I let Anita stand up beside me, cautiously at first, for it occurred
to me it might be a ruse to cover some other of Miko's men who might
be lurking near.
But the summit seemed clear. The figure of Miko was a thousand feet
away now. We could see the tiny blob of it bobbing over the rocks.
Then it plunged down--not into the crater valley, but out toward the
open Moon surface.
Miko had abandoned his attack on us. The reason seemed plain. He had
come here from his encampment with Coniston ahead to lure and kill
Wilks. When this was done, Coniston had flashed his signal to Miko,
who was hiding nearby.
It was not like the brigand leader to remain in the background. Miko
was no coward. But Coniston could impersonate Wilks, whereas Miko's
giant stature at once would reveal his identity. Miko had been engaged
in smashing the ports. He had looked up and seen me kill Coniston. He
had come to assail me. And then he had read Grantline's message to me.
It was his first knowledge that his ship was at hand. With the camp
exits inoperative, Grantline and his men were imprisoned. Miko had
made an effort to kill me. He did not know my companion was Anita. But
the effort was taking too long; with his ship at hand, it was Miko's
best move to return to his own camp, rejoin his men, and await their
opportunity to signal the ship.
At least, so I reasoned it. Anita and I stood alone. What could we do?
We went to the brink of the cliff. The unlighted Grantline buildings
showed vaguely in the Earthlight.
I said, "We'll go down. I'll leave you there. You can wait at the
port. They'll repair it soon."
"And what will you do, Gregg?"