knocked out while the little beast fills its tummy. So the
intellectual over there had Graylock point you out to his pet, and it
waited until your back was turned...." She hesitated, went on less
vehemently, "Sorry about not carrying out orders, Dasinger. I assumed
Egavine really was in control here, and I could have handled _him_. I
walked into a trap." She fished the shards of a smashed kwil needle out
of her pocket, looked at them, and dropped them on the floor before her.
"I got slammed around a little," she explained.

Calat laughed, said something in the Fleet tongue, grinning at her. She
ignored him.

Egavine said, "My effects were secretly inspected while we were at the
Fleet station, Dasinger, and the Fleetmen have been taking drugs to
immunize themselves against my hypnotic agents. They disclosed this when
Miss Mines brought the speedboat down. There was nothing I could do. I
regret to say that they intend to murder us. They are waiting only to
assure themselves that the star hyacinths actually are in the indicated
compartment."

"Great!" Dasinger groaned. He put his hands back in a groping gesture to
support himself on the bench.

"Still pretty feeble, I suppose?" Miss Mines inquired, gentle sympathy
in her voice.

"I'm poisoned," he muttered brokenly. "The thing's left me
paralyzed...." He sagged sideways a little, his hand moving behind
Duomart. He pinched her then in a markedly unparalyzed and vigorous
manner.

Duomart's right eyelid flickered for an instant.

* * * * *

"Somebody wrung the little monster's neck before I got here," she
remarked. "But there're other necks _I'd_ sooner wring! Your partner's,
for instance. Not that he's necessarily the biggest louse around at the
moment." She nodded at Calat. "The two runches who call themselves
Fleetmen don't intend to share the star hyacinths even with their own
gang! They're rushing the job through so they can be on their way to the
Hub before the Spy arrives. And don't think Liu Taunus trusts that
muscle-bound foogal standing there, either! He's hanging on to the key
of the Mooncat's console until he comes back up."

Calat smiled with a suggestion of strain, then said something in a flat,
expressionless voice, staring at her.

"Oh, sure," she returned. "With Taunus holding me, I suppose?" She
looked at Dasinger. "They're not shooting _me_ right off, you know," she
told him. "They're annoyed with me, so they're t