It was all embossed with seals and glaring with huge official red ribbons and scarlet and gold discs.

It was the Terl contract! It sold in full the entirety of

Intergalactic Mining Company, all its equipment, assets, planets, and accounts.

MacAdam plopped another document on top of it. “Here is the attest by the last Planet Head of the company that this is a true and valid contract and it adds his total conveyance of the company. It was signed just a few days ago.”

Another paper was slapped down on top. “And here is the receipt and it says 'Paid in full.'

Dries and Lord Voraz stared, open-mouthed. They had never been that startled before in their whole eventful lives. Seconds went by.

Then, as one, they seized upon the pile and began to go through it. They read it. They looked for holes in it.

Finally Lord Voraz said in awe, “It’s valid all right. I even see that it was assigned by the legal government of this planet to the Earth Planetary Bank in payment for loans. Quite regular. Stand up in any court.”

But Dries shook his head. “To be legal and for it to be of any use to you in preventing the repossession, it would have to be recorded and put on file in the Hall of Legality on Snautch!"

“Oh, but it is, it is,” said the baron sweetly. And he drew the file copy of the Hall of Legality form from his pocket and threw it down. “Fully recorded just three days ago! In fact, it was the first thing I did when I got through the mobs!”

Dries had gotten over his shock. “It may give you planets and equipment. It might even give you collateral to borrow money on. However, the bank would take time to make the loan. And we wouldn't lend on top of an unpaid loan. The document simply proves that now you really owe the debt. I will have to demand instant cash-'

“We'll come back to that,” said the baron. “Lord Voraz, how much would you say the Galactic Bank was worth? You know, assets and liabilities as per your last balance sheet?”

Voraz bristled. “We are under no obligation to show our bank balance sheets! Particularly in the middle of collecting a debt from a debtor!”

“You do have a copy of one as of two weeks ago,” said the baron.

Voraz almost choked. “Have you been rifling my hamper?”

"Ach, gott, no!” said the baron. “No reason to. I was told you had one. In any event, here is a current copy from your accounts office.” He pulled the immense, closely tabulated machine copy from his pile of papers and tossed it on the table. “Counting all buildings, real estate owned, and accounts actually collectible and subtracting bills owed, taxes yet to be paid, and all that, it seems to come to roughly one quadrillion credits.”

“They had no right to give this out,” said Voraz. “But I admit it is correct. Roughly, one quadrillion.”

“Providing we overlook the fact that you are about to go broke,” said MacAdam.

“The bank would liquidate for that!” snapped Voraz.

"If you could get to the branches in other universes, which you can't,” said MacAdam.

The baron waved a big hand airily, “But we are in a generous mood, aren't we, Andrew?” He smiled at

Jonnie. “Aren't we?”

Jonnie had his eyes riveted on the scene. It was like watching a bullfight.

“Our two friends here,” said MacAdam, indicating the small gray men, “don't seem to be very generous.”

“But we'll be big,” said the baron. "Voraz, you desperately need somebody to back you, you need visible assets. Without them you will fold. Right?”

Voraz looked at him, glaring. Then he hung his head. “True.”

MacAdam said, “So we're willing to bail you out. Right, Jonnie?"

Jonnie shrugged. Let them go ahead. There was going to be more to this fight. Voraz looked from MacAdam to the baron, very watchfully.

The baron said, “So the Earth Planetary Bank is offering to buy two-thirds of the Galactic Bank.”

“What?” cried Voraz. “That's a controlling interest! You would control the whole vast empire of the Galactic Bank!” He thought about it for a moment. “And with what?”

The baron smiled. “We will buy it with two-thirds of a quadrillion credits worth of planets.” He drew another sheet from the papers beside him. “Pending further evaluation, a planet is worth a minimum of sixty trillion credits.”

Voraz said, “To be honest, most are worth considerably more.”

The baron said, “You'd have assets, then. You could back your currency with reserves which you don't now have. The Psychlos never let you own planets but you can now. We will turn over eleven planets that are worth sixty trillion credits for the ownership of two-thirds of the Galactic Bank, all its assets, debts, everything.”

Lord Voraz was wavering. But he had not said yes.

MacAdam leaned back easily. “And we will put 199,989 planets and all company assets into a trust to be managed by the Galactic Bank. That gives you back your fund transfer profits. That lets you lease out mining rights. That surely saves your bank!”

“Wait,” said Lord Voraz. And they thought he was going to turn it down. “I must be honest with you. You took your list of planets from the Intergalactic Coordinate Firing Table. It does not include the mine reserve planets. To push off all the planets it could on Intergalactic, and to bleed the company, there was an Imperial Decree that Intergalactic Mining

Company had to own five planets for every one it actively mined. There is a list of one million additional planets recorded in the Hall of Legality, with their coordinates, unexploited by Intergalactic. Also I am afraid Dries never gave you the actual purchase contract for this planet. You keep speaking of it in the singular. It includes nine other planets in this system and all moons, mentioned in passing because they are deemed worthless. There are also suns and nebulae and clusters. There is obviously an awful lot of Intergalactic property you don't know about. Would you leave it up to us to ferret it out and include that in the bank-managed trust also?”

MacAdam smiled. “Seem all right to you, baron? Find any flaws in that, Jonnie?"

Jonnie thought about it. There was another situation here they were evidently overlooking. But he saw nothing wrong with what the Earth bank was doing.

With a hand outstretched to Lord Voraz, MacAdam said, “We agree.”

Voraz had made his point. He started to reach for the hand and then he drew back. “Such a deal has to be ratified by a Galactic Bank board meeting.”

The baron laughed. “Good. Let's hold one. They can be convened anywhere in sixteen universes according to your charter.”

“Ah, wait,” said Lord Voraz. “There are twelve other board members: rich, influential Selachees who are-'

“Scared to death,” the baron finished for him. “The state of the bank and the riots made them believe that they would lose all their personal property and fortunes if the bank went under. So they thought this was a great offer!”

Voraz gaped. “But they can't hold a board meeting behind my back!”

“Oh, they didn't,” said the baron. “They gave me all their proxies and these delegate to me the right to place their votes.” He reached down and threw another pack of documents on the table. “There they are.”

Lord Voraz stared at them. He recognized the personal seals. They had even been filed at the Hall of Legality.

“So as chairman,” said the baron, “would you please convene a board meeting of the Galactic Bank at once and move that the Earth Planetary Bank buy two-thirds of the Galactic Bank-'

“It will have to be a typed resolution,” said Voraz. “I do hereby convene the meeting. I even have my seals. But-'

“Here's the resolution,” said the baron. “All typed. I’m awfully glad you're convening the meeting for it saves the trouble of going back to Snautch and getting you fired.”

Voraz laughed suddenly. “You are a pair of hard rock eels! That was typed by my own secretary! That's her initial!”