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when the administrator spoke.
    "And Corvan ..."
    The reop grabbed a handhold and turned around. "Yes?"
    "Do provide the crew with some accurate information on the murder. The rumors could get out of hand. The colonists will go beddy-bye pretty soon and the murderer could make them nervous."
    Corvan imagined what it would be like to enter one of the vertical suspension chambers, feel the needles slip under the surface of his skin, wondering if he'd be killed in his sleep. Not a pleasant thought, and not very good for morale. "Yes, sir. I'll get on it right away."
    "Good." Fornos lifted his hand in acknowledgment and turned back to his monitors.
    Corvan pushed himself through the door, waved at Julu, and headed out into the main corridor. It was just as busy as before. He waited for a cylindrical messenger bot to pass by, pulled himself out into the flow, and headed down-ship.
    It took some time to reach the com center since it was located on the other side of the vessel. He spent most of the trip wondering what sort of reception he'd get. Part of him wanted to delay the encounter and part wanted to get it over with.
    Corvan arrived at the proper corridor, turned into it, and pulled himself down toward the complex that Kim and he shared with the ship's communications techs. One of them, a tall skinny kid called "Zipper," bumped into him and grinned. His jump suit was a size too large and ballooned around him.
    "Just out of the slammer, huh? Welcome back. Jopp's a piece of work ain't she?"
    Corvan forced a smile. "Ain't she just."
    "Ah well," Zipper said philosophically, "that's life for you. If it ain't one thing it's another."
    Corvan nodded at this piece of wisdom, allowed the tech to pass, and pulled himself into the com center. Some other techs waved to him, he waved back and headed for the small television complex.
    The hatch hissed open at his touch. It was dark inside, with only the glow of green, amber and red buttons to light the space, and it was cool, like the inside of a cave. He heard the door close behind him and felt long slim arms wrap themselves around his chest.
    Corvan turned, floating in semi-darkness to feel lips touch his, and legs wrap themselves around his waist. A hand touched the side of his head, slid the jack into place, and established a two-way connection that no one else could share.
    Kim flooded in and around him, her joy and sorrow melding with his, sharing, giving and taking as their bodies became one. And there, deep inside the interface, apologies were made, vows were renewed, and fears were put to rest.
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    Chapter Four
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    The sign on the hatch read, "J.D. Paxton, Mission Security Officer." It slid aside at Corvan's touch. The reop pulled himself into the office and looked around. Two walls, and most of what he considered to be the ceiling, were taken up with surveillance monitors. They had labels like C-3, A-14, and G-10. He figured that the letters corresponded to decks and the numbers represented locations on a grid. He saw shots of people walking, shots of people talking, and shots of people doing things they wouldn't normally do on camera. He also saw shots that moved, as tiny camera-toting microbots crawled from one place to another, documenting whatever they saw.
    A shocking invasion of privacy, but made less so by a society in which people lived elbow to elbow, and chip heads roamed the streets recording everything and everyone they saw. Images that were supposedly sacrosanct but weren't.
    Corvan remembered making love to Kim in the com center and searched for a shot of her. He didn't find any, but another thought crossed his mind. What about the medical center? Surely there was at least one camera located there? Had it captured a shot of Havlik's killer?
    "I'll be right out."
    The voice came from b connecting cubicle, a sleeping chamber probably, similar to the one that Kim and he shared just off the com center. Not much, but better than what the