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going to have to check both of you out properly; Jaharnus said. 'That means putting a request through to Earth for your records.
    'Well why don't you get on with it?' Peri said lightly. 'We've got nothing to hide.'
    'Don't be impatient, Ms Brown. This far from Earth it takes six days to receive a reply, even via hyper relay.'
    'Six days!'
    'You'll stay in Astroville in reasonable comfort at the city's expense, but not aboard this ship.'
    'Don't you trust us?' asked the Doctor.
    'A suspicious mind goes with the job, Doctor. I have this picture of you suddenly remembering those numbers of Hok's, and trying to leave here without telling me first.'
    Falstaff's shipboard synthesiser had a cordon bleu culinary program, so his meal had been excellent. Now he was reclining in a form-fitting massage chair in the ship's compact lounge, sipping a goblet of wine and listening to a recording of the Astroville local newsnet broadcasts he had made before his ship had slipped into hyperspace. He had long ago determined his priorities in such matters, and refused to allow bad news to spoil his appreciation of good food.
    'Now, ballasted with capon and sack, I can face whatever slings and arrows outrageous fortune may hurl my way,' he soliloquised.
    To his relief, thanks to a late-breaking political scandal, Hok's death was relegated to fourth place in the hourly summary. A man and woman were said to be helping with inquiries, but there was no mention of his part in the proceedings. Of course, the authorities might still be searching for him, but it was definitely encouraging. The longer it took them to make a positive identification the farther he and his ship would be from their jurisdiction; though he felt a slight pang of regret that his actions might have left those two tourists in a compromising position.
    'However, for the nonce, discretion must be the better part of valour.' He raised his goblet again. 'To good fortune!' he toasted loudly.
    Then an explosion jerked the goblet from his hand and split his ship open from stem to stern.
     

CHAPTER 4
HISTORY LESSONS
    The Falcon had been under way for six hours when Qwaid knocked on the door of Alpha's stateroom. When he was bidden to enter he found his employer hunched over a compact duplicate of his office desk computer.
    'What is is, Qwaid?'
    'Thought you'd like to know, boss. We just picked up a hyperspace distress-beacon signal from behind us. Very weak, like it's going to die at any moment. The call sign matches the ship you had Gribbs fit his little present to.'
    'Then I may assume our interfering friend will no longer be giving us any trouble. Is the signal likely to be detected in Astroville?'
    'Shouldn't think so, boss. We're only picking it up because he's close by.'
    Alpha stiffened slightly, and a new edge entered his words.
    'Therefore he was either following us or on a similar course.'
    A cold sweat broke out on Qwaid's brow. He hadn't thought of that implication. 'Uh, I guess so, boss.'
    'So we may conclude that either he obtained the course information while he was in Hok's shop, presumably from a duplicate data capsule you overlooked in the confusion, or else Hok had already passed on a duplicate of the information.'
    Alpha's cold eyes lifted to transfix him. 'It had better not be the latter, Qwaid. Ever since he mooted the deal, I expressly ordered you to watch him and prevent that very eventuality -'
    'He must have picked it up in the shop, boss,' Qwaid assured him, gulping desperately. 'We were watching Hok night and day like you said. We moved in as soon as we were sure he'd picked up the original capsule from the courier. He must have made a copy just before we arrived.'
    It seemed an eternity before the cold depthless eyes left him. 'I trust that is the case. It would not do to disappoint me so soon after my last lecture on your competence.'
    'No, boss.' Qwaid took a relieved breath, then hesitated. Despite a sinking feeling that was growing steadily in the pit of