'And cool.'

'Whatever. Ultimately, we're both loyal to our respective crews. Doesn't that make us... the same?'

She shook her head. 'It puts us in similar positions, that's all.'

'That's good enough for me,' Lawrence responded, but he felt a twinge of disappointment. Perhaps it was the Kalazak brandy, but Lawrence had forgotten how easily this woman could devastate his senses. Even with that broken nose, she was beautiful.

He cleared his throat and carefully put down his gla.s.s.

Time to change the subject. 'What do you think Cadwell's up to?'

She raised an eyebrow, surprised by the change of subject. 'You think he's up to something?'

'I don't entirely trust him.'

'You said you could rely on him.'

'That's not the same thing.' Lawrence tried to clear his head; his fury over the killings and then the brandy was dulling his mind. He had to concentrate on something else.

'I'm not sure what it is about him,' he confessed, 'and perhaps I'm just a little paranoid, but I can't help thinking there's more to him than meets the eye.'

Tegan and Nyssa had accompanied Bunny Cheung to the Adamantium's sickbay. He grumbled all the way, and pretended to be in pain when the ship's medic applied a number of Synthiskin plasters to his cuts. He reserved a special contempt for the poor man's efforts to deal with the wreckage of his bionic arm.

'I'm not really qualified in prosthetics,' the medic admitted.

'Then give your chief engineer a shout,' Bunny suggested tartly.

'He's only trying to help,' Tegan said. 'Stop complaining.'

'You're lucky to be here,' Nyssa added, a little more gently. 'These facilities are really quite advanced.'

'And usually reserved for Consortium personnel only,' the medic reminded them pointedly.

Bunny grunted and swung his legs off the treatment couch. 'Fair enough, if that's the way you want it. Consider me discharged.'

'Wait a minute,' Tegan said. 'Why don't you just sit back and relax? Let Captain Lawrence sort all this out. You could even ask him if he'll let you contact your daughter, I'm sure he'd agree.'

'You're forgetting, I'm not a Consortium employee. I'm a one-armed bandit in a very bad mood.' Bunny tore the diagnostic patch off his forehead and slapped it against the startled medic's chest. 'I don't need to tell you where to stick that, do I?'

'Where are you going?' asked Nyssa as Bunny headed for the exit.

'You're surely not thinking of going back down into the caves?'

Bunny looked back at them, his eyes blazing. 'Go back?

You must be kidding. I'm going home.' home.'

On the bridge, Cadwell was doing his best to ignore the Doctor.

'If I can be of any a.s.sistance...' the Doctor offered once again, positioning himself directly between Cadwell and the ship's sensor controls. 'You have only to ask.'

'I didn't ask,' said Cadwell.

'Nevertheless, I can help.'

'I doubt it. You were part of the original search party: it wasn't exactly an unqualified success.'

'You told Captain Lawrence I could help,' the Doctor protested. Cadwell smiled coldly. 'I tell Captain Lawrence a lot of things. Now, if you would excuse me, I I have a job to do.' have a job to do.'

Bunny charged headlong through the Adamantium like a bear with a sore head and a mission. Tegan and Nyssa hurried after him, thinking that they ought to try to stop him but not really knowing how.

He halted abruptly when a Consortium man appeared around the corner. The crewman took one look at Bunny and drew his blaster. 'Hold it right there, chum.'

'Get lost,' said Bunny, grabbing the pistol and twisting it savagely from the man's grip. Before the crewman could even cry out, Bunny cannoned into him, shoulder down. The crewman's head thudded against the bulkhead and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

'Bunny!' called Tegan. 'What do you think you're doing?'

Bunny adjusted the blaster control to maximum. 'Going home,' he said.

'Now that is interesting,' said Stoker. She was bent over Lawrence's puter terminal, the screen reflecting in her eyes as she stared. It had been her idea to access Silas Cadwell's company CV in the hope of finding something useful.

Lawrence studied the data on the screen and read out the line Stoker was pointing to: Last tour of duty was on board the t.i.tanium. t.i.tanium. So what? He was transferred from that ship to the So what? He was transferred from that ship to the Adamantium. Adamantium. A routine request for change of a.s.signment.' A routine request for change of a.s.signment.'

Stoker shook her head. 'Routine request? Don't be too sure. Look where the t.i.tanium t.i.tanium was based: that's the star sector containing the planet Denox.' was based: that's the star sector containing the planet Denox.'

'So?'

'Denox is where I picked up certain... information...

regarding the mineral potential of this moon.'

Lawrence raised an eyebrow. 'An illegal tip off?'

'Don't get all sniffy on me now. It's a bit of a coincidence, isn't it?

Cadwell's in the Denox sector and suddenly he wants a transfer to this this ship, which is running right past the Akoshemon system. Very convenient.' ship, which is running right past the Akoshemon system. Very convenient.'

'It's a bit tenuous,' argued Lawrence.

'You mean it's not obvious.'

Lawrence sat back in his seat. 'You know, when I think about it... it was Cadwell who intercepted your mayday. He could have been scanning the sector already.'

'I think you're right,' Stoker said. 'There is something going on here. Your ultra-loyal 2IC is following his own agenda.'

Lawrence's intercom beeped at that moment. 'Captain Lawrence, I think you'd better come to the bridge,' crackled a voice. Lawrence and Stoker glanced at each other: it was Cadwell's voice.

'What is it, Cadwell?'

There was a pause, and then Cadwell simply said, 'We have a... situation.' situation.'

It was, of course, an understatement. When Lawrence and Stoker arrived on the bridge an electric tension filled the air.

They found Cadwell and the Doctor standing on one side of the room, facing, of all things, an armed take-over.

Bunny Cheung stood on the opposite side of the bridge, clutching a blaster pistol in his left hand. The gun was aimed at Silas Cadwell. Behind Bunny Cheung stood Tegan and Nyssa, looking suitably apprehensive.

'What is the meaning of this?' demanded Lawrence.

'Piracy,' sneered Cadwell. He glared murderously at Bunny Cheung. 'A one-armed take-over, it seems. All we could expect from these outlaws, 'I'm afraid, sir.'

'Bunny, what the h.e.l.l are you doing?' asked Stoker.

Bunny's dark eyes never left Silas Cadwell. 'Trying to persuade this creep to take us all home.'

'With a gun, Bunny?' the Doctor asked, stepping cautiously in front of Cadwell. 'That's not like you.'

'It's all I've got, Doctor. There's no other way these people will listen. They're only interested in their own lives, you see.' Bunny stepped to the side in order to keep Cadwell in his sights.

'I'm sure Captain Lawrence will do his best to accommodate your request,' the Doctor went on. 'But not at gunpoint'

'Don't try and talk me out of it, Doctor. I've gone too far to give in now.'

'Oh don't be such a b.l.o.o.d.y fool, Bunny!' said Stoker.

'Drop the gun and stop acting like an a.r.s.e.'

Bunny smiled. 'I 'I see you've already fallen for the good captain's charm, Jyl. Again.' see you've already fallen for the good captain's charm, Jyl. Again.'

Stoker's eyes narrowed. 'Cut it out, Bunny. It's not like that.'

'Never is for you, is it? You're never never wrong. Well let's see what happens when Captain Lawrence finds out how much lexium he's sitting on here. I wonder if you'll still find him quite so charming then.' wrong. Well let's see what happens when Captain Lawrence finds out how much lexium he's sitting on here. I wonder if you'll still find him quite so charming then.'

There was a long, awkward gap before anyone spoke. It was Lawrence who broke the silence, 'I already know about the lexium. That's not an issue here now.'

Stoker glanced at Lawrence, clearly surprised.

Bunny adjusted his grip on the blaster. The Doctor had moved again, obscuring his view of Cadwell. 'Not another step, Doctor,' he warned. 'It's that Consortium creep I want.'

'Then you'll have to shoot me first, Bunny,' the Doctor told him calmly. 'Do you think you can do that?'

Bunny raised the blaster slightly. 'Don't make make me.' me.'

'I won't make you do anything. You'll have to pull that trigger yourself.' The Doctor took another step closer.

'Be careful, Doctor!' said Tegan. She turned to Lawrence.

'Can't you do anything?'

Lawrence said, 'This ship cannot blast off without my personal computer authorisation. I refuse to give it in these circ.u.mstances. You can shoot the Doctor, shoot Cadwell, shoot anyone you like - but I will not give in to blackmail.'

Bunny bared his teeth, taking careful aim at the Doctor.

'In the end,' Lawrence said, 'there will be no one else but me left to shoot. And then what will you do when you've shot me? Shoot yourself?'

Bunny started to speak, but he couldn't. A tear ran down into his beard.

'Think what you're doing, Bunny,' urged Tegan. 'That's the Doctor you're aiming at! What would your little girl think of you now? Carry on like this and you'll never see her again.

Give up the gun, Bunny. Do it for Rosie.'

The Doctor stepped forward and slowly held out his hand. 'Let me have the blaster, Bunny. You have my personal guarantee that there will be no reprisals.'

Bunny said, 'I just want to go home. home. All I ever wanted was to go home.' All I ever wanted was to go home.'

'You will.'

Bunny looked at Stoker. 'I never wanted to come in the first place. You knew that.'

'I know,' Stoker croaked.