Earthside partners
are in the second car. In spite of your insistence to meet the whole
group, they don't want you and Celia to see their faces. They don't wish
to be identifiable." He touched his coat lapel. "They'll hear what we're
saying over this communicator and they could talk to you, but won't
unless they feel it's necessary. You'll have to take my word for it that
we're all present."

"That's good enough," Phil said.

"All right," Jackson went on, "now what did you mean by forcing us to
take this chance? Let me make it plain. Colonel Thayer hasn't been
accused of collaborating in the Roye gun hoax, but he got a black eye
out of the affair just the same. And don't forget that a planet with
colonial status is technically under martial law, which includes the
civilians. If Silas Thayer can get his hands on the guilty persons, the
situation will become a lot more unpleasant than it already is."

* * *

Phil addressed Ronald Black, "Then how about you two? When you showed up
here again on a transfer list, Thayer must have guessed why."

Black shook his head. "Both of us exercised the privilege of changing
our names just prior to the outtransfer. He doesn't know we're on Roye.
We don't intend to let him find out."

Phil asked, "Did you make any arrangements to get out of Roye again?"

"Before leaving Earth?" Black showed his teeth in a humorless smile.
"Boles, you have no idea of how abruptly and completely the government
men cut us off from our every resource! We were given no opportunity to
draw up plans to escape from exile, believe me."

Phil glanced over at Celia. "In that case," he said, a little thickly,
"we'd better see if we can't draw some up together immediately."

Jackson asked, staring, "What are you talking about, Phil? Don't think
for a moment Silas Thayer isn't doing what he can to find out who put
that trick over on him. I'm not at all sure he doesn't suspect me. And
if he can tie it to us, it's our neck. If you have some crazy idea of
getting off the planet now, let me tell you that for the next few years
we can't risk making a single move! If we stay quiet, we're safe. We--"

"I don't think we'd be safe," Phil said.

On his right, Celia Adams added sharply, "The gentleman in the other car
who's just started to lower that window had better raise it again! If
he's got good eyesight, he'll see I have a gun pointed at him. Yes,
that's much better! Go on, Phil."

"Have y