Nagle moved close to Williams, and shouted something to him. The noise drowned it. Kramer swung back to me, frantic to regain his sway over the mob. "Once I'm out of the way, there'll be a general purge," he roared. The hubbub faded, as men turned to hear him. "You're all marked men. He's gone mad. He won't let one of you live." Kramer had their eyes now. "Take him now," he shouted, and seized my arm to begin the action. He'd rushed it a little. I hit him across the face with the back of my hand. No one jumped to his assistance. I drew my 2mm. "If you ever lay a hand on your Commanding Officer again, I'll burn you where you stand, Kramer." Then a voice came from behind me. "You're not killing anybody without a trial, Captain." Joyce stood there with two of the crew chiefs, needler in hand. Fine and Taylor were not in sight. I pushed Kramer out of my way and walked up to Joyce. "Hand me that weapon, Junior, butt first," I said. I looked him in the eye with all the glare I had. He stepped back a pace. "Why don't you jump him," he called to the crowd. The wall annunciator hummed and spoke. "Captain Greylorn, please report to the bridge. Unidentified body on main scope." Every man stopped in his tracks, listening. The annunciator continued. "Looks like it's decelerating, Captain." I holstered my pistol, pushed past Joyce, and trotted for the lift. The mob behind me broke up, talking, as men under long habit ran for action stations. Clay was operating calmly under pressure. He sat at the main screen, and studied the blip, making tiny crayon marks. "She's too far out for a reliable scanner track, Captain," he said, "but I'm pretty sure she's braking." If that were true, this might be the break we'd been living for. Only manned or controlled bodies decelerated in deep space. "How did you spot it, Clay?" I asked. Picking up a tiny mass like this was a delicate job, even when you knew its coordinates. "Just happened to catch my eye, Captain," he said. "I always make a general check every watch of the whole forward quadrant. I noticed a blip where I didn't remember seeing one before." "You have quite an eye, Clay," I said. "How about getting this object in the beam." "We're trying now, Captain," he said. "That's a mighty small field, though." Joyce called from the radar board, "I think I'm getting an echo at 15,000, sir. It's pretty weak." Miller, quiet and meticulous, delicately tuned the beam control. "Give me your fix, Joyce," he said. "I can't find it." Joyce called out his figures, in seconds of arc to three places. "You're right on it, Joyce," Miller called a minute later. "I got it. Now pray it don't get away when I boost it." Clay stepped over behind Miller. "Take it a few mags at a time," he said calmly.