primary systems are in good
condition, considering the vessel's history and the
spunnel shocks the ship must have experienced on
the way. How does it all fit together?"

"How does it concern you?" Brad turned to face
Drummer.

"Come, now." Drummer shook his head impatiently.
"Let's not act naive; it doesn't go with the rest
of you. But," he added waving his finger at Brad
as he turned away, "just so you don't make a habit
of responding to my questions with diversions, be
aware that I am a member of President Narval's
Council of Advisors. Despite the incident with
Scarf, I have considerable authority and resources
at my command.

"I've checked through my confidential sources in
the Inner Region," he went on, "and confirmed you
are all convicted criminals that escaped from a
Guardian Station prison. Now, for starters, how
did you manage to get a lift by spunnel and make it
this far without tearing that old wreck apart? Those
vessels don't have navigational gear for trips to
the rim, nor do they carry the required gear and
supplies. Straight answer."

"We're spacers," Brad said. "One of us is an
experienced maintenance engineer. Another is
a space navigator. We've all knocked about the
space-ways a bit on assorted jobs. I was Captain of
a freighter before the Space Guard and the Transport
Board took my ship away from me on trumped up
charges, and then sent me up for five years of
rehab. We teamed up on the Guardian Station, worked
out the details, kept our noses clean and our eyes
open, and, when the chance came, grabbed it. We did
have a few breakdowns, but we kept her moving along
until we could attach the ship to a convoy through
the spunnel. We took our chances and made it."

Drummer shook his head. A muscle twitched in his
jaw.

"The reports I received identified your former
professions and gave me the rest of your personal
histories. Frankly, it has me wondering: a ship's
captain, paramedic-logistics type, a maintenance
engineer, communications specialist, navigator, and
a weapons technician. Wasn't it odd to have these
special skills fall into place?"

"Not really," Brad countered. "I could have made up
any kind of crew I wanted. The station has lots of
spacers under lock and key. These folks happened
to fit in with my plans, and they were as anxious
to get out as I was. It worked. Now, what's the
problem?"

"The problem," Drummer replied, "is that a
half-dozen escaped convicts with exceptio