o."

"What else could they do? After all, you know who Gerry is. So he had
no out."

Pete laughed wryly. "Who'd take my word? Besides, Gerry's shoved
guardians around before. He's got friends all over school. Ever hear of
the 'Hunters'?"

"Who hasn't? Supposed to be some sort of gang, but I've never talked to
anyone that knew much about who they are, or what they do." Don was
thoughtful. "Supposed to be all galactic kids. I've heard the police
are trying to break them up. Those three part of that bunch?"

Pete nodded wordlessly.

Don's eyebrows rose a little. "Prove that," he remarked, "and it won't
just be the school that'll be giving them trouble. The police would
probably give a lot to really get their hands on some of them."

"I'm not so sure about that," Pete told him. "It was my uncle who was
interested in the Hunters. Now, it's different. Maybe the guy that went
and got the proof of their membership would be the one who'd have the
trouble. Real, final type trouble."

"What's that?"

"Look, I just told you. Among other things, my uncle was interested in
the Hunters." Pete bent his knees and took a squatting position. His
elbows rested on his knees and he relaxed, resting his chin on folded
hands and looking up at Don.

"Seems as though some other people didn't like to have him asking too
many questions around." He paused.

"You think my uncle was getting a lot of money from the gamblers and
some smuggling combine. That right?"

"Well----" Don hesitated.

"Sure you do. So does everybody else. The galactics are telling each
other about why don't they get somebody in authority besides some
stupid Khlorisana. And the Khlorisanu talk about the old nobility--how
they can't stop robbing the people. It all goes along with what the
papers have been saying. There's been more, too, but those bribery
charges are what they've really worked on. They keep telling you some
of the same stuff on the newscasts. And everybody believes them. But it
isn't true. My uncle was an honest policeman. They got him out of the
way because he wouldn't deal with them--and maybe for...." He held out
a hand.

"Figure it out. Why didn't they just give him a trial and put him into
prison if he were guilty? Or, if they were going to have an execution,
why not make it legal--over in Hikoran?" He paused, then waved the hand
as Don started to speak.

"They didn't dare have a trial. It would be too public, and there was
no real evidenc