"What are you going for?" asked one of the women.
"Don't you know?" teased the one beside her. "Cliff is going to Terra to court Patricia Kennebec."
"I think we should kidnap him."
"You'd be sorry," laughed Cliff, waving the official order in front of her.
"Maybe we can bribe him. Tell you what, Cliff, you get this job done and you'll probably get a promotion. If you do, we'll all chip in and get that insignia on your modine holster changed to six full stars. But to do it you'll have to come back to us—single."
Cliff laughed. "And if it takes me more than six months, you'll all be off elsewhere."
"But what's Patricia got that we haven't?" wailed one.
"Him," grinned another.
"No, we've got him—now."
"Any time someone wants something else, you might as well give it to them, because they'll get it one way or another."