Relyea shivered at the intensity in the yellow eyes.

"I understand, Captain."

His face smoothed out into a calmer expression. somehow, although none of his features had changed. "Looking forward to seeing your analysis. Very much. Anything else?"

"No, set. No, set."

"Until 1400 tomorrow, then."

She stood, saluted, and left.

The captain slowly shook his head. He hoped he could pall the Fleurdilis together . . . somehow.

VI.

"TORP AWAY, CAPTAIN.".

"Stet."

Gerswin returned his full attention to the ranked screens before his control couch, but did not tighten the acceleration harness.

"Determined their frequencies, Comm?"

"That's affirmative, Captain. But they're using a nonscanned transmission. Burst-blast."

"Complete new image with each burst, rather than a continuous scan?"

"Stet."

"Can we convert?"

"Negative. Not within orbit time."

"Guns, do we have a better screen analysis?" Gerswin's eves flickered over the third screen.

"Negative."

Take one outmoded cruiser, underpowered, out on the Imperial fringes, and order the captain to investigate strange transmissions, without any backup. Then have the ship find a new alien space-going civilization, and leave the decisions in the hands of the captain. That was what he faced.

No time to torp back for instructions, instructions that would probably amount to "Use your own judgement."

"Captain?"

Gerswin snapped his head up at the voice of the Executive Officer.

"Yes, Major Strackna?"

"Do you intend to continue toward orbit around the home planet?"

"Yes."

"Might I ask why?"

"Because our orders indicate that if initial survey indicates the culture is less advanced, we are to initiate contact."

"There are four large ships there, waiting, and the emissions beyond their screens indicate they are all carrying fusactors, or the local product." Strackna's thin lips pressed together tightly after she finished.

Gerswin nodded. "That would seem to indicate no jumpshift technology."

"Captain, Comm here. How soon before the next out-torp?"

"Hold on that until we have something new to report."

"Stet."

"That gives them more than eight times the power reserves we possess," persisted Strackna.

"Without anywhere near the screens we have, Major."

"This could be suicide."

"I'll do my best to avoid that, Major. Suggest you return to your station. May need all the screens and power I can get."

Gerswin refrained from shaking his head. Of the entire crew, the Executive Officer remained the biggest headache he had inherited. The only possible reason for her rank was her family connections. Once Gerswin had thought the I.S.S. above that. While he knew better, it didn't make solving the problem any easier.

The Fleurdilis was edging toward the alien's geocentric orbit station, right above the largest broadcast power source on the planet. Gerswin would have bet that the station was close to directly above the planetary capitol or what passed for it.

The ship shivered slightly as the antique antigravs failed to compensate evenly for the deceleration. Gerswin frowned as be scanned the screens, but he did not move to take over from Senior Lieutenant Harsna as the lieutenant continued the approach to the orbit station.

A tight smile played around the captain's face.

He knew all too well the gambit the Fleurdilis represented. An obsolete ship, crewed by a group of misfits, would be no loss to the Empire. Since the Dismorph Conflict, and the years that had passed since without event, more and more systems had come to question the value of the Empire and the resource taxes necessary to support it. Another alien adventure would be just the thing to drum up enthusiasm.

The Imperial strategists couldn't lose. If the Fleurdilis succeeded, then the newshawks would be told how a single obsolete ship, which was all that could be spared, overcame incredible odds continually one step from disaster. And if the Fleurdilis failed . . . what could one expect without greater support from the allied systems?

Besides, if the failure led to another war, then the Empire could use the war as an excuse to rebuild and strengthen its holds on territory and resources and to discredit the peacemonger critics.

Gerswin glanced across the command bridge at Major Strackna, who scanned the power screens, all of them, not just the summaries represented on his console. Her jaw was tightly clinched, he could see.

He doubted she would ever understand just how expendable the Empire thought she was.

"Stationary in orbit, Captain."

"Thank you, Harsna."

"The four alien ships are spreading."

"Stet." Gerswin could see that himself. He stabbed a glowing stud. "Captain here. Any guesses on the magnitude of their screens?"

"Nothing definite, but from the background radiation, which seems to be residual secondary associated with fusactors, I'd have to say that their screens are not designed to block energy weapons or even high speed torps."

Gerswin pursed his lips. If so . . . the aliens had one or two obvious options.

If they were xenophobic, they would have already tried to destroy the Fleurdilis before it settled in orbit. That they hadn't meant that either they didn't think they could or didn't want to.

If they couldn't- "Multiple launchings."

"Permission to destroy attackers, Captain!" demanded Strackna.

"Permission denied," snapped Gerswin, touching another stud.

"Estimated ETA at Fleurdilis?"

"Twelve plus, Captain."

"Strackna, draw our screens back to hull plus one."

"Retreat screens, Captain? Hull plus one?"

"Screens at hull plus one. Screens at hull plus one."

"But-"

"That's a boarding party, Major. They're not about to fry their own, which means they either don't have penetrating lasers or particle beams or tacheads, or that they don't want to use them. Blast their boarding party and Istvenn knows what they'll do."

"Batteries on full. Stand by to fire!" ordered Strackna.

Gerswin could see Lieutenant Harsna's mouth drop open, and the look of disbelief in Relyea's face.

Gerswin stabbed his own overrides.

"This is the captain. Negative the last. All batteries stand down. All batteries stand down."

No sooner had he finished the statement than he dove off the command couch like a hawk toward the Exec's station.

"Stand by! Stand by-!"

Thud!

Gerswin's shoulder knocked the Executive Officer away from her console. His hands flashed twice.

Then he stood up abruptly and touched the vacated console.

"All batteries stand down. I say again. All batteries stand down."

"Standing down. Standing down."

"Lieutenant Harsna!"

"Yes, ser."

"As of this instant, you are acting Exec. Have Major Strackna confined to quarters and a guard posted. She is relieved until further notice."

Gerswin ignored the collective sigh that crossed the bridge and checked the figure lying on the deck. Strackna, unconscious, was breathing evenly, and had no obvious injuries.

"Estimate plus eight for arrival of alien boarding party."

"Get my suit ready, Riid. My suit and a scooter."

"Captain . . . do you think that is wise?" That was Relyea, the senior tech.

"If I'm wrong, and if the aliens blast me, or if I don't return within a standard week, then you can release Major Strackna with my posthumous apologies. Until then, Lieutenant Harsna will be acting Captain."

"You're not leaving the ship?"

"You must have a reason, Captain," said Harsna slowly.

"I do, Harsna. I do. Too many people lost their lives unnecessarily in the last great Imperial adventure. Some were close to me. These aliens aren't a threat now, and they may never be one.

"If I'm right. . . well . . . you'll see. Guns! Have a spare tachead?"

"Not spare, Captain. But we have one."

"What's the closest point at which a detonation is safe for those aliens? Assume our metabolism and no suit shields."

"I wouldn't recommend any closer than a thousand kays, and that's probably too close."

"All right, set one for two to two point five straight out. Ninety from the orbit station. Launch when ready."

"Plus one from launch, Captain."

"Five plus for alien arrival."

Gerswin nodded.

"Suit ready, Riid?"

"Ready, Captain."

"As soon as we get a burst on the tachead, I'll be down. Have the scooter ready."

"Yes, set."