uard happily against some kind of monstrosities we'll
have Special Cases invent for them. They'll stand guard zestful for
years and years! Didn't they do the same against us? But now they're
proud that even we humans, that they were scared of, ask them to help
us. So presently they'll send some Huks over to go through the Police
Academy, and then presently there'll be a sub-precinct station over
there, with Huks in charge, and ... why ... that'll be that."

"But they want planets--"

Sergeant Madden shrugged.

"There's plenty, Willis. The guess is six thousand million planets fit
for humans in this galaxy. And by the time we've used them up,
somebody'll have worked out a drive to take us to the next galaxy to
start all over. There's no need to worry about that! And for
immediate--does it occur to you how many men are going to start getting
rich because there's a brand-new planet that's got a lot of things we
humans would like to have, and wants to buy a lot of things the Huks
haven't got?"

Patrolman Willis subsided. But presently he said:

"Sergeant ... what'd you have done if they hadn't told you about the
_Cerberus_?"

Sergeant Madden snorted.

"It's unthinkable! We waltzed in there, and told them a tale, and showed
every sign of walkin' right out again without askin' them a thing. They
couldn't even tell us to go to hell, because it looked like we didn't
care what they said. It was insupportable, Willis! Characters that make
trouble, Willis, do it to feel important. And we'd left them without a
thing to tell us that was important enough to mention--unless they told
us about the _Cerberus_. We had 'em baffled. They needed to say
something, and that was the only thing they could say!"

He yawned.

"The _Aldeb_ reports everybody on the _Cerberus_ safe and sound, only
frightened, and the skipper said Timmy's girl was less scared than most.
I'm pleased. Timmy's getting married, and I wouldn't want my
grandchildren to have a scary mother!"

He looked at the squad ship's instruments. There was a long way yet to
travel.

"A-h-h-h! It's a dull business this, overdrive," he said somnolently.
"And it's amazing how much a man can sleep when everything's in hand,
and there's nothing ahead but a wedding and a few things like that. Just
routine, Willis. Just routine!"

He settled himself more comfortably as the squad ship went on home.

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Matter of Importanc