Until the alarms shrieked.

Perched awkwardly on the Puppeteer-friendly pilot's crash couch, Louis activated the short-range radio. "This is Louis Wu aboard Addison, Addison, calling Achilles. Repeat, this is calling Achilles. Repeat, this is Addison Addison calling Achilles." calling Achilles."

At the copilot's station Enzio was running the preflight checklist. The other New Terrans were in the engine room or their cabins. The main bridge displays showed a panoramic view of the cargo hold.

"What have you done, Louis?" Achilles answered. Midsentence, warbling alarms cut off abruptly.

"The New Terrans and I are leaving, Achilles." Louis did not explain. A sociopath had no interest in another's reasons. "Release the hull clamps and open the cargo-hold hatch. Open all the cargo holds' hatches."

"I am afraid I cannot do that, Louis. What have you done?"

Delivered lots of improvised explosive devices by stepping disc. Only the smoke grenades had been live, triggering fire alarms, emergency systems, and safety shutdowns. But Remembrance Remembrance's most vulnerable areas were beyond Louis's reach. The bridge had no discs, and no human had been allowed into the engine room to discover stepping-disc addresses there.

The smoke grenades were distractions, however unsettling. The Puppeteer crew were naifs, dupes, mentally unstable: herd-minded beings instinctively following a strong leader. Aside from Achilles, none was evil. Louis meant them no harm. He did did mean to stop them. mean to stop them.

Louis said, "Nothing dramatic ... yet. Do as I say, Achilles."

Enzio cleared his throat. "Ready when you are, Louis."

"Do it, Achilles," Louis said.

"Or else?" Achilles sneered.

Crushing weight!

"Automatics compensating," Enzio grunted. The excess weight vanished, offset by Addison Addison's artificial gravity. "Louis, with the hold's gravity set this high, our thrusters won't budge us."

Louis nodded. "Or else, Achilles, you'll force me to take the hyperspace exit."

The emergency hatch slammed, but not before thick smoke had poured onto the bridge. Dampers clanged in the ventilation ducts to finish sealing the room. Ceiling lamps and most consoles went dark; the main displays and most critical consoles flickered as emergency power cut in.

With one glance at the main status board, Clotho collapsed to the deck. Achilles watched in dismay as Clotho furled into a tight ball, heads tucked between his forelegs. Only muffled bleats of panic emerged.

It is up to me, Achilles thought. As always, everything is up to me.

Above Clotho's inert body, security-camera displays cycled randomly from corridor to cargo hold to cabin. Emergency bulkheads automatically sealed to stop the spread of the fire. Crew trapped wherever the safety lockdown found them. Smoke billowing in most of the ship.

So much much smoke. How had smoke spread so widely before setting off alarms? Unless there were many fires across the ship. Set at once? smoke. How had smoke spread so widely before setting off alarms? Unless there were many fires across the ship. Set at once? Delivered Delivered at once? With a shudder of insight, Achilles realized he had not seen a single human. at once? With a shudder of insight, Achilles realized he had not seen a single human.

He overrode safety protocols to disable the stepping-disc network controllers. It was the best he could do from lockdown. Individual discs still functioned; for safety reasons discs could only be disabled in person. But at least now, the humans could spread trouble only via the specific disc addresses they already knew.

The comm console flashed: carrier wave detected. Electromagnetic radio. But Remembrance Remembrance was in the middle of nowhere! Achilles opened the channel. was in the middle of nowhere! Achilles opened the channel.

"This is Louis Wu aboard Addison, Addison, calling Achilles. Repeat, this is calling Achilles. Repeat, this is Addison Addison calling Achilles." calling Achilles."

Wu! "What have you done, Louis?" Achilles answered. With his other head, he suppressed the still warbling alarms.

"The New Terrans and I are leaving, Achilles. Release the hull clamps and open the cargo-hold hatch. Open all the cargo holds' hatches."

Let the humans go? Watch his lovely fusion suppressors drift into the void? "I am afraid I cannot do that, Louis. What have you done?"

"Nothing dramatic ... yet. Do as I say, Achilles."

The "fires" were tending to themselves. The smoke was already clearing, vented by air handlers and scrubbed by active filters. Achilles left the automatic systems to work by themselves, saying nothing, sorting through his options.

Send an armed group aboard Addison Addison? Not plausible, even if enough crew somehow worked up the frenzy to try. The humans were sly enough to disable the few stepping discs aboard their ship and disconnect its exterior air-lock controls. That would be confirmed, but he knew what would be found.

Addison had a General Products hull. Almost certainly, he could not get at the humans and they could not get at him. They had a comm laser-at close range, a dangerous weapon-but useless while the ship remained clamped with its bow pointed outward. Their laser could only fire harmlessly had a General Products hull. Almost certainly, he could not get at the humans and they could not get at him. They had a comm laser-at close range, a dangerous weapon-but useless while the ship remained clamped with its bow pointed outward. Their laser could only fire harmlessly through through the hull material of the cargo-hold hatch, and into the void. the hull material of the cargo-hold hatch, and into the void.

Lasers. Any of Remembrance Remembrance's lasers would take time to dismount and move. The humans could dismount and move their comm laser just as quickly.

"Do it, Achilles," Louis said.

"Or else?" Achilles sneered while, with his other mouth, he set gravity in the hold at ten times Hearth normal. For a satisfying moment-until, as he had known would happen, their ship offset the force field-all he heard was anguished gasping.

"Or else, Achilles, you'll force me to take the hyperspace exit."

The Gw'oth method! That fool Nessus had shown the human how to destroy Argo Argo's hull. Achilles lunged for the hyperdrive controls as he spoke. "Do not do that, Louis. Not while we are already already in hyperspace." in hyperspace."

And if Louis did anyway? That was an experiment no sane being would contemplate.

Fresh alarm lamps flared on the status board. The bridge view ports stubbornly continued to display stars.

"Hyperdrive draws a lot of power," Louis said imperturbably. "I am quite confident Puppeteer fusion reactors won't operate while there are fire alarms throughout the ship."

And Louis was correct. Sensors across the ship would require manual resets before the reactors would restart. "What do you want?" Achilles asked desperately.

"I told you. Release the clamps. Open the cargo bays. Let us go."

"Clamps and cargo-bay hatch," Achilles repeated.

"Hatches," Louis corrected. "And turn off gravity in the holds."

And let everything float out? Never! "I need those weapons to defend Hearth. Especially after my brave brave human crew runs." human crew runs."

"In thirty seconds, Achilles, I engage hyperdrive."

Everything within Addison Addison's normal-space bubble would jump to hyperspace with it. The clamps and bits of the docking cradle. Perhaps some of the cargo-bay hatch. Nothing Achilles could not manage without.

"Twenty seconds. Nineteen."

Achilles surveyed the few bridge consoles still functioning. The space-junk defenses were on an emergency-power circuit, and Remembrance Remembrance's hull bristled with powerful lasers. Backup power could manage several salvos.

Wu dare not fly around Remembrance Remembrance to check out the other holds. His insolent demand that cargo be jettisoned was a bluff. to check out the other holds. His insolent demand that cargo be jettisoned was a bluff.

"Fifteen. Fourteen."

"You win," Achilles said, tasting bitter cud. "I am releasing Addison Addison."

Addison lurched. For an instant, Louis came out of his crash couch. lurched. For an instant, Louis came out of his crash couch.

Louis grabbed his armrests. "What happened?"

"Gravity in the hold went off. The automatics readjusted." Enzio peered at an external camera. "The clamp is retracting. Addison Addison is afloat." is afloat."

From outside the ship, a blaring alarm and strobing red light. The exterior hatch was about to open. Louis watched it slowly gape.

"A wise choice, Achilles." Louis broke the connection, wondering if the other holds' hatches were open. He did not intend to stay around-and get laser-blasted-to find out.

He activated the intercom. "All hands. We're leaving Remembrance. Remembrance."

Through the air ducts, a ragged cheer.

"Take her out, Enzio," Louis said. Addison Addison was barely outside when Louis engaged the hyperdrive. was barely outside when Louis engaged the hyperdrive.

Sensors flashed from intense hyperwave backwash. The treacherous humans were gone.

On the status board, more and more zones reported themselves free of smoke. Achilles announced over the intercom, "There is no cause for alarm. The fires have been contained. I will release the emergency quarantine, deck by deck, as that becomes safe."

And then we will restart the reactors and resume course. Wu could not stop him. But the human would would pay later. Pay dearly. Pay and pay and ... pay later. Pay dearly. Pay and pay and ...

Louis's eyes were glued to his wristwatch. "Three. Two. One."

At zero, timers triggered the second set of devices deployed earlier by stepping discs. These These bombs did more than smoke. bombs did more than smoke.

41.

An hour departed from Remembrance, Remembrance, Louis dropped Louis dropped Addison Addison from hyperspace. "I need to contact the authorities," he told Enzio. from hyperspace. "I need to contact the authorities," he told Enzio.

"Uh-huh," Enzio said casually. Too casually.

Endangering New Terran neutrality was serious business, and Louis was the one witness. Enzio and his gang could easily enough chuck their problem out the air lock.

Would they? The next seconds were critical.

Louis said, "The six of you have been nothing but helpful. That's all I'll have to say."

"And about the manner of your arrival?" Enzio prompted.

"I needed to find Achilles. You brought me where I wanted to be." Louis smiled. "As I remember it, I volunteered."

Enzio mulled that over. "Go ahead. Make your call." But he stayed on the bridge to monitor.

Louis took out his comp and unlocked the classified access codes. He made the call.

Sigmund responded immediately, apparently from home. "Louis! It's good to see you."

"This is a friend, Sigmund." Louis left it to Enzio to introduce himself if he wished. The comm delay in and out of New Terra's singularity left him plenty of time to decide. "He and his crew got me aboard Achilles' ship. And as important, they just got me off."

"New Terra thanks you, friend," Sigmund said. "Louis, you know the protocol."

Louis took protocol protocol as a protocol-gamma reference. As in: report in private. To try excluding Enzio seemed likely to shatter the fragile bonds of trust. Sorry, Sigmund. as a protocol-gamma reference. As in: report in private. To try excluding Enzio seemed likely to shatter the fragile bonds of trust. Sorry, Sigmund.

Louis said, "In a minute. First, what about Alice?"

"En route, checking in routinely. Her last contact was yesterday, so she'll be out of touch for a while. She'll be glad to hear you're all right." Sigmund's brow furrowed. He wanted his report.

"Here is the story, Sigmund." Louis compressed weeks of adventure into a few minutes. "If my bombs worked, Achilles is disarmed. The planet-buster, busted. The fusion suppressors were inside GP number one hulls, but concussion should have taken out many of them."

Louis withheld one detail: he had burgled a buoy. Achilles could not know, not until someone checked out the little spacecraft one by one. Thrusters, micro-reactor, and hyperwave transmitter occupied most of each basketball-sized hull. The Pak-inspired fusion suppressor itself was impressively tiny. Louis had crammed the small space he had emptied with random optronics parts from a spares cabinet. With luck and enough concussion, maybe no one would notice.

Fifteen minutes after launching from Remembrance, Remembrance, on a recycler break, Louis had popped into his old cabin. The suppressor circuitry went from jumpsuit pocket to the toe of a spare boot in his closet. Fusion suppression was on a recycler break, Louis had popped into his old cabin. The suppressor circuitry went from jumpsuit pocket to the toe of a spare boot in his closet. Fusion suppression was not not a capability he wanted in the hands of soldiers of fortune. a capability he wanted in the hands of soldiers of fortune.

"So what do you think Achilles will do?" Sigmund asked.

Louis had wracked his brains for days, trying to anticipate. He had had no insight, only intuition. He knew with whom they contended. "He won't quit, Sigmund."

Sigmund sighed. "I suppose not. So when can we expect you home?"

"I'll get back to you," Louis said, and broke the connection.

"You don't trust Ausfaller," Enzio observed.

"Let's just say," Louis said, "that forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

"Forgiveness for what what?"

Louis gazed longingly at the stars. If he had his way, none of them would see normal space for a while. "The woman I love is going to Kl'mo, hoping to broker a peace deal."

"While a Gw'oth fleet races straight at her. Probably Achilles, too."

Louis had been as cold as ice through the escape. Fear for Alice made him tremble. "Whatever Achilles tries, he will not want witnesses."

"And how do you see this playing out?" Enzio asked pointedly.

Everyone was racing toward galactic north.

Departing from New Terra, Alice had the shortest trip to Kl'mo. But she had begun with New Terra's normal-space velocity. The plan had been to take long breaks from hyperspace, shedding velocity on the way, to appear less threatening upon arrival.

Setting out from the failed ambush, from just south of the Fleet of Worlds, Achilles had a bit farther to travel to Kl'mo. But he had no interest in Remembrance Remembrance shedding the normal-space velocity it had inherited from the Fleet. And he wasn't taking many or long breaks in normal space. shedding the normal-space velocity it had inherited from the Fleet. And he wasn't taking many or long breaks in normal space.