“Captain Sanchez, you and everyone operating alongside you will be completely pardoned if you will just return the Seeker to dock. Otherwise you will be classed as criminals, and treated as such.”

“Ship is beginning to move outward, straight for us,” Taourit whispered.

She nodded again, her attention on the pickup. “Don’t threaten me, Colonel. I react real nervously to threats.”

“Where do you think you’re taking that ship?” Davis demanded. “Centaurus V? Three? Earth, maybe? The word will precede you. The services will be looking for the Seeker at every established station and every shuttleport on all the civilized worlds.”

“Not all the civilized worlds,” Sanchez informed him assuredly. “We considered every alternative before embarking on this, Colonel. If we’re compelled to, we’ll take Ryo home.”

“Then what?” Davis’ voice was more curious than threatening. “Once you return him to his world, where do you expect you can return to?”

“We don’t expect to,” was the quiet reply.

Dead silence came from the speaker. It was matched by the atmosphere in the control room. Since the colonel apparently could not think of a suitable response, it was Rijseen who finally resumed the conversation.

“Very well, then. We will drop the plans for the dissection. The vote was close enough to allow that. Guarantees will be drawn up so that no one can override. Not even the military.”

Davis’ voice, in the background: “You don’t have that authority, Dr. Rijseen.”

‘If you will check your records,” the distant voice of the staff head advised him, “you will find that I am in complete control of this project, sir. That authority extends to anything below a direct military threat to the civilized worlds. Human civilized worlds,” he added, with just a tinge of amusement “I do not regard one isolated and avowedly friendly alien as constituting such a threat.”

“How do we know you’ll do what you say?” asked Sanchez.

“Ask Dr. Bhadravati.”

“Obviously, Dr. Rijseen and I have disagreed on a number of matters. Or I wouldn’t be here at this moment.” Bhadravati flashed a bright smile. “I believe he is trustworthy. I have never known him to break his word. I believe it once cost him a substantial scientific prize and accompanying honors. He is one of the few scientists I know whose word is as sound as his studies.”

Bonnie spoke toward her own console pickup. “I believe you, sir. If Dr. Bhadravati trusts you, then I’m willing to trust you. But can you vouch for your associates? And can you guarantee the cooperation of Colonel what’s-his- name?”