“I don’t know,” the third voice commented. “We’ll find out soon enough. In any case, we’ve got our weapons system back now. I’m sure as hell not going peacefully back to that hellhole. If they try and stop us there’ll be bug juice over half the stellar objects between here and Centaurus space.”

Ryo stiffened mentally, forced himself to shrug the comment off. The speaker doubtless did not know Ryo was on board. Nevertheless the viciousness in the human’s statement unsettled him. He began to wonder if he might not have overreached himself. Perhaps these creatures were as duplicitous as the AAnn. Morally he was still confident he’d done the right thing. However, there were a few concerns that overrode even morality.

There was a dull thump. Hanging as he was, Ryo could not obtain a decent view through one of the indecently rounded ports, but humans were unstrapping themselves. Using guidelines, they pulled themselves toward the rear airlock. With his four hands Ryo was able to maneuver on the guidelines even better than his companions. Bonnie complimented him on his agility.

“I’ve only been in space twice before,” he told her as they pulled themselves down the narrow, circular docking tube toward increasing gravity and the alien mother ship, “but I’ve always been dexterous.”

“I’ve often wished for an extra pair of hands,” Loo remarked from ahead of them, “but I think I’d settle for a few more brains and a lot more luck.”

“There is no such thing as luck, according to the philosophers,” Ryo replied. “They insist it is an outmoded mythological concept”

“We’ll debate that one later,” Bonnie said, interrupting them. “We’re still not out of it.”

“‘Out of it’?” Ryo murmured. “I misunderstand.”

“Safely away. I don’t think your presence on board would be enough to prevent your government’s attacking us if they decide on that course of action, do you?”

“Most certainly not. The contrary might be true.”

Then he was in the alien ship. The humans were vanishing to different posts like so many milla-bugs. Someone called from a distance, “Detection reports nobody on board. Not a guard in sight.”

“Why should there be?” another, more distant voice yelled. “Who’s going to try and steal it? Besides, they haven’t been able to figure out how to run it yet.”

The final checks Bonnie had spoken of took even less time than Ryo had expected. Then all of a sudden he was standing in the corridor all by himself. Loo and Bonnie had rushed to their stations. In the haste to complete final repairs the crew of the Seeker had forgotten there was an alien in their midst.