"Stop sounding like one of King Arthur's Knights. Men of sense and
good judgment don't request their enemies to meet them on a field of
honor. Instead, a state of war is assumed and from that instant on, A
is looking for a chance to stab B in the back because he knows that B
will cut him off at the hips if he turns his back for a moment. Honor
on the battlefield is accorded only to a defeated enemy; up to the time
he is defeated, anything goes. And if both sides know that open warfare
means total destruction, the process on either side is one of boring
from within, or gnawing at the foundation. But this a bad place to get
involved in a discussion of ethics. Where do we go from here?"
"If I knew how to run that ka-dodie in the Lancaster we'd head for
Sol--if I knew where Sol was from here."
"And how about Howard?"
"I don't know about Clevis," he told her. "The thing to do would be
to hike home as fast as we could and spill our tale to the people who
would know what to do about it. Let's face it, Norma. They can mingle
with Terrans because they can speak our language. But I couldn't mingle
with them to locate Howard. I'd be picked up in a minute."
"So how do we get back?"
"Why do you think they brought the Lancaster?"
"Probably to fit her out as a bona fide hellflower runner."
"Okay. We'll hide out in my cubby until they run her back."
"You go hide out," said Norma. "If they find me missing, they'll know
something smells bad."
Farradyne chuckled. "From what I know of them, they're as arrogantly
secure as the Gods of Olympus. Some part of their gang is still
expecting me to turn up near Terra on an escape course, and the only
smart thing I have done is to be where they didn't plan me to be. So
we'll be where they don't expect us to be and maybe we'll get away with
it. Come on, let's hide out."
The hitch in their plans came when Farradyne led Norma down the stairs
to the last deck below and stopped, holding up a warning hand.
"What's the matter?" she whispered.
He pointed. The hatch he had used was lying to one side and a beam
of diffuse light was coming up from below. There came also the
triple-tongued voices of two men.
Farradyne led Norma one deck above where he could speak without
attracting the attention of the men below. "They've installed the space
drive in the inspection cubby," he said. "That's probably what all the
work was about. It's been taken from the bottom deck and permanently
installed down in the cubby where it wouldn't attract attention on a
casual tour. Maybe a different unit, I wouldn't know; the temporary job
might have been only a harness-job to be used until they could haul the
Lanc' to base for a real tear-down and rebuild."
"I didn't see any work-wagon," said Norma.
"Maybe not, but the workman is here, and tuning up the drive. We can't
get below now."
"So what do we do?"
"I've half a hunch that they won't leave this ship standing idle long.
Let's hide in the cargo hold until they stop tinkering."
Norma nodded thoughtfully. "Let's wait it out," she said. "Then if we
have trouble, I can slope and run out of here like a startled rabbit
and draw the chase away from you."
"You make the escape," he suggested, "I'll do the hare and the hounds."
Norma shook her head. "Let's use logic, and not emotion," she said
calmly. "I'm known to be here, you're not. So if I cut and run and they
catch me, that's it. But if you're caught running loose on this joint,
they'll also start looking for me. If I carry my point, you'll still be
unexpected. Follow? And someone may get back--the other way, no?"
"I suppose you are right."
"You know I am. It's just false chivalry. You get caught and we're all
licked."