his

reassure himself that her people still on the planet were up to the task of grabbing Flairty and the Mesans and getting them up to The Wages of Sin in time for the rest of the operation to go as planned. Imbesi already had a private shuttle waiting for them at the shuttle grounds, but . . .
He pushed the worry aside. Thandi's people would either manage it or they wouldn't. At this point, there was nothing either he or Lieutenant Palane herself could do about it. So he turned back to the business at hand.
"I'll have to take the Scrag watching Ginny," he murmured. "You get the guard's gun."
Donald made no reply beyond: "Okay."
Out of the corner of his eye, Victor studied the Scrag again. The man was perhaps five meters away, now. A bit too distant for the short-range accuracy of the tranquilizer gun.
Speaking of which . . . turning slightly away, he palmed it into his hand.
* * *
"Are you utterly insane?" Unser Diem shrieked. The Jessyk Combine's troubleshooter had shot out of his