t being recorded, and will not be
available for reconstruction. Well, Quillan?" She smiled.

"How right you are, First Lady!" Quillan said. He tapped a breast
pocket. "Scrambler and distorter present and in action."

"And you, Balmordan?"

"I must admit," Balmordan said pleasantly, "that I thought it wise to
take certain precautions."

"Very wise!" said Lyad. Her glance shifted, with some amusement in it,
to Pluly. "Belchik?"

"You're a nerve-wracking woman, Lyad," Belchik said unhappily. "Yes. I'm
scrambling, of course." He shuddered. "I can't afford to take chances.
Not when you're around."

"Of course not, and even so," said Lyad, "there are still reasons why
an unconsidered word might be embarrassing in this company. So, no,
Trigger, I'm not expecting anybody to agree to anything tonight. I'm
merely mentioning that I'm interested in the purchase of plasmoids.
Incidentally, I'd be very much more interested even in seeing you, and
Quillan, enter my employ directly. Yes, Belchik?"

Pluly had begun giggling wildly.

"I was--ha-ha--having the same idea!" he gasped. "About one
of--ha-ha--of 'em anyway! I--"

He jerked and came to an abrupt stop, transfixed by Trigger's stare.
Then he reached for his glass, blinking at top speed. "Excuse me," he
muttered.

"Hardly, Belchik!" said Lyad. She gave Trigger a small wink. "But I can
assure you, Trigger Argee, that you'd find my pay and working conditions
very attractive indeed."

It seemed a good moment to look inscrutable. Trigger did.

"Serious about that, Lyad?" asked Quillan.

The Ermetyne said, "Certainly I'm serious. Both of you could be of great
value to me at present." She looked at him a moment. "Did you ever
happen to tell Trigger about the manner in which you re-established the
family fortune?"

"Not in any great detail," Quillan said.

"A very good hijacker and smuggler went to waste when you signed up with
the Engineers," Lyad said. "But perhaps not entirely to waste."

"Perhaps not," acknowledged Quillan. He grinned. "But I'm a modest man.
One fortune's enough for me."

"There was a time, you know," Lyad said, "when I was rather afraid it
would be necessary to have you killed."

Quillan laughed. "There was a time," he admitted, "when I suspected you
might be thinking along those lines, First Lady! Didn't lose too much,
did you?"

"I lost enough!" Lyad said. She wrinkled her nose at him. "But that's
all over and done with. And now--no more