"You know my name," Bart said, "but who are you?"
Suspicion came back into the dark eyes. "Does that Mentorian cloak
mean--you've lost your memories, too?"
"No," said Bart, "it's simpler than that. I'm not Rupert Steele.
I'm--" his voice caught--"I'm his son."
The man looked startled and shocked. "I suppose that means Rupert is
dead. Dead! It came a little before he expected it, then. So you're
Bart." He sighed. "My name's Montano. This is Hedrick, and I suppose you
recognize Raynor Two."
Bart blinked. It was the same face, but it was not grim like Raynor
One's, nor expressive and kindly like that of Raynor Three. This one
just looked dangerous.
"But sit down," Montano said with a wave of his hand, "make yourself
comfortable."
Hedrick relieved Bart of his cloak; Raynor Two put a cup of some
steaming drink in his hand, passed him a tray of small hot fried things
that tasted crisp and delicious. Bart relaxed, answering questions. How
old? Only seventeen? And you came all alone on a Lhari ship, working
your way as Astrogator? I must say you've got guts, kid! It was
dangerously like the fantasy he had invented. But Montano interrupted at
last.
"All right, this isn't a party and we haven't all night. I don't suppose
Bart has either. Enough time wasted. Since you walked into this, young
Steele, I take it you know what our plans are, after this?"
Bart shook his head. "No. Raynor Three sent me to call off your plans,
because of my father--"
"That sounds like Three," interrupted Raynor Two. "Entirely too
squeamish!"
Montano said irritably, "We couldn't have done anything without a man on
the Swiftwing, and you know it. We still can't. Bart, I suppose you
know about Lharillis."
"Not by that name."
"Your next stop. The planetoid of the captive sun. That little hunk of
bare rock out there is the first spot the Lhari visited in this
galaxy--even before Mentor. It's an inferno of light from that little
blue-white sun, so of course they love it--it's just like home to them.
When they found that the inner planets of Antares were inhabited, they
built their spaceport here, so they'd have a better chance at trade."
Montano scowled fiercely.
"But they wanted that little worldlet. So we went all over it to be sure
there were no rare minerals there, and finally leased it to them, a
century at a time. They mine the place for some kind of powdered
lubricant that's better than graphite--it's all done by robot machinery,
no one's stationed there. Every time a Lhari ship comes through this
system they stop there, even though there's nothing on Lharillis except
a landing field and some concrete bunkers filled with robot mining
machinery. They'll stop there on the way out of this system--and that's
where you come in. We need you on board, to put the radiation counter
out of commission."