And at the last moment, with my best effort at the long jump since failing tomake my college track team, I leaped over the flame and landed squarely on theend of the hoses, pinning them in place on the deck.

I heard Nicabar give an encouraging whoop, and suddenly the billowing mistfrom his extinguisher was flowing coldly around my legs, a sharp contrast to thebackwash of heat that already seemed to be trying to cook my feet inside myboots. But for that final two seconds I didn't care about either the fire or Nicabar's efforts to put it out. Dropping my own canister onto the deck, Igrabbed the valve handle on the acetylene tank and twisted for all I wasworth.

And with one final indignant gasping wheeze from the hoses, the fire went out.

CHAPTER 8

"ALL I CAN say is that you were very lucky," Everett said, shaking his head ashe finished sealing the last burn pad around Ixil's leg and picked up themedical scanner again. "Very lucky indeed. I know my hearing's not up topickingup sounds that subtle, especially through two doors. If I'd still been on thebridge instead of McKell, I'd be pulling a blanket over your face about now."

"Yes, I know," Ixil said, his voice and manner the subdued humility of someonewho knows he's done something stupid that has put himself in danger and madetrouble for everyone else. Glancing over at the med-room doorway, whereNicabar, Tera, and Chort were silently watching the procedure, I could see traces ofsympathetic embarrassment in their faces, the normal reaction of polite peoplehaving to witness another person's private shame.

I didn't feel any such embarrassment myself. But then, I knew full well thatthis humility bit was completely out of character for Ixil, that it was allmerely for show in the hopes of allaying any suspicions anyone might haveabout the sort of person he really was.

Vaguely, I wondered if one of the observers standing in the doorway wasputting on a similar performance.

"Next time I suggest checking all the equipment before you start it up,"

Everett went on sternly, running the scanner slowly along Ixil's burned leg as hefrowned at the readings. Not surprisingly, Cameron's people had failed toinclude a Kalixiri module with their med computer, and I could almostguaranteethe readings were like nothing Everett had ever seen before. Fortunately, Ixilhad another, uninjured leg to use for comparison.

"I'll second that," I put in, throwing a glance at the other end of the room.

Still strapped to the examination table, Shawn's face—for that matter, hisentire body—was practically dripping with impatience and a near-total contemptfor Ixil and his injuries, a marked contrast to the solicitude everyone elsewas showing. Still, aside from a single sour question about what the hell wasgoingon as we'd hustled Ixil inside, he'd kept his mouth shut. Maybe hisborandis-withdrawal sarcasm was under better control than he'd implied, ormaybehe was in the calm side of one of the mood swings he'd mentioned. Or maybehe'd seen Ixil's expression and was possessed of a finer-tuned survival instinctthan I'd thought. "The shape this whole ship is in," I added diplomatically, turningback to Ixil, "it's a wonder more of the equipment hasn't fallen apart."

"I know," Ixil said again. "I heartily promise to be more careful next time."

"We can all consider ourselves lucky the lesson wasn't learned morepainfully,"

Everett said, shifting the scanner from Ixil's leg to the impressivelyswellingbruise on his forehead where the torch head had slammed into him when it sheared apart, the impact throwing him back against the lockers and knocking him outcold.

He didn't remember that last part himself, of course, having been unconsciousat the time. But the ferrets hadn't been injured in the accident, and once I'dcoaxed them out from behind the row of lockers where they'd gone to groundIxil had been able to sample their memories and confirm the entire sequence ofevents.

"At any rate, that's all I can do for now," Everett concluded, putting thescanner aside and smoothing the burn pads one last time. "Except for apainkiller or sedative, of course. Either would help you sleep."

"Don't worry, I'll sleep just fine," Ixil assured him. "There really isn't allthat much pain."

Everett looked doubtful, but he nodded and headed for the sonic scrubber. "Asyou wish," he said as he started cleaning his hands. "If you change your mindjust let me know. I'm sure there's something aboard that will work on aKalix."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ixil promised, easing off the stool where Everetthad been working on him and standing up.

Or more accurately, trying to stand up. His leg wobbled beneath him, and hegrabbed at the wall for balance.

As cues went, it was one of the more obvious ones I'd ever been tossed. "Hang on, I'll give you a hand," I said quickly, stepping to his side as I juggledPix and Pax around to free up one of my hands. The furry little beasts were lessthan cooperative—they'd gone back to Ixil's shoulders long enough for him togettheir version of the accident, but he was still in pain and they weren't atall interested in sharing in it. But with a little creative shuffling I got themsettled in on shoulder and forearm and was able to assist a limping Ixil outpast the group at the doorway. "Excitement's over for the night," I told themas we made our slow way down the corridor. "Tera, I'd appreciate it if you'd takeover on the bridge."

"Consider it done," she said.

Ixil had a lot of qualities that I admired, but a sylphlike body frame wasn'tone of them. Fortunately, the wounded-warrior act lasted only as long as ittook us to get down the ladder and out of sight of any of the gallery that mighthave lingered behind after the show. Once on the lower deck, he made it the rest ofthe way to his cabin under his own steam.

"An interesting experiment," he commented as he maneuvered his way onto thecenter bunk. "Not that it's one I would have chosen on my own. Thank you foryour help, by the way. I owe you one."

"We'll add it to your side of the ledger," I said briefly, resisting the urgeto bring up all the times he'd hauled me bodily out of similar predicaments. TheKalixiri way of handling injuries was to go into a deep, comalike sleep whilehealing, and from the looks of Ixil's drooping eyelids he was three-quartersof the way there already. The fact that he hadn't dropped off the second he hitthe bunk implied there was something he wanted or needed to say to me before hewent under, and it certainly wasn't to go over our personal win/loss score sheet.

"I believe we can safely cross Jones off our suspect list," he murmured, hiseyelids closing completely and then opening partway again, like sliding doorswith a bad feedback loop. "I didn't just turn that torch on tonight withoutdoing a complete equipment check, Jordan. I looked it over two days ago, justafter I came aboard at Xathru. The sabotage has to have been done since then."

I stared at him, something large and invisible taking me by the throat andgently squeezing. A cutting torch was a totally innocuous tool to have aboarda starship, and there was no reason whatsoever for anyone to sabotage it thatway.

Unless, of course, someone really, really didn't want us cutting our way intothe sealed cargo hold.

The only catch was that no one else should have known we were even consideringsuch an action. That conversation had taken place less than an hour ago, withonly Ixil and me present, in the privacy of my cabin.

Apparently, someone had taken it upon himself to listen in.

I opened my mouth to ask Ixil how this bit of auditory legerdemain might havebeen accomplished, closed it again with the question unvoiced. Ixil's eyeswere squeezed shut, his breathing slow and even. He'd delivered his message, wasdown for the count, and barring an extremely urgent and probably extremely loud catastrophe he was going to stay that way for however many hours it took toheal his leg and head.