yacht and got Pluly to invite him over to
admire the harem right after the Dawn City arrived. While he was
admiring, he was also recording floor patterns for a subtub jump. That
gimmick's pretty much of a spilled secret now, but on a swap for you and
Lyad it was worth it. We came aboard five minutes after we'd nabbed your
fac."

"The Ermetyne figured you'd go chasing after the Aurora," Trigger said.

"Well," the Commissioner said tolerantly, "the Ermetyne's pretty young.
The Aurora was a bit obvious."

"How come Quillan didn't start wondering when I didn't show up in
Mantelish's lab with Repulsive?"

"So that's what he was for!" Holati said. He rubbed the side of his jaw.
"I was curious about that angle! That wasn't Quillan. That was Quillan's
fac."

"In Mantelish's lab?" Trigger said, startled.

"Sure. That's how they all got in. In those specimen crates Mantelish
has been lugging into the dome the past couple of days. It looks like
the prof's been hypnotized up to his ears for months."

The last five hours of her day of recuperative rest Trigger spent
asleep, her cabin door locked and the plasmoid purse open on the bunk
beside her. Holati had come by just before to report that the Ermetyne
was now awake but very groggy, apparently more than a little shocked,
and not yet quite able to believe she was still alive. He'd dose her
with this and that, and interrogations would be postponed until
everybody was on their feet.

When Trigger woke up from her five hour nap, the purse was shut. She
opened it and looked inside. Repulsive was down there, quietly curled
up.

"Smart little bugger, aren't you?" she said, not entirely with approval.
Then she reached in and gave him a pat. She locked the purse, got
dressed and went up to the front of the ship, carrying Repulsive along.

All four of the others were up in the lounge area which included the
partitioned control section. The partition had been slid into the wall
and the Commissioner, who was at the controls at the moment, had swung
his seat half around toward the lounge.

He glanced at the plasmoid purse as Trigger came in, grinned and gave
her a small wink.

"Come in and sit down," he said. "We've been waiting for you."

Trigger sat down and looked at them. Something apparently had been going
on. Quillan's tanned face was thoughtful, perhaps a trifle amused.
Mantelish looked very red and angry. His shock of white hair was wildly
rumpled. The Ermetyne appear