by a verity lab and
no imposture will pass those tests. While a real claimant would not
need your help or mine."

"Depends upon the claimant."

"One you discovered on Jumala?"

"No." Hume shook his head slowly. "I found something else on
Jumala--an L-B from Largo Drift intact and in good shape. From the
evidence now in existence it could have landed there with survivors
aboard."

"And the evidence of such survivors living on--that exists also?"

Hume shrugged, his plasta-flesh fingers flexed slightly. "It has been
six planet years, there is a forest where the L-B rests. No, no
evidence at present."

"The Largo Drift," Wass repeated slowly, "carrying, among others,
Gentlefem Tharlee Kogan Brodie."

"And her son Rynch Brodie, who was at the time of the Largo Drift's
disappearance a boy of fourteen."

"You have indeed made a find." Wass gave that simple statement enough
emphasis to assure Hume he had won. His one-in-a-thousand idea had
been absorbed, was now being examined, amplified, broken down into
details he could never have hoped to manage for himself, by the most
cunning criminal brain in at least five solar systems.

"Is there any hope of survivors?" Wass attacked the problem straight
on.

"No evidence even of there being any passengers when the L-B planeted.
Those are automatic and released a certain number of seconds after an
accident alarm. For what it's worth the hatch of this one was open. It
could have brought in survivors. But I was on Jumala for three months
with a full Guild crew and we found no sign of any castaways."

"So you propose--?"

"On the basis of my report Jumala has been put up for a safari choice.
The L-B could well be innocently discovered by a client. Every one
knows the story with the case dragging through the Ten Sector-Terran
Courts now. Gentlefem Brodie and her son might not have been news ten
years ago. Now, with a third of the Kogan-Bors-Wazalitz control going
to them, any find linked with the Largo Drift would gain full galactic
coverage."

"You have a choice of survivor? The Gentlefem?"

Hume shook his head. "The boy. He was bright, according to the stories
since, and he would have the survival manual from the ship to study.
He could have grown up in the wilds of an unopened planet. To use a
woman is too tricky."

"You are entirely right. But we shall require an extremely clever
imposter."

"I think not." Hume's cool glance met Wass'. "We only need a youth of
t