"No," said Jeff, I don't trust anybody with Norby!"

Mentor First put down Oola, whose strange fur was standing on end. He stood up, taller even than Yobo. The atmosphere of the party suddenly chilled.

"Norby is my son," said Mentor First. "He can trust only me. Jamya is his home, and I need him here to work on the wrecked ship."

"But Mentor…" began Jeff, only to stop as the Mentor's eye patches flared red.

"Norby will stay here!"

The Grand Dragon, abandoned by Admiral Yobo, puffed out a cloud of smoke that set everyone to coughing except the two robots. Then she turned to lean heavily upon Fargo's shoulder and began to stroke her claws gently through his hair.

"You are silly, all of you," she said. I have a plan."

"Ma'am?" said Jeff, hopefully.

"Have you all forgotten that none of you Terrans can go home unless Norby adjusts your ship to go through hyperspace? You cannot go to your own planet if you leave Norby here, so he must go with you. In that case, we Jamyns must take precautions to make sure that Norby is returned to us unharmed, and before very long."

"What do you suggest, madam?" asked Yobo with an impressive roll to his deep voice.

The Grand Dragon put her claws around Fargo and lifted him off the ground as she rose on her antigrav. "Fargo will stay here on Jamya as my hostage until Norby returns safely."

Before anyone, even Fargo, could object, the Grand Dragon flew rapidly over the trees and disappeared with Fargo in the direction of her palace.

"Norby!" said Jeff, "take me to the palace so I can get Fargo back."

"No," said Mentor First, holding Norby. "The Grand Dragon is quite correct. If Norby must leave, then Fargo must stay here till he returns."

Oola was acting strangely, her fangs lengthening and then getting shorter as she changed shape back and forth from tiger to beagle. Finally, she barked, whined and rose on her own antigrav. She licked Mentor First's bulbous head, and as he reached for her, evaded his grasp and flew off in the direction of the palace.

Mentor First folded all four of his arms. "So! Divided loyalty!"

"Father," said Norby. "Oola and I are both mixed up. She was made from animals that originated on Earth, but she was made by you, a Jamyn robot. And I am part Jamyn-and part a Terran robot. My loyalty is divided, too."

"Good," said Yobo, "then listen to your Terran part and come back to cooperate with our scientists, Norby."

"No," said Mentor First, "listen to your Jamyn part and, after you return these Terrans, come back to help me."

Norby closed all four of his eyes and withdrew into his barrel.

Jeff wanted to say, "Please stay with me, Norby," but could not. Norby had too many beings wanting him for their own purposes.

— You want him not for any purpose but your love for him. The thought was that of Zi, who was touching Jeff's arm gently, and who had apparently sensed his thought.

Jeff smiled at her and nodded. He noticed that Mentor First's eye patches were still red, and that Admiral Yobo's chin was sticking out grimly.

— Zi, we were all so friendly for a while!

— The friendship is still there. As is my friendship for you.

— But Mentor First and Admiral Yobo seemed filled with hatred of each other. Look at them!

— Then do something about it, young Terran. Find a solution!

— That is so easy to say, Zi, but I can think of nothing.

Jeff felt very young and very unhappy. Admiral Yobo wants Norby's miniantigrav and hyperdrive, he thought. Mentor First wants his son, and to restore the other Mentors. Fargo wants the freedom to have adventures. And Norby?

Norby wants to be with a robot he considers his father, and that's worst of all. At least, for Jeff it was worst of all.

"Mentor First," said Jeff, "how is it that only Norby can fix things for you? He's not really good at it on Earth, and when you first realized who he was, you called him 'the Searcher.' He was designed to find the wrecked ship, and he has now found it. His job is over. Why can't you repair the hyperdrive and work out its mechanism without him?"

"I cannot do that."

"But you gave Norby his hyperdrive mechanism. How was that?"

Mentor First seemed to be trying to remember. "I installed Norby's device for refueling from hyperspace. I know that. It seems to me, though, that one of the other Mentors, just before he became totally deactivated, was the one who actually installed the search mechanism that enables Norby to travel through hyperspace."

"But you were the Mentor leader, with the best mind among them. If the other Mentor understood about hyperspatial drive, you must have, too."

"I cannot remember," said Mentor First.

Jeff tried again. "Well, then, what about the replacement mechanisms for all the Mentors? Now that you have them at last, and can bring them all back into existence, why not do so and have them help you?"

Mentor First said sadly, "Thinking is not easy for me-I have been half-demented for so many years. Perhaps you are correct, young Terran, but Norby is my creation-like a son-and still belongs here."

Jeff bit his lip, while Norby stayed in his barrel. Zi's thought came again.

— Courage. We dragons will help the Mentors heal themselves. It is time for you Terrans to leave.

— But when we are back home, Norby will come here again and stay here. He will leave me.

— After all, that is his choice, is it not?

Norby's legs extended and he bobbed up and down. His arms came out and rested on his barrel. Apparently he had come to a decision.

"All right," he said as his head popped up, "I'll just take these Terrans home, and then return."

Already, thought Jeff, we are nothing but a bunch of Terrans to him and he doesn't care about being my partner. Aloud he said, "What about Fargo?"

"He must stay as hostage," said Mentor First. "I am sorry, but I cannot trust you, Admiral.".

"Nor can I trust you," said Yobo, starting for the Hopeful, "On our way, Cadet. On the double!"

Jeff ran. Norby stumbled after, complaining loudly until he evidently remembered that he had antigrav, for he withdrew his legs and sailed past Jeff into the Hopeful just after Yobo.

He didn't even look at me as he passed, thought Jeff. He doesn't like me anymore.

"Good-bye, Jeff," said Zargl.

"Take care of yourselves," said Zi. " And take this as my gift."

She spread her wings, caught up with Jeff, and tossed him a gold collar.

"Don't try to keep Norby," said Mentor First, his four arms folded against his heavy body.

Jeff stopped at the airlock of the Hopeful and glared back at the Mentor. "Just you remember to tell the Grand Dragon that Fargo is my brother-and my best friend."

The airlock door closed behind Jeff, and he heard a small metallic voice say, "I used to be that."

Jeff gulped. Past tense. Could he change it?