"My pretty," he said. "My delicate pretty. What you have done! Mike, we've got a space drive!"
"Ishie. Don't you realize? We wiped out Thule!"
"Thule, schmule—Mike, we've got a space drive!"
Mike grinned to himself. He needn't have worried. Not about Ishie, any how.
But now Ishie was gesturing him over.
"Mike," he said, "you must show me in detail. In exact detail. What did you do? What was your procedure?"
Mike came over and casually reached towards the churkling device, saying "Why, I—" but Ishie reacted with catlike swiftness, blocking the man before he could even touch the rack.
"No, don't touch it! Just tell me what you did!"
Carefully now, Mike began outlining in detail his inspection of the device and each step he had taken as he added to its complexities.
When he had finished, the two sat back on their heels thinking. Finally, Mike spoke.