He hadn't been noticing that she was there, but now he

did.

She said, "This base is going crazy; the control room is flooded with security calls." Looking very strange with her Tilaran wig off, she said, "We need the admiral to speak for us."

"But he can't. He doesn't exist now."

"I know," she said. "But wake him up and help me get this pill down him, aad then we'll see if I know enough about hypnosis."

With Fox's prompting, the confused young man (he even looked younger) who had been the admiral, took his Marines off their Alert status. It wouldn't help all that much, but Barton wasn't so ungrateful as to say so; Fox looked too happy.

The troubles were that he was scared spitless about Limila, and that once they left the fuel-dead Big Hundred, Barton had no idea where to go. Not knowing who ap Fenn's successors were, or how long it would take them to catch on, didn't help, either.

When Arleta put ap Fenn through a routine that got some Tilarao medics onto the ship. Barton relaxed a little.

But not much. They were still in a hole, and Barton saw no easy way out. If there was one, right now he was too punchy to think of it.

Having ap Fena declare amnesty-reading it off a paper would be simpler than coaching him-would look just a bit too fishy. Might throw in a reasonable amount of confusion, though, which would help. And, of course, he had, the man himself, his physical presence, to use as a hostage. Barton looked across to the groggy amnesiac, and saw nothing left to hate. '

Ap Fenn smiled, a little shakily, and spoke: "CA not certain why I'm here, sir. Is there something I sffimid be doingr

"Just rest. for now. Arlie, can you cope here?" She nodded, and Barton left the quarters and went tp the gal-

406.

ley,, now used as an improvised infirmary. Limila was out

flat on one table, two Tilarans working over her. The stranger standing to one side had to be ap Fenn's doctor.

Barton nodded to Abdul Muhammed, who stood guard with a sleep-gun, and went to the other man.

"What's her condition?"

The man blinked pale blue eyes. He was thin, and would have been taller than Barton if he hadn't been noticeably stooped. He said, "I didn't have time to find out. I stopped the bleeding, and I don't think she'd lost enough blood to need a transfusion; then they arrived.

Which is just as well, since Tilaran anatomy seems to differ somewhat from ours of Earth. Uh-pardon me, but is the woman a relative, madam?"

Barton wanted to laugh, but once begun, he was afraid he might not be able to stop. He'd forgotten that he was still m Tilaran drag; now he took off his robe and falsies, rolled down the legs of his jumpsuit, and peeled the wig off. "I'm Barton. Pardon the glad rags; I guess they've done their job." Because that disguise was tied to the zapping of the admiral, before one big lot of witnesses.

He couldn't use it again, to effect.

The doctor stared, then put his hand out. "Sven Barstadt. I don't know why I'm being polite to the one who killed Admiral ap Fenn. We are creatures of custom, aren't we?" '*-

The handshake ended. Bartofi said, "He's not dead.

But he's not the admiral any longer, either. He may need some special care." Barton knew he was talking to keep himself busy while he waited. He knew he couldn't inter- rupt the Tilaran medics; though he itched to know if Limila was all right, he forced himself to stay away.

Barstadt smoothed back his 'sparse, fair hair. "What, exactly, have you done to him? I mean, he's still my pa- tient, and-"

"Nothing, physically. Just wiped his mind for him, with the Demu sleep-gun. What talks out of his face, now, is a sort of pleasant young guy, actually. Maybe smart, too, when the pills wear off, but a little groggy at the mo- ment."

Barstadt began to answer, but one of the Tilarans turned and beckoned. Barton followed the doctor, and was surprised when the Tilaraa spoke in English. "You did your part well, Earthani. And the woman will live,

407.

and should recover quite soon. But there was no possibil- ity of saving the child; it had died already."

Without memory of leaving the galley. Barton found himself at the airiock, starting down the ramp. He didn't know where he was going, or why; all he felt was the urge to move.

But there, halfway up the ramp and climbing, he saw Helaise Renzel. Her mouth and eyes went wide, and she turned, but he reached her before she could either scream or flee, and dragged her up and inside. He closed the air- lock. and now uncovered her mouth. "Hello, Helaise."

"Barton! What are you doing here? And when did you go bald in front? I-" Voice high-pitched, she was chat- tering.

"Why are you afraid of me, Helaise?" Now he had

*something to think about, to take his mind off ... "Why?"

"I didn't really mean it Barton. We were a little drunk, Karsen and I, and I was joking. I thought if I exaggerated, he'd see how silly he was being. But he took it seriously, and the next thing I knew, he was on the intercom, and they blew that ship apart, and you and Dupree were on the dead-or-alive list. I-" As she saw his face change, she went pale; her knuckles went to her mouth. "You- you didn't know, did you? Until just now..."

Through the red haze in his mind. Barton watched her.

**Then it was you, did it." Her head bobbed like a puppet's.

"But I didn't mean-"

''You never do. You never did." For long seconds, Bar- ton fought with his own muscles. "Go to your admiral- he's in quarters-and stay there. You give Arleta Fox any trouble and HI feed you your arms." Slowly she turned away. First her walk was shaky; then she ran.

Barton took a deep breath. ,

His record was still clear. He'd never hit a womaa in his life. Except the one he'd had to kill, of course, on Ashura in me Demu cage.

He found Limila partially awake, but she didn't know where she was, or why, because the ecstasy drug hadn't worn off fully. There was no reason for Barton to't U her anything just now, so he didn't. Cheng brougn^him a Marine captain's uniform that fit him more than not. and Myra cupped his scalp bare to suit the role. The visored cap was too tight, but what the hell? Barton wasn't up to

408.

running the show, so somebody had to; he'd go along with it. Cheng and Abdul and Myra seemed to be doing pretty well. !

"Ap Fenn's exec," Myra said, "is one Hennessy. The doctor told me. Hennessy's part Polynesian; ap Fenn isn't, but his nephew Terike was, so maybe there's a con- nection. But the thing about Hennessy is, he follows or- ders; he follows the book."

Barton's mind came to life, a little. 'Try the amnesty ploy?" So, to please the nice lady who was taking care of him, Karsen ap Fenn on all-ships broadcast read the amnesty announcement that Abdul Muhammed com- posed. After that, ap Fenn called for a Tilaran ambulance and gave it full clearance in and out of the port. Again be read from written text; nobody wanted him having to improvise.

He didn't know at the time that he'd be riding along himself, with Limila and Barton and Cheng and Myra and Abdul and Dupree and Arlie Fox, but when it hap- pened that way, he made no complaint.

Before they left, Barton had brief words with Helaise Renzel. He didn't figure she'd be raising any alarms, be- cause what he told her, in some detail, was exactly how he'd kill her if she did. And if he.didn't know whether he was bluffing, how could she? '

L.

They didn't need to use their hostage, to get away, and once through the hills to the residence of.Tevann, no one could think of any particular use for ap Fenn, here out of his command context. "Might's well send him back," said Barton, so the Tilaran driver was instructed to return the man to the main port. "God knows what they'll make of him there, but he might turn into a good officer."

They went inside. Tevann wasn't there; Uelein said that Vertan had called several times and sounded urgent.

Once Limila was made comfortable-she seemed stable now, and was dozing again-Barton hitched up his think- ing and put a call through to the designation Vertan had left. When _the screen lit, Vertan's agitation was obvi- ous. Barton calmed him a little by assuring him that they'd pulled the Job off and got away clean. About Limila, he said nothing.

"So," he wound it up, "what other problems have we got, now?"

"It is the large ship," Vertan said. "The one that came