call on someone higher up in the Elfkund entourage
to come to its aid. Trigger closed her door grinning.

On the screen of her secluded library, she presently watched a great
port shuttle swing in from Evalee to meet the hovering Dawn City. It
would bring another five hundred or so passengers on board and take off
the few who had merely been making the short run from Maccadon to Evalee
in style. Solidopic operators were quite likely to be on the shuttle, so
she had decided to keep away from the entry area.

The transfer operation was carried out very expeditiously, probably to
make up for some of the time lost on the surface. When the shuttle
shoved off, the loudspeaker announced that normal space flight would be
maintained till after the stopover at Garth. Trigger wandered
thoughtfully back to her cabin. She closed the door behind her.

Then she saw the man sitting by the ComWeb cabinet. Her breath sucked
in. She crouched a little, ready to wheel and bolt.

"Take it easy, Trigger!" Major Quillan said. He was in civilian clothes,
of rather dudish cut.

Trigger swallowed. There was, too obviously, no place to bolt to. "How
did you find me?"

He shrugged. "Longish story. You're not under arrest."

"I'm not?"

"No," said Quillan. "When we get to Manon, the Commissioner will have a
suggestion to make to you."

"Suggestion?" Trigger said warily.

"I believe you're to take back your old Precol job in Manon, but as
cover for your participation in our little project. If you agree to it."

"What if I don't?"

He shrugged again. "It seems you'll be writing your own ticket from here
on out."

Trigger stared at him, wondering. "Why?"

Quillan grinned. "New instructions have been handed down," he said. "If
you're still curious, ask Whatzzit."

"Oh," Trigger said. "Then why are you here?"

"I," said Quillan, "am to make damn sure you get to Manon. I brought a
few people with me."

"Mihul, too?" Trigger asked, a shade diffidently.

"No. She's on Maccadon."

"Is she--how's she doing?"

"Doing all right," Quillan said. "She sends her regards and says a
little less heft on the next solar plexus you torpedo should be good
enough."

Trigger flushed. "She isn't sore, is she?"

"Not the way you mean," he considered. "Not many people have jumped
Mihul successfully. In her cockeyed way, she seemed pretty proud of her
student."

Trigger felt the flush deepen. "I got her off her guard," she said.

"Obviously," sa