eroom up here?"

Neither of the Fleetmen had begun to stir when Duomart Mines came riding
a gravity crane back in through the door a couple of minutes later, the
suitcase dangling in front of her. She halted the crane in the center of
the room, slid out of its saddle with a supple twist of her body, and
handed Dasinger his cabin key.

"Thanks." Dasinger took the suitcase from the crane, unlocked and opened
it. He brought out a pair of plastic handcuffs, aware that Miss Mines
stood behind him making an intent scrutiny of what could be seen of the
suitcase's contents. He didn't blame her for feeling curious; she was
looking at a variety of devices which might have delighted the eyes of
both a professional burglar and military spy. She offered no comment.

Neither did Dasinger. He hauled Liu Taunus over on his back, fastened
handcuffs about the Fleetman's wrists, then rolled him over on his face
again. He did the same for Calat, hung the suitcase back in the crane,
slung a leg across the crane's saddle and settled into it.

Miss Mines remarked, "I'd look their cabin over pretty closely for guns
and so on before leaving them there."

"I intend to. By the way, has Dr. Egavine mentioned how close we are to
our destination?" Dasinger maneuvered the crane over to Taunus, lowered
a beam to the small of the Fleetman's back and hoisted him up
carefully, arms, head and legs dangling.

The blond girl checked her watch. "He didn't tell me exactly," she said,
"but there's what seems to be a terraprox in the G2 system ahead. If
that's it, we'll get there in around five hours depending on what
subspace conditions in the system are. Dr. Egavine's due up here in
thirty minutes to give me the final figures." She paused, added
curiously, "Don't you know yourself just where we're going?"

"No," Dasinger said. "I'm financing the trip. The doctor is the man with
the maps and other pertinent information."

"I thought you were partners."

"We are. Dr. Egavine is taciturn about some things. I'll bring him back
here with me as soon as I have these two locked away." Dasinger finished
picking up Calat, swung the crane slowly towards the door, the
unconscious Fleetmen suspended ahead of him.

* * * * *

Dr. Egavine stood at the open door to his stateroom as Dasinger came
walking back up the passage from the crew quarters and the storage.
Quist, the doctor's manservant, peered out of the stateroom behind him.