"Grad? Try the smoke?"

"Worst she can do is kill us. Besides, Lawn always wanted to fly the carm. Lawn, the position of Scientist's Apprentice is now open."

Lawn flexed her arms and looked about at her captors. Her hands prickled; her arms hurt. Her urge was to strike out at the mutineers. But the look on Jeffer's face: considering . . . like Kiance waiting for the right answer to some stupid rote question . .

The sky was black as charcoaL The stars were white points, like tiny versions of Voy, but thousands of them. And if they roused fear in Lawri, what must they be doing to these savages? She watched them nibbling on rolled slices of raw meat, and suddenly smiled.

She reached past the Grad and tapped the white key. "Pnikasyvat Voice." Hear this you treefeedersi

"Ready," said a voice belonging to nobody in the carm. "Identify yourself~"

The lunchtime conversation went dead silent. The jungle giant male cocked his crossbow. She turned her back on him. "I am Lawn the Scientist. Give us your status."

"Fuel tanks nearly empty. Power depleted, batteries charging. Air pressure dropping, will be dangerously low in five hours, lethal in seven. Displays are available."

"Why are we losing air pressure?"

"All openings are sealed. I will seek the source of a leak." Lawn tapped the white switch again. "That's what will kill us. We'll strangle without air. Too bad. It would have been quite a show, but you won't see it," she flashed at the Grad.

"Why did you turn oft' the display?"

"Voice can't hear us till I tap it again. It can do almost anything if you say the wrong thing, just talking."

"Would it talk to me?"

"You're a . . ." Her scorn became something else. "It wants you to identify yourself, and it remembers. Hmm. Try it." She tapped the talk button.

"Prikazyvat Voice," said the Grad.

"Identify yourself."

"I'm the Scientist of Quinn Tuft. Do we have enough fuel to get back into the Smoke Ring?"

For a moment the Grad forgot how to breathe. Then, "We have a water supply. Won't it be separated into fuel?"

Voice paused. Then, "If the flux of sunlight maintains its intensity, I will have fuel soon enough to affect a return. I note a mass near our course. I can use it as a gravity sling."

"Would that be Gold?"

"Rephrase."

"The mass, is it Goldblatt's World?"

The Grad tapped the switch before he began laughing. "Go for Gold! if we live that long."

The whispering aft had become obtrusive. With the air turning icy and Voice speaking from the walls, luncheon was sliding over to panic. Jeffer said, "Gavving, you'd better tell them about the pressure. We don't have time to brief Clave."

Lawn asked, "Shall I do it?" She knew more aj,out what was going

on.

Jeffer seemed appalled. "Lawn, they'd think you started the leaki"

"Savages-"

"Anyone would."

She couldn't decide if he meant it.