"That's my boy." A sudden frown wrinkled her plump features. "Damn." She thumbed the comm set in her breast pocket. "Lynne, it's not that hatch, go to the next one, that's right. The crewman is standing behind the cowling."

"Come on," Greg said. "Time for you and I to rescue the damsel."

"You know, Teddy's done a good job with those kids," Gabriel admitted grudgingly as they moved into the lounge. Greg negotiated the unfamiliar obstacles and found the central companionway. A tube of impenetrably black air, which even the photon amp had difficulty discerning.

"Are we all right for some light?" he asked.

"Yes. One moment."

Greg heard her shut the lounge door, then the biolum strip came on. He peeled the photon amp off. Suzi slithered down a narrow set of stairs from the bridge.

"Mega," she breathed, pulling off her wig and ruffing up her mauve spikes. "You got it spot on, Lady Gee. All of it. Where you said, when you said. It's fucking incredible."

"Thank you, my dear."

The three of them headed for the lower deck. Thick vermilion carpet absorbed their footfalls down the stairs. One of the crewmen was lying on the bottom step, his limbs shivering spastically from the stunshot charge. Des was waiting for them outside the master bedroom's door, helmet off, grinning broadly, his hair a dark sweaty mat.

"All right!" he whooped blithely. "We breezed it, no problem. You ever need a job, Gran, you come'n see me, OK?"

"You're too kind," Gabriel said.

Des missed the mounting testiness, but Suzi winked at Greg, rolling her eyes for his denseness. Lynne and Roddy clattered up the stairs from the crew quarters below.

"Shall we get on with it?" Gabriel said, hurriedly forestalling the compliment Lynne had opened her mouth to begin. She took an infuser tube out of her flak jacket and handed it to Suzi. "You'll need this."

Suzi turned it over, mildly curious. "What for?"

"She's a big girl."

Des and Roddy exchanged a glance.

"Is she armed?" Lynne enquired.

"No."

Greg knew that mood well enough, Gabriel at her most obdurate. There'd be no budging her now.

He opened the bedroom door. There was a subdued pink light inside.

"Hoo boy." Suzi groaned in pawky dismay. Des and Roddy piled in behind her for a look.

Katerina was sprawled across a huge circular water-bed, wearing an Arabian harem slave costume; strips of diaphanous lemon chiffon held together with thin gold chains. It was a size too small, strained by the curves of her breasts and hips. The chiffon was so flimsy they could see her large areolas through it, dark purple-brown circles with aroused nipples.

Katerina batted drowsy eyelids at the five faces staring down at her. "I'm ready," was all she said.

Roddy let out a low admiring whistle. "Makes it all kind've worthwhile, doesn't it?"

Des sniggered.