«Who's he with?»

«He was partnering Victoria. Wai and Schutz are together; Antonio and Jorge made up the last team.»

«Datavise Wai and Schutz, get them out first. Then try for the Captain.»

«OK. Get Roman, and go down to the airlock chamber; I'll authorize the weapons cabinet to release some maser carbines . . . Shit!»

«What?»

«I can't. Marcus has the flight computer command codes. We can't even fire the thrusters without him.»

• • •

Deck fourteen appeared no different from any other as Marcus and Victoria wandered through it. The corridors were broad, and there were few doorways. None they did find were closed.

«About sixty per cent is sealed off,» Marcus datavised. «This must be a major engineering level.»

«Yeah. There's so many cables around here I'm having trouble cataloguing the grid.» She was wiping a magnetic sensor block slowly from side to side as they walked.

His communication block reported it was receiving an encrypted signal from the Lady Mac . Sheer surprise made him halt. He retrieved the appropriate code file from a neural nanonics memory cell.

«Captain?»

«What's the problem, Katherine?»

«You've got to get back to the ship. Now, Captain, and make sure Victoria doesn't come with you.»

«Why?»

«Captain, this is Karl. I accessed the analysis network; the satellites are looking for pitchblende, not gold or platinum. Antonio's people are terrorists, they want to build fission bombs.»

Marcus focused his collar sensors on Victoria, who was waiting a couple of metres down the corridor. «Where's Schutz and Wai?»

«On their way back,» Katherine datavised. «They should be here in another five minutes.»

«OK, it's going to take me at least half an hour to get back.» He didn't like to think about climbing fourteen flights of stairs fast, not in this gravity. «Start prepping the ship.»

«Captain, Karl thinks they're probably armed.»

Marcus's communication block reported another signal coming on-line.

«Karl is quite right,» Jorge datavised. «We are indeed armed; and we also have excellent processor blocks and decryption programs. Really, Captain, this code of yours is at least three years out of date.»

Marcus saw Victoria turn to face him. «Care to comment on the pitchblende?» he asked.

«I admit, the material would have been of some considerable use to us,» Jorge replied. «But of course, this wreck has changed the Confederation beyond recognition, has it not, Captain?»

«Possibly.»

«Definitely. And so we no longer require the pitchblende.»

«That's a very drastic switch of allegiance.»

«Please, Captain, do not be facetious. The satellites were left on purely for your benefit; we didn't wish to alarm you.»

«Thank you for your consideration.»

«Captain,» Katherine datavised. «Schutz and Wai are in the airlock.»

«I do hope you're not proposing to leave without us,» Jorge datavised. «That would be most unwise.»

«You were going to kill us,» Karl datavised.

«That is a hysterical claim. You would not have been hurt.»

«As long as we obeyed, and helped you slaughter thousands of people.»