The leader of those confronting him, a man as tall and wide-shouldered as Harse, and certainly with all that guard's grim presence, made no move to lower his own weapon. Jofre staggered; a sudden and more vicious attack from the Jat had nearly rocked him from his feet. But a moment later the Jewelbright took a hand in the matter and captured the creature in a grasp strong enough to pull it back.
Zurzal had shouldered the scanner, paying no heed to its tripod stand, using a side strap above the maimed arm to support it, as he covered the distance between them in two strides.
'Pass or this one dies!' Jofre tightened his hold on the Holder's throat. The man was already gasping for breath, his hands flailing out to no purpose as he had no weapon now and Jofre was positioned out of reach behind him.
'There is a problem here.' The leader of the opposition had again edged closer so that his voice carried even through the clamor. His weapon hand was steady but Jofre, reading the subtle change in the other's eyes, did not think that he was about to be crisped at once by blaster fire. At least the fellow was speaking trade tongue. 'You have what we are very anxious to get—yield your prisoner—'
In Jofre's grip the Holder struggled wildly. It was plain to the issha that this was not a friendly party seeking to rescue their leader.
'Why?' It was not he who asked that question but Zurzal. The Jewelbright said nothing, merely held to her place beside Jofre, both hands gripping the upper front limbs of the Jat in spite of the creature's frenzied fight for freedom. That she possessed issha-trained strength was very plain to see.
'He is more our meat than yours, Learned One,' the green-banded leader returned promptly. 'We have certain plans for him.'
One of his squad moved closer and growled a sentence. The melee in the chamber seemed to be dying down. Here and there a knot of uniforms still fought, but it was apparent that those who had swung down from aloft were fast gaining control of the conflict.
'Plans for us also—' Jofre stated. 'What are those?'
'Not perhaps what you might fear,' returned the other. 'Learned One,' now he spoke directly to Zurzal, 'you have served our cause even inadvertently.' With his free hand he pointed to the scanner which now dangled down the Zacathan's back. 'We are a little in your debt—even more when you turn that one over to us. I think you will find us grateful.'
Two of the squad, one of these a woman, Jofre noted, split off now and came inward, one from either side as if to box in him and his captive.
'These are rebels.' For the first time the Jewelbright spoke and flatly.
'Partisans of freedom, lady.' The leader was smiling now, almost gallant in his attitude, but there was no lessening of alert menace in those still edging towards Jofre.
'And our coming—was it part of a plan which you also shared?' asked Zurzal. 'Well,' he did not wait for any answer, 'perhaps we can deal after all. Though I think that your party had another end for me in view two days ago.'
The leader shrugged. 'We have hotheads, such are the bane of any party, Learned One. Those who made that decision have been disciplined for it. Now—give us that man—'
Jofre interrupted. 'One does not throw away a weapon untried, Commander,' he gave the man the only rank he could guess. 'You admit that your followers tried to burn us down at the ruins. How can it be that we are now to forget that? You did not take this prisoner; we hold him—'
'So you can decide what is to be done with him?' queried the other. 'How long can you stand there, guard, and hold him? You need both hands to the purpose, are you then able to sprout another pair to beat us off?'
'He will kill—' It was the woman approaching from the left who spoke then. 'We need that one for—' She stopped abruptly, near in mid word as if she realized that she might be giving away something of importance and the commander favored her with a quick frown before his eyes clicked back to center on Jofre.
'What do you want?' he demanded sharply then, plainly impatient to settle the matter—if he could—as quickly as possible.
'What you spoke of earlier, Commander,' Zurzal had adopted the same title, 'freedom. We are here against our will—we were kidnapped to order. We want nothing more than to ship out from Tssek and go our own way.'
The commander studied the Zacathan, then his attention turned to Jofre, and last of all to the Jewelbright.
'This off-world female was not brought here by force but to play another game of her own. She cannot claim otherwise.'
'Any game she was to play,' Jofre said, 'is now ended. She is off-world—she has not meddled with your ways— can any speak against her?'
'She is what she is,' the scorn in the woman's voice was near as hot as blaster breath. 'We want none of her—let her return to her own kind and swim in their dregs.'
'Let us reach the port,' Zurzal said swiftly. 'I do not know what ship may be there ready to lift. If there is none then let us enter Patrol custody—do you not agree that that will keep us away from any meddling here?'
'We need give you nothing,' the man who had earlier spoken in Tssek to the commander, burst in. 'Stass rays—'
Jofre stiffened. It was true, they could be taken again as easily as he and Zurzal had been back on Wayright. As long as he must keep his hold on his prisoner he could do nothing to prevent such an attack.
'You forget, At s'San, we do have something to thank them for. Did they, not show us the true death of Fer s'Rang—though that service was quite unintended.' The commander smiled thinly. 'No, we shall give them what they wish—the female also since we have no use for her kind—and even that squalling thing,' he pointed to the Jat who was crying out in a thin wailing. 'Such are not for our world; let them go. Escort them to the port and turn them over to the off-worlders who keep the peace for their own kind. But first—give us—him!'
