the three men looked at each other. none of them did anything.

"you see, boy?" said kevin, grinning. "that's our captain and we'll fight for her. she won the beauty pageant five years ago in cerestown, and she can fight like a man. she's a woman for the stars, and we're proud to—"

"shut up," said teejay. "that won't get us anywhere."

by now, barling had stirred, had come up, dazed, into a sitting position. he rubbed his jaw, winced. "assuming we return to our ship, we still won't leave ganymede. not without our anthrovac."

"nor will we."

"but you had to hit me! you had to flaunt your—"

"no one told you to draw your gun."

"—flaunt your amazonian prowess."

"stop sniveling, schuyler. i think we'll have to reach some sort of a compromise, but i'll dictate terms, not you."

"yes?" barling growled up at her. "who says we'll obey?"

"oh, get up off the floor! you look so silly, sitting there and rubbing your chin."

barling stood up, retrieving his gun but holstering it. kevin watched him, toying with his own weapon—not pointing it at anyone in particular, but tossing it back and forth idly from hand to hand.

"give us twenty four hours," said teejay. "we'll look for our anthrovac. in that time, none of your men is to leave the frank buck. after that, you get twenty four hours, and we're confined to the gordak. then us, then you. and so on, till one of us gets his anthrovac. then he pulls out and the other is left here. is it a deal?"

barling considered, said: "well, yes—with one change. we get the first twenty four hours."

"no."

"then you can forget your deal, captain moore."

"well, then let's toss for it." teejay reached into a pocket of her cape, flipped a coin to steve. "here, stedman. you toss it."

"who gets to call?" barling demanded.

"do you want to?"

"well—"

"good. then i will. ladies first, you know. go ahead, stedman."

steve tossed the coin, and teejay cried: "heads!"

palming the coin, steve flipped it over on the back of his left hand, peered at it. staring up at him was the metallic likeness of angus macnamara, first man to reach the planet mars. "heads," said steve, and one of barling's officers came over to verify it.

barling shook his head stubbornly. "how do i know it isn't a phony, a two-headed coin?"

teejay glared at him. "that's insulting, schuyler."

"well, i'd like to look at it. how do i know—"

"you don't. but i said it's insulting. so, if you want to see the coin, you'll have to fight me!"

"never mind," said barling, climbing into his vac-suit. "you get first try." and all of them garbed in their vac-suits once more, the men of the frank buck departed.

"get those beaters out again!" teejay was calling into her microphone, and kevin grasped steve's arm, said:

"go ahead, boy. look at the coin."

steve did. it had two heads.

and later, teejay said to him: "listen, stedman. all the beaters are out now, but frankly, i don't trust schuyler."

steve said he did not blame her, and kevin was there to nod his red head.

"so, stedman, the beaters have their jobs to do. that's almost everyone. but temporarily at least, it leaves you and mac here with nothing to do."

"that's true," said kevin.

"but not for long, mac. schuyler may try something, i don't know what. you two are probably the strongest men on this ship. i know what you can do, mac—and i saw a sample of stedman at work when he had that little run-in with leclarc. all right: you two hop into a couple of vac-suits. that is, if stedman's ready to fight for us if he has to—"

steve chuckled. "i don't go around carrying two-headed coins, teejay, but i know a rat when i see one. i'll go, and your friend schuyler better not try anything." almost, he was surprised at his own words. teejay had a way of commanding respect, and if he didn't watch himself, he'd be talking like kevin soon. well, perhaps the woman merited it.... his thoughts took him that far, and then he remembered charlie. "i'll go," he said again, almost growling.

"but you still have a chip on your shoulder—well, never mind. i'll expect quarter-hourly reports from you two."

"you'll get them," said kevin, and climbed into his vac-suit.