"None of my business," the mate answered, shrugging, "but I think you should have given it to them. What crust! 'May we look your ship over?' I'd have let them look over the end of my fist!" Brace bared his teeth in anticipation of the effect of his words. "I couldn't," he growled. "The girl's in my cabin." Then he pushed by the astonished mate, turned in the companionway and burst into a roar of laughter. "Fouled 'em up again!" he shouted. The mate stared dumbly at Brace for a moment, then shrugging, went off in the other direction. Brace stood outside his cabin door, speculating. What should he do now? Finding no answer to his question, he opened the door and stepped in. The girl was sitting on the edge of his bunk. She looked at him, then down at her hands, as though the sight of him was repulsive to her. When she looked up at him again, her level eyes made Brace wince. She didn't seem afraid like he expected her to be. She was defiant. "I see you're awake," Brace said. He hadn't meant to growl that way, but he couldn't help it. She clenched her hands and glared at him. "Why didn't you kill me like you did my brother?" "I'm sorry," Brace replied. "I didn't mean to kill anyone. Not that I have any objection to killing if it's necessary. In this part of space, you kill when you have to--but--well your brother was an accident." He watched tears come to her eyes and scowled. "What's done is done! I didn't mean to kill your brother, but he's dead, and there's nothing anyone can do about it!" She cried softly for a few moments, then sighing, brushed the tears from her eyes. Brace leaned against a wall and stared at the deck, sorting through plans and discarding them. "I believe you," she said quietly, and it startled Brace. "I believe you when you say it was an accident. I promise not to tell anything about it to anyone. Now will you let me go?" Brace shook his head. "I can't." "But what do you intend to do with me?" she demanded. "I don't know!" Brace paced the floor. "I can't let you go. That's certain. I can't even leave your body." He looked at her steadily, his jaw tightening. "I'll be frank with you, miss. I made a mistake. I meant no harm but I killed a man. You saw me do it. I'm in bad with the S.P., everyone here is, and they'd like nothing better than a charge against me. You are that charge. It would mean my life, the lives of my mate and officers, and my crew would be imprisoned, if I let you go." He paused. "I may have to chuck you out in space." She said nothing, just stared at him, and Brace went back to his pacing. "But--but--I won't tell," she said, falteringly. "I promise not to say a thing." Brace shook his head. "The S.P. would make you tell anything they wanted you to tell." * * * * *