"...and so we got out of the city as fast as we could," concluded Ard. There was a long pause.

"So you didn't pick up the parcel at the station?" asked Vanderdecker.

"Van, we were chased out of the station by bounty hunters. The money wasn't the main thing on my mind."

"You didn't get the parcel. You started a firefight with stunners in the middle of the city. The cook is still alive and telling everyone she saw the ship. You couldn't have made more of a mess if you'd tried."

"That lunatic Drummond started shooting. I was being chased, remember?"

"Then you wasted a perfectly good timer setting a fire to evacuate the embassy and didn't actually deal with the cook while she was in the open!"

"I'm not going anywhere near that embassy while Tsiban and his mates are there. Seems to me that this whole expedition is turning into a disaster. We've been here months and we're no nearer finding Leslie. Face it, she's gone for good."

"We'll find her. I have to find her. She's the only competent crew member I've got. Go and get Kuczynski and sober her up; she'll have to collect the parcel. And get that stunner off Drummond. I have a lead to follow up."