Intrepid

''Longknife, you will accompany me,'' he demanded.

Kris considered the prospects of bloody slaughter on her bridge, then dismissed them. They were pinned to the wharf. Breaking free unaided from pierside would be nearly impossible. Kris would not leave Marines and Navy on the pier so that she could escape.

Still, there was room for drama. Why not make him earn his pay? ''And why should I accompany you?'' Kris said.

''Shall we start with the murder of five thousand loyal citizens of the Greenfeld Alliance and destroying a million-ton liner.''

An ensign began to open her mouth; a far from gentle nudge in the ribs from her captain shut her up. Vicky fumed.

The colonel ignored the ensign. Why did Kris suspect that was a mortal mistake?

''Your attitude intrigues us,'' Kris said regally. ''It pleases us to go with you. May this ship depart in peace?''

''The sooner the better,'' the colonel said, playing into Kris's own hand.

She turned to Drago. ''If I'm not back in three hours, go. Alert Wardhaven and both my grampas. General Trouble should enjoy this place.''

''Your call, Your Highness, but maybe you better take this,'' he said, and handed Kris a large envelope.

''What's this?''

''The conclusion of the board, suitable for framing, and all the supporting documentation.''

''It won't matter where I'm going,'' Kris was pretty sure.

''We're stalling for time, right?''

Kris let State Security escort her from her ship. Along the hatchways, sailors and Marines were conspicuous by their absence.

The boffins turned out in hordes. Some who'd never talked to her said, ''Hi.'' Others were three deep and slowed the colonel's progress to a crawl. The third time Kris spotted a dyed-in-the-wool member of the opposition party, it became clear to her what her brain trust was up to.

There was nothing high-tech here. They knew all the routes of the Wasp. The colonel didn't. No sooner had Kris said a tearful good-bye to one, than he would race for an end around and be waiting ahead of her to shout ''Good luck'' a minute later.

It took the colonel ten minutes to figure the ploy out. Then, in a loud voice, he told Kris, ''If I see another one of these wellwishers for a second time, I'll have my corporal shoot him in the knee. A third time, and I'll shoot him in the head.''

Professor mFumbo took the lead of the troupe, and they progressed to the gangway more quickly. Kris crossed the gang-plank of the Wasp to calls of ''See you soon,'' ''Good luck,'' and ''Mazel tov.''

Free of the crowd, the colonel hustled Kris to the escalator to the station's main deck. Riding up, Kris looked back. Except for the two Marines at the Wasp's gangway, the dock was empty.

That didn't prepare Kris for the main deck of the station. It was also vacant as far as the eye could see. Admittedly, the long vista was broken up by some station structure amidships; still, up and down and around the curve of the main deck, no one stood or moved.

On High Chance, Kris had been surprised to find herself alone. Here, with over a dozen ships in port, the vacancy was spooky. The security colonel seemed to sense that, too, and urged his men on. With heads swiveling to spot any threat from any direction, the men did.

What frightens men whom everyone was supposed to be scared of? Kris wondered, and marched head high and eyes straight ahead.

The amidships structure was their destination. The colonel piled his men into a large freight elevator, spoke one word into his commlink, and it rose. From her loss of weight, Kris estimated that they were about a quarter of the way to the center of the station when the elevator stopped.

The door slammed open, and the colonel found himself facing a brigadier general. ''What took you so long?''

''The Longknife did everything she could to delay us.''

''And you let her,'' the one-star sneered. Behind him, double the number of machine pistols stood at the ready. It would not have surprised Kris if she'd been gunned down right there with the others in the elevator. The bobbing Adam's apples around her attested to the fear of her former escort.

Instead, the general waved Kris out of the elevator, the colonel to stay, and barked something that closed the door. Kris now had a new escort, but at least her old one lived.

For now.

Without a word spoken, the larger team in State Security black formed around Kris, and all of them marched off. Her file must attribute true ferociousness to her if all this was felt needed to get her from point A to point B. She considered taking a flying leap at the guard next to her, or maybe rolling on the floor, foaming at the mouth. A quick glance at the men around her showed the distinct lack of a sense of humor.

She marched along, ''Not a lot of reporters,'' she remarked.

''You think this is Wardhaven,'' the brigadier snapped.

''That's where I was when last I was arrested.''