t you never _will_
know--that I can't let you know! You'd better lay off me, girl, while
you can. It'll be best for you, believe me."

"But I can't, Conway, and neither can you," the girl answered softly, a
glorious light in her eyes. "It's too late for that. On the ship it was
just another of those things, but since then we've come really to know
each other, and we're sunk. The situation is out of control, and we both
know it--and neither of us would change it if we could, and you know
that, too. I don't know very much, I admit, but I do know what you
thought you'd have to keep from me, and I admire you all the more for
it. We all honor the Service, Conway dearest--it is only you men who
have made and are keeping the Three Planets fit places to live in--and I
know that any one of Virgil Samms' assistants would have to be a man in
a thousand million...."

"What makes you think that?" he demanded sharply.

"You told me so yourself, indirectly. Who else in the three worlds could
possibly call him 'Sammy?' You are hard, of course, but you must be
so--and I never did like soft men, anyway. And you brawl in a good
cause. You are very much a _man_, my Conway; a real, _real_ man, and I
love you! Now, if they catch us, all right--we'll die together, at
least!" she finished, intensely.

"You're right, sweetheart, of course," he admitted. "I don't believe
that I _could_ really let you let me go, even though I know you ought
to," and their hands locked together even more firmly than before. "If
we ever get out of this jam I'm going to kiss you, but this is no time
to be taking off your helmet. In fact, I'm taking too many chances with
you in keeping your shields off. Snap 'em on again--they ought to be
getting fairly close by this time."

Hands released and armor again tight, Costigan went over to join Bradley
at the control board.

"How are they coming, Captain?" he asked.

"Not so good. Quite a ways off yet. At least an hour, I'd say, before a
cruiser can get within range."

"I'll see if I can locate any of the pirates chasing us. If I do it'll
be by accident; this little spy-ray isn't good for much except close
work. I'm afraid the first warning we'll have will be when they take
hold of us with a tractor or spear us with a needle. Probably a beam,
though; this is one of their emergency lifeboats and they wouldn't want
to destroy it unless they have to. Also, I imagine that Roger wants us
alive pretty badly. He has unf