As dusk turned into night and the campfire was lit, the party got both loud and violent enough that he couldn't disregard it any longer. Eventually, one of the rebels brought out an animal whip, suggesting it might be fun to see if they could get some amusement out of the damned Imperial. * * * * * Somehow, Dave Scanlon thought, being held prisoner by a bunch of rebels just wasn't what it was cracked up to be. He wasn't even locked up, and his guard had won every one of their chess games so far! Oh, the rebels themselves seemed to be having a good enough time--it sounded like a fun party--but he was bored. Then he heard something odd, and looked around. "Hey, Theo, what was that?" His guard moved a knight before replying. "Check. What was what?" Dave scowled at him, waiting for the sound to come again. "That," he said when it did. "It sounded like a scream." The guard listened for a moment, then frowned as the sound came yet again. "Bad news, if it's what I think." Dave shivered at his expression as he went on. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm checking, kid. This could be serious." "I won't," Dave promised, impressed into obedience despite himself. He'd tried escaping a couple of times since he'd been foolish enough to try replenishing his supplies at what had seemed to be a commercial camp, but he'd been recaptured quickly; now he endured his captivity stolidly. "Good enough. I'll be back as soon as I can." Theo left the tent they shared, with Dave following him as far as the entrance. It was dark, so he saw only fire-glow from the central area--but from here, he could hear a slapping noise like something hitting flesh before another scream broke through the party sounds. It made him wish again that he was back in his own tent, maybe five kilometers away. His parents had let him go camping alone to celebrate his fourteenth birthday, and that had been a lot more fun than this . . . Moments later Theo returned, looking grim. "It's time for you to get out of here, kid. Lord Robert's gone beyond trying to kick out his big sister; this ain't just a family fight any more, it's treason against the Empire." He paused. "I'd get out myself, but maybe I can help the Ranger by sticking around. Think you can slug me convincingly with that lamp, then get the hell back home? There're grav-hoppers in the parking area just south of the camp, and it's drunk enough out that you should be able to duck what guards're left." "Ranger!" Dave exclaimed, horrified. "That's a Ranger--" He broke off at Theo's expression. "Yeah . . . I think I can." Then he'd see what he could do! "Okay. Do a good job; I'll need a fair-sized lump to convince his Lordship." Theo turned his back to his prisoner.