Wilding stared at her in astonishment. "Elshar!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?" The girl did not answer at once. She shrugged, smiling curiously. Racial strangeness was in the angles of her face-structure. Large, luminous eyes, of deep blue, rode high on tilted cheekbones. She looked very young, with her face still pale from shock. In her dark hair and fair skin were the curious blendings of mixed blood, which often produces rare beauty. But for the twisted leg, she was perfect as one of those incredibly delicate and minute figurines carved of Martian ivory, but more human. All too human. "I bought my freedom with the money you left for me," she explained slowly. "There was enough left to bribe the guards of the supply ship." Caught between confusion and anger, Wilding stormed at her. "You must have lost your mind. What could you want--" The girl stopped him with a gesture. "Perhaps. And perhaps more than my mind. I convinced them that all I wanted was to see the place you had been taken. I did not try to convince myself. All the time I hoped something would happen. Some miracle. I ask nothing from you. Just let me stay near you--" Tichron's laugh was a knife-thrust in the heavy stillness of the ship. "Friend," he said enviously. "You have one woman too many." "One is sometimes too many," Wilding said irritably. He told Elshar, "I'll decide later what to do with you. Now I'm too busy." * * * * * The girl studied him gravely. "Don't think about me. I'll be no trouble to you." Wilding nodded and turned his attention to Concor, who already bent over the calculators. "With a little trimming, this present orbit will take us fairly close to the asteroid," was the Martian's verdict. "That's your department. Get us there, and don't waste any time you can help. The patrols will be converging if any message at all went through. Our margin is small enough at best." Tichron's broad face showed astonishment. "You mean you're actually going back for the others?" "I never had any other intention. I'll need all who want to go with me ... where I'm going." Tichron's eyes narrowed. "Where _are_ you going?" "You'll find out when I tell the others. In time to make up your mind about going." Alcatraz Asteroid showed suddenly against the dark backdrop of space, reflected sunlight waxing as the planes of its surface turned toward the Sun. Airlock valves set into the savage exterior opened to let the lighter and captive supply ship into a tube leading downward to the inhabited caverns. Barely had the ship settled into cradles when Wilding went through the double doors and stared about the vaulted dockroom. Something was wrong. By now, the convicts would know that the venture was well started, that the conquerors had returned with a prize. Curious and excited crowds should be milling about, swarming around the captured ship, greeting the venturers. But no one was in sight.