The drives of the ship roared as Y'Nor pushed a control button and the
ship lifted slowly. The roaring faltered and died as Y'Nor pushed
another button which called for a crewman who was not there. The ship
dropped back with a ponderous thud, careened, and fell with a force
that shook the ground. It made no further sound or movement.
He stared at the silent, impotent ship, finding it hard to realize
that there would be no hundred-day limit for him; that the new world,
the boundless frontier--and Barbara--would be his for as long as he
lived.
"Poor Commander Y'Nor," Brenn said. "The air lock is now under the
ship and we shall have to dig a tunnel to rescue him."
"Don't hurry about it," Kane advised. "Let him sweat in the dark for a
few days with his desk wrapped around his neck. It will do him good."
"We are a kind and harmless race, we could never do anything like
that."
"Kind? I believe you. But harmless? You made monkeys out of Vogar's
choicest fighting men."
"Please do not use such an uncouth expression. I was only the humble
instrument of a greater Power. I only ... ah ... encouraged the
natural affection between man and maid, the love that God intended
them to have."
"But did you practice your Golden Rule? You saw to it that fifty young
men were forced to associate day after day with hundreds of
almost-naked girls. Would you really have wanted the same thing done
to you if you had been in their place?"
"Would I?" There was a gleam in the old eyes that did not seem to come
from the brightness of the dawn. "I, too, was once young, my son--what
do _you_ think?"
* * * * *