Still looking away, her voice the barest whisper, she said, "I learned the truth at last, Jarl Corvett...." "The truth--?" "About freedom, and the Federation as a partnership of plunder. About my father, and that renegade _chitza_ Wassreck." Her voice broke. Her eyes came back; met Jarl's. "Raider, how can I tell you? Wassreck has betrayed you!" "Betrayed me--?" Jarl went rigid. In two quick steps he was beside her--gripping her chin; staring down into her eyes. "Not Wassreck--!" "Yes, Wassreck!" Her words came tumbling forth in a rush, raw and defiant. "He was not captured, Jarl Corvett! He surrendered!" "You lie!" "No! Of his own free will, he sent a secret message to my father! He had a new weapon, he said--a projector that would break your raiders' power forever. He offered to give it to the Federation, if in exchange they'd lift the brand of outlaw from him and award him a post of proper honor." * * * * * New fury gripped Jarl Corvett. "You lie!" he lashed again. "You lie in your teeth, you she-_quirst_! This is some sneaking scheme, a filthy trick to match the one you played back there in the banquet hall--" "No, no...." The girl's voice choked with pain. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "My jaw--you'll break it--" Jarl let go her chin. White patches from his gripping fingers marked her face. For an instant, shame flooded through him. Yet, somehow, in the tension of the moment, it only added to his fury. Savagely, he turned away and paced the cabin. "Curse you, Ylana!" She looked away. The grey eyes were dull, her face deep-shadowed. "I know, Jarl Corvett. You still hate me. You wonder why I should do this thing--give you my _skrii_, tell you all I've told, hide here on my father's carrier so that you would take me with you...." Her voice broke. The tears coursed faster. "All my life, my father's talked of duty. But now, with this new weapon in his grasp, he would keep it secret till he can sweep the asteroids clean for the wealth that's waiting to be seized. He talks of perquisites of office, claims it as his due for his years of service...." Chill, narrow-eyed, Jarl weighed her words. "So, now, you'd turn against him?" She hid her face. Her voice came muffled. "It was more than I could stand, Jarl Corvett--that you should die for loyalty, while my father loots the Belt, and Wassreck basks in honor. Now,"--she raised her head, red lips aquiver--"now, at least, I've warned you. You can flee somewhere--perhaps to the dark worlds beyond Pluto...." "Perhaps." "Perhaps--? What else is there for you to do?" Tight-jawed, Jarl slapped his hands against his hips. "I can still go on to the outlaw worlds. My ship can still ramp at Ceresta." "Ceresta--?" The eager light faded from her face. She drew back, staring. "But why, Jarl Corvett? Don't you understand what I've just told you? The raider worlds are doomed!"