led--"you must recognize us as
a free race."

"Free? A colony founded by escaped criminals?"

"That is not true! We committed no crime, harmed no living thing...."

The hard, cold words of Y'Nor cut off his protest:

"This world it now a Vogarian possession. Every man, woman, and child
upon it is a prisoner of the Vogarian State. There will be no
resistance. This cruiser's disintegrators can destroy a town within
seconds, your race within hours. Do you understand what I mean?"

The visible portion of old Brenn's face turned pale. He spoke at last
in the bitter tones of frightened, stubborn determination:

"I offered you our friendship; I hoped you would accept, for we are a
peaceful race. I should have known that you came only to persecute and
enslave us. But the hand of God will reach down to help us and--"

Y'Nor laughed, a raucous sound like the harsh caw of the Vogarian
vulture, and held up a hairy fist.

"This, old man, is the hand for you to center your prayers around. I
want full-scale fuel production commenced within twenty-four hours. If
this is done, and if you continue to unquestioningly obey all my
commands, I will for that long defer your punishment as an escaped
criminal. If this is not done, I will destroy a town exactly
twenty-five hours from now--and as many more as may be necessary. And
you will be publicly executed as a condemned criminal and an enemy of
the Vogarian State."

Y'Nor turned to Dalon. "Take him away."

* * * * *

"Scared sheep," Y'Nor said when Brenn was gone. "Tomorrow he'll say
that he prayed and his god told him what to do--which will be to save
his neck by doing as I command."

"I don't know--" Kane said doubtfully. "I think you're wrong about his
conscience folding so easily."

"_You_ think?" Y'Nor asked. "Perhaps I should remind you that the
ability to think is usually characteristic of commanders rather than
sub-ensigns. You will not be asked to try to think beyond the small
extent required to comprehend simple commands."

Kane sighed with weary resignation. An unexpected encounter with an
Alkorian battleship had sent the Vogarian cruiser fleeing through the
unexplored Whirlpool star cluster--Y'Nor and Kane the two surviving
commissioned officers--with results of negative value to those most
affected: the world of the Saint had been accidentally discovered and
he, Kane, had risen from sub-ensign to the shakily temporary position
of