g a chair around, sat
down facing the table. "You're looking well tonight, Fluel," he
observed.

The Duke of Fluel, lean and dapper in silver jacket and tight-fitting
silver trousers, gave him a wintry smile, said nothing.

* * * * *

"Now, then, friend," Velladon inquired confidentially, "just what was
your business with Movaine?"

"Well, it will come to around twenty per cent of the take," Quillan
informed him. "We won't argue about a half-million CR more or less.
But around twenty per."

The faces thoughtful. After some seconds, the commodore asked, "And
who's we?"

"A number of citizens," Quillan said, "who have been rather unhappy
since discovering that you, too, are interested in Lady Pendrake and
her pals. We'd gone to considerable expense and trouble to ... well,
her ladyship was scheduled to show up in Mezmiali, you know. And now
she isn't going to show up there. All right, that's business. Twenty
per--no hard feelings. Otherwise, it won't do you a bit of good to
blow up the Star and the liner. There'd still be loose talk--maybe
other complications, too. You know how it goes. You wouldn't be happy,
and neither would Yaco. Right?"

The commodore's massive head turned back to Cooms. "How well do you
know this man, Marras?"

Cooms grinned dryly. "Well enough."

"Is he leveling?"

"He'd be nuts to be here if he wasn't. And he isn't nuts--at least,
not that way."

"There might be a question about that," Fluel observed. He looked at
the commodore. "Why not ask him for a couple of the names that are in
it with him?"

"Hagready and Boltan," Quillan said.

Velladon chewed the other mustache tip. "I know Hagready. If he--"

"I know both of them," Cooms said. "Boltan works highjacking crews out
of Orado. Quillan operates there occasionally."

"Pappy Boltan's an old business associate," Quillan agreed. "Reliable
sort of a guy. Doesn't mind taking a few chances either."

Velladon's protruding blue eyes measured him a moment. "We can check
on those two, you know--"

"Check away," Quillan said.

Velladon nodded. "We will." He was silent for a second or two, then
glanced over at Cooms. "There've been no leaks on our side," he
remarked. "And they must have known about this for weeks! Of all the
inept, bungling--"

"Ah, don't be too hard on the Brotherhood, commodore," Quillan said.
"Leaks happen. You ought to know."

"What do you mean?" Velladon snapped.

"From what