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Captain Prtglm back to the
KTTS
at 1130. She logged that and saw them depart.”
    â€œâ€™Porting doesn’t take Rojer more than thirty seconds. Where’d he go then? Did the ensign see?”
    â€œSir, log says that Rojer accompanied the captain. At its request evidently. He had his ’Dinis with him.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œCom officer of the
KTTS
says that neither the Human Rojer nor his ’Dinis are on board.”
    â€œIs there a record of when Rojer ’ported back here?”
    â€œAccording to their records, the captain’s pod is still in place and the Human Rojer has not approached anyone on the
KTTS.
The big pod did not return here.”
    â€œAw, now wait a bleeding minute…” Metrios began intotal disgust. “If the pod is over there, on the
KTTS
, Rojer has to be there. Talents don’t generally ’port themselves about in a space vacuum. Dangerous. And what’s he been doing there for over eight hours anyway?”
    â€œI should very much like to know,” the captain said in a tight controlled voice.
    â€œThis isn’t like Rojer,” Anis Langio said.
    â€œDammit, Anis, I know that,” Osullivan said, shifting about in his command chair, his face grim. “Metrios, any power use consistent with a long-distance ’port?”
    â€œNo, sir,” the engineering officer said with only the briefest of glances at his station printout. “And there’s no way Rojer could ’port all the way back to Aurigae, or even Clarf, which is spatially nearer.”
    Osullivan stared grimly at the digital time display as the seconds and hundreds turned over rapidly. His fingers rattled an agitated tattoo on his hand rest.
    â€œSound a yellow alert. Ship’s crew to locate Mr. Lyon. This ship is to be searched stem to stern. Alert Captain Quacho. Doplas, I want to speak to Captain Prtglm.”
    â€œIt hasn’t been available, sir,” Doplas said in a semiapologetic tone.
    â€œIt’ll be available to me, Doplas!” Osullivan’s icy tone made Doplas’s fingers skip over the touchplates.
    â€œPrtglm is not available for speech,” the ’Dini com officer said. “ PRTGLM IS NOT AVAILABLE ,” it repeated in its own language to be sure the information was understood.
    â€œWe search for Rojer Lyon,” Doplas said.
    â€œ RJR LN REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THIS SHIP ,” Osullivan added to be sure the ’Dini officer also understood.
    This time the ’Dini officer shook its upper body and then directed its poll eye fully at the screen. “ NO HUMAN ON THE
KTTS .” The screen went blank.
    â€œWhat’s all this about young Lyon disappearing?” demandedCaptain Quacho, his image illuminating the main screen. “We’ve supplies to come in and I’ve two crew needing to go back on the carrier. I’ve been waiting for Rojer’s signal to bring them over.”
    â€œA full ship search is under way, Quacho. I understand Lyon’s disappearance no better than you do. And he’s not on the ’Dini ship!” Osullivan grimaced and he rubbed his jaw. If the boy had gone to the ’Dini ship, why hadn’t he come back aboard the
Genesee
?
    â€œSir?” an excited voice immediately captured his attention. “Sir, one of the escape pods is gone.”
    â€œWhich?” Osullivan snapped the query out in such a hard voice that even Doplas recoiled.
    â€œOne-oh-eight, starboard, sir. And the controls were altered to make it appear to still be in place.”
    No one on the bridge needed to remark that the one-oh-eight pod was the one assigned to Rojer Lyon.
    â€œHas there been
any
activity
towards
the planet?” Osullivan demanded. When he received a negative reply, “Or toward that damned empty hull?”
    â€œNo, sir. And I’m scanning for a recent ion trail.”
    â€œThe boy wouldn’t have had to use the escape pod engine,