoria, shall we?"

"Uh-huh--Let's."

"Tune in, then ace."

"_Ace_, darling?"

"Ace, _Darling_?"

"Darling. You said you weren't going to fight with me any more.
Okay--I'm not going to try any more to lick you until after I've licked
myself. I'm tuned--you may fire when ready, Gridley."

They fired--and hit the mark dead center. Top-lofty and arrogant and
belligerent as ever, the Lizorian Prime took the call. "I thought all
the time you wanted something. Well, I neither want nor need...."

"Cut it, you unlicked cub, until you can begin to use that half-liter of
golop you call a brain," Garlock said, harshly. "We're just trying out a
new ultra-communicator. Thanks for your help."

On the fourth day they worked eleven planets; the fifth day saw the
forty-sixth planet done and the immediate job finished. All during
supper, it was very evident that Belle had something on her mind.

After eating, she went out into the Main and slumped down on a
davenport. Garlock followed her. A cigarette leaped out of a closed box
and into place between her lips. It came alight. She smoked it slowly,
without relish; almost as though she did not know that she was smoking.

"Might as well get it out of your system, Belle," Garlock said aloud.
"What are you thinking about at the moment?"

Belle exhaled; the half-smoked butt vanished. "At the moment I was
thinking about Gunther blocks. Specifically, their total inability to
cope with that new Prime probe of yours." She stared at him,
narrow-eyed. "It goes through them just like nothing at all." She
paused; eyed him questioningly.

"No comment."

"And yet you gave it to me. Freely, of your own accord. Even before I
needed it. Why?"

"Still no comment."

"You'd better comment, Buster, before I blow my top."

"There is such a thing