 Unimpressed with Yao engineering, Reith recruits a crew from those who had worked for the Wankh, to try to steal a Wankh spaceship.The attempt almost succeeds, but the ship is damaged and sets down on a lake due to their unfamiliarity with the controls.They are captured by human Wankhmen, who handle all communication between their Wankh masters and the rest of Tschai's inhabitants.