"This is it, all right," Stevens spoke to distant Barkovis. "Sure there's nothing on this beam? If it should be hot and I should short circuit or bridge it with my body, it would be just too bad."
"We have made sure that nothing is connected to it," the Titanian assured him. "Do you think you can do anything?"
"Absolutely. We've got jacks that'll bend heavier stuff than that, and after we get it straightened the welding will be easy, but I'll have to have some metal. Shall I cut a piece off the pavement outside?"
"That will not be necessary. You will find ample stores of spare metal piled at the base of each pillar."
"All x. Now we'll get the jack, Nadia," and they went back to their vessel, finding that upon Saturn, their combined strength was barely sufficient to drag the heavy tool along the floor.
"Stand aside, please. We will place it for you," a calm voice sounded in their ears, and a pale blue tractor beam picked the massive jack lightly from the floor, and as lightly lifted it to its place beneath the broken bus-bar and held it there while Stevens piled blocks and plates of platinum beneath its base.
"Well, here's where I peel down as far as the law allows. This is going to be real work, girl—no fooling. It'd help a lot if this outfit were sending out a few thousand kilo-franks instead of standing idle."
"How would that help?"
"It's a heat-engine, you know—works by absorbing heat. The cold air sinks—I imagine it pretty nearly blows a gale down the side of this cone when it's working—and hot air rushes in to take its place. I could use a little cool breeze right now," and Stevens, stripped to the waist, bent to the lever of the powerful hydraulic jack.
Beads of sweat gathered upon his broad back, uniting to form tiny rivulets, and the girl became highly concerned about him.