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weapons."
    "Since when has that ever stopped you?" Rodan countered.
    "Since now," Lerotan replied tersely. "It's not worth the trouble. Pick up what we need and let the rest of the crew know we'll be leaving again in a couple of hours. If anyone wants to buy arms, they'll just have to buy them from me somewhere else."
    "You aren't going soft, are you?"
    "No, just getting older and smarter," Lerotan replied. "And besides, it's a big galaxy. There are plenty of other places we can operate without being hassled."

    ***
Micayla's shift had been busy, but not busy enough to divert her thoughts
    completely. During the occasional lulls, she asked Dana enough questions to irritate the most obliging person imaginable--but fortunately, Dana was just such a person. She filled Micayla in on the entire exchange, from the man's eye color to the loss of his sister, and by the time Micayla relinquished her post to Xantric, she was ready to go charging down to sections twenty-eight and nine alone, in spite of Windura's dire warnings.
    "She's going hunk hunting," Dana said when Xantric remarked on her haste. "I've
seen the guy, and trust me, I'd be running out of here too."
    Xantric's bald pate gleamed as she shook her head at Micayla. "Scott will be so disappointed if you find someone else."
    "Something tells me he'll get over it," Micayla said.
    "I don't know," Xantric said. "To hear him talk, the two of you are already an item." She took in Micayla's attire with a swift, assessing glance. "Not going after hunks dressed like that, are you?"
    "Why--what's wrong with my uniform?" she asked, making a quick check for tea stains.
    Xantric rubbed the horn at the end of her rhinoceros-like snout contemplatively.
    "Don't you have anything prettier to wear?"
    "No," Micayla replied, "at least not what you'd call pretty." Micayla rarely wore anything aside from her uniform, and even when she did, it was certainly nothing like the colorful, voluminous dresses and gaudy earrings that Xantric favored.
    "Just a suggestion," Xantric said kindly. "I could loan you something if you like."
    Since Xantric was well over two meters in height with a much broader build,
    Micayla would have been swallowed up in one of her dresses.
    "I've got a dress that would look fabulous on you," Dana said. "I could run and get it real quick."
    Micayla was about to refuse both offers when Windura interrupted them.
    "No time for that," Windura said as she approached. "We really need to get going." The urgency in her voice and the gleam of excitement in her eyes spoke volumes.
    "You found something?"
    "You bet I did," Windura replied. "Something very interesting."
    "Like what?" Dana asked.
    "I'd rather not say until I'm sure," Windura said evasively.
    "Oh, come on, don't keep us in suspense," Dana urged. "Did you at least find out his name?"
    "No," Windura replied. "But--"
    "Never mind that," Xantric interjected. "And never mind changing clothes," she said to Micayla, giving her a push toward the door. "Get going, girl!"
    Micayla had a million questions buzzing through her head as they hurried along
    the concourse, but one of them stood firmly in the forefront.
    "Did you find out what I--?"
    Windura put a finger to her lips and shook her head. "I'll explain in a minute."
    The reason for secrecy wasn't clear, but Micayla somehow managed to hold her
    tongue until they reached the lift, which was also crowded with various station residents.
    When they finally got off the lift, the corridor ahead was chilly and dimly lit and their footsteps echoed eerily off the dull grey walls. "I've never been on Level One before,"
    she said. "It's kinda creepy, isn't it?"
    "Yes, but it's the best way to get to section twenty-nine," Windura assured her.
    "Much safer than the main commerce deck."
    "Can we talk now?"
    Windura nodded. "I didn't want anyone to overhear us."
    "Why not?"
    "Remember what you said about maybe being the kind of species that was hunted
down and shot on sight?"
    "Yes, but