by Edward Elmer Smith and Edward Everett Evans

“ Hilton asked, and Kathy eyed her husband.
“Right,” Saunders said. “The earliest life-forms must have developed a shield before they could evolve and stabilize. Hence, whatever it is that is in our skins was not a triumph of Masters' science. They took it from Nature.” ”

“ Hilton replied, flatly. “When anyone can have anything he wants, merely by wanting it, what good is money? Now, remembering how long we're going to have to live, what we'll be up against, that the Masters failed, and so on, it is clear that the prime basic we have to select for is stability. ”

“ Well, we can do that, too, of course.”
“How are you going to select and reject personnel? It looks as though everybody wants to stay. Even the men whose main object in life is to go aground and get drunk. The Omans do altogether too good a job on them and there's no such thing as a hangover. I'm glad I'm not in your boots.”
“You may be in it up to the eyeballs, Skipper, so don't chortle too soon.”
Hilton had already devoted much time to the problems of selection; and he thought of little else all the way back to Ardry. ”

“ Suppose Doris doesn't want to live for five thousand years and is allergic to becoming a monster?”
“Huh; you don't need to worry about that.” Sam brushed that argument aside with a wave of his hand. “Show me a girl who doesn't want to stay young and beautiful forever and I'll square you the circle. Come on. What's holding us up?”
The Orion hurtled through space back toward Ardry and Hilton, struck by a sudden thought, turned to the captain.
“Skipper, why wouldn't it be a smart idea to clamp a blockade onto Fuel Bin? Cut the Stretts' fuel supply?” ”

“ Hilton admitted, with a grin. “Everyone who isn't here is time-locked into the Perseus. Release time eight hours tomorrow.”
“And they'll wake up tomorrow morning with no Omans?” Bernadine tossed back her silvery mane and laughed. “Nor anything else except the Perseus? In a way, I'm sorry, but ... maybe I've got too much stinker blood in me, but I'm very glad none of them are here. But I'd like to ask, Jarvis—or rather, I suppose you have already set up a new Advisory Board?”
“We have, yes.” Hilton read off twelve names. ”

“ Thus the Ardans came to their new home world and to a life that was to be more comfortable by far and happier by far than any of them had known on Earth. There were many other surprises that day, of course; of which only two will be mentioned here. When they finally left the pool, at about seventeen hours G.M.T. [1] , everybody was ravenously hungry. ”

“ But now I'm actually hungry enough to eat a horse and wagon and chase the driver!”
“Swimming makes everybody hungry,” Beverly said, “and I'm awfully glad thathasn't changed. Why, I wouldn't feel human if I didn't!”
Hilton and Temple went home, and had a long-drawn-out and very wonderful supper. Prince waited on Temple, Dark Lady on Hilton; Larry and Moty ran the synthesizers in the kitchen. All four Omans radiated happiness. ”