need to get to Orede, and you're going there. There's no other way to
go, now."

"To the contrary," said Calhoun. "There'll undoubtedly be a fleet
heading for Orede as soon as it can be assembled and armed. But I'm
afraid that as a story yours isn't good enough. Try another."

She shivered a little.

"I'm running away...."

"Ah!" said Calhoun. "In that case I'll take you back."

"No!" she said fiercely. "I'll--I'll die first! I'll wreck this ship
first!"

Her hand came from behind her. There was a tiny blaster in it. But it
shook visibly as she tried to aim it.

"I'll shoot out the controls!"

Calhoun blinked. He'd had to make a drastic change in his estimate of
the situation the instant he saw that the stowaway was a girl. Now he
had to make another when her threat was not to kill him but to disable
the ship. Women are rarely assassins, and when they are they don't use
energy weapons. Daggers and poisons are more typical. But this girl
threatened to destroy the ship rather than its owner, so she was not
actually an assassin at all.

"I'd rather you didn't do that," said Calhoun dryly. "Besides, you'd