amis. It could be that the fleet
was offering surrender. There would be near-mutiny on many of its ships.
There would be monumental frustration. Junior officers, in particular,
would have examined the low-power overdrive tables, and would have
studied longingly the reports of Bors's use of low-power overdrive
against an enemy squadron off Meriden. They would yearn passionately to
have their ships equipped with apparatus by which it could vanish from a
place where it was a target to reappear elsewhere, unharmed, and make
the enemy its target. Two fleets equipped with the new device might
checkmate each other. But one fleet....

The speaker said curtly:

"_Captain Bors, a single ship has broken out of overdrive. It
identifies itself as the ship_ Liberty, _of Cela. It declares that it
has come to place itself under your command._"

Bors stared. He had forgotten about the two Cela-built ships which the
Deccan rebels told him about--the first of which had gone on a trial run
with a Mekinese crew and failed to return, and the second of which, with
a Celan crew, had gone off to look for Bors and his marauders.

Somehow, it had found him. It seemed totally improbable. Bors instantly
thought of Talents, Incorporated. The Talents on the ship had spread
rebellion on worlds unthinkable distances apart. It was conceivable that
in some way they'd brought this ship to Glamis.

"Very well," said Bors coldly, in the cabin to which he was confined. "I
request to be put on board."

"I'll come with you," said his uncle. He smiled at Bors, who noted, but
was not surprised at, the genuineness of the smile. "This is the ship
you mentioned as hoping to emulate the _Horus_. I don't think you'll
surrender it. But I've surrendered once and I don't like it. I'd rather
not do it again."

Compartment-doors went back to normal, as combat-alert went off. Morgan
appeared, agitated and upset.

"What's this?" he demanded. "What's happened?"

Bors told him curtly as much as he knew, all that he'd been told on
Deccan. It was the only ship technically in actual rebellion against
Mekin. It had heard rumors of Bors, and it wanted his leadership.

"But you can't go now!" insisted Morgan. "You've got to wait until the
_Sylva_ gets back! You have to have Talents, Incorporated information to
act on! You need my Talents!"

"I'm going to get moving as fast as I can," said Bors. "I don't think we
can wait. If the _Liberty's_ what I think, and her crew w