n, he reached for the
weapon's grip.

"No point in discussing matters with him now. He can talk after we get
him in, and he's just about in range now." He brought the hair-lines on
the viewscreen to center on the approaching figure, and squeezed the
grip.

* * * * *

Sira Nal felt the sudden pressure. Annoyed, he reached to his belt, to
turn his shield to full power. This was highly unethical. Buron should
certainly know better than to resort to personal attack. Such action
could be protested, and Sira Nal could demand concessions.

He looked ahead, searchingly. The horizon ahead was broken by a faint
cloud, which indicated the islands, but there was no evidence of his
opponent. He shook his head, and started to rise, but his shield was
failing. Suddenly, he became aware of the overheating generator pack.
Something was decidedly wrong. He reached for his own hand weapon, still
searching for his attacker. At last, he noticed a slight shimmer, dead
ahead. He pointed the weapon.

"Now, now," cautioned a voice, "you could get hurt that way. Close down
your shield and relax. This is a guard flier. You're in arrest tractor."

Sira Nal recognized that the tractor was pulling him ahead. His
generator pack was heating up dangerously.

He was being captured!

Furiously, he thought of the attacks he had made in similar manner, in
this same area. He still could remember the horrified expression on one
shipowner's face just before his ship broke to bits under him.

They wouldn't get him, though.

They couldn't.

He would blast them out of his path. Just as he had blasted the
presumptuous natives who opposed him.

Thumbing the hand weapon to full blast, he centered it on the faint
shimmer ahead, and squeezed the trigger.

Let the meddlers look out for themselves.

* * * * *

Banasel winced a little as the fireball spread, then rose skyward, to
form a large cloud.

"You could have relaxed," he protested. "The blast wouldn't have jolted
our screen too much, and you could have gotten him again."

"I know." Lanko flicked off the gunnery switches and leaned back,
rubbing his head. "There was a possibility, and I fully intended to
relax. But the decision time was short, and frankly, those thoughts of
his overrode me for just too long. That boy was dangerous!"

He turned to Genro Kir, who was looking with horrified fascination at
the still growing cloud in