ent outside the cabin and he flicked
sweat out of his eyes with a hand that shook.

"EI, for God's sake, come in! I'm in trouble here!"

The image on his three-inch screen was not Consul Satterfield's but the
startled consulate operator's. "Trouble?"

Jeff forced stumbling words into line. The EI operator shook his head
doubtfully.

"Consul's gone for the day, Aubray. I'll see if I can reach him."

"He was about to send out an EI patrol ship to take over here in the
islands," Jeff said. "Tell him to hurry it!"

He knew when he put down the microphone that the ship would be too late.
EI might still drag the secret of the calm-crystal source out of the
islanders, but Jeff Aubray and Jennifer Mack wouldn't be on hand to
witness their sorry triumph. The flimsy cabin could not stand for long
against the sort of brute the owls had shown him, and there was no sort
of weapon at hand. They couldn't even run.

"There's something outside," Jennifer said in a small voice.

Her voice seemed to trigger the attack.

* * * * *

The Zid lunged against the door with a force that cracked the wooden
hurricane bolt across and opened a three-inch slit between leading edge
and lintel. Jeff had a glimpse of slanted red eyes and white-fanged
snout before reflex sent him headlong to shoulder the door shut again.

"The bunk," he panted at Jennifer. "Shove it over."

Between them, they wedged the bunk against the door and held it in
place. Then they stood looking palely at each other and waiting for the
next attack.

It came from a different quarter--the wide double windows that
overlooked the bay. The Zid, rearing upright, smashed away the flimsy
rattan blinds with a taloned seizing-hand and looked redly in at them.

Like a man in a dream, Jeff caught up his communicator from the table
and hurled it. The Zid caught it deftly, sank glistening teeth into the
unit and demolished it with a single snap.

Crushed, the rig's powerful little battery discharged with a muffled
sputtering and flashing of sparks. The Zid howled piercingly and dropped
away from the window.

That gave Jeff time enough to reach the storm shutters and secure
them--only to rush again with Jennifer to their bunk barricade as the
Zid promptly renewed its ferocious attack on the door.

He flinched when Jennifer, to be heard above the Zid's ragings, shouted
in his ear: "My Scoop should have the _Queen_ afloat by now. Can we
reach he