That’s right, the circus. They must have had a terrible agent, that’s all I can say. I took them both ways, to Titan and back to L-5. Even with all that, Yifter was still a novelty item. After he had been caught and the rest of the Lucies had gone underground, nobody had known quite what to do with him. He was Earth’s hottest property, the natural target for a billion guns and knives. Until they decided how and when he would come to trial, they wanted him a long way from Earth. It was my job to deliver him to the Titan penal colony, and return him when they got themselves sorted out on Earth.

“I’ll arrange for you and your guards to travel in a separate part of the Assembly,” I said. “I assume that you will prefer privacy.”

Yifter nodded agreeably, but Bryson wasn’t having any.

“Captain Roker,” he said. “Let me remind you that Mr. Yifter has not been found guilty on any charge. On this journey, and until his trial, he will be treated with proper courtesy. I expect you to house both of us here in the Control Stage, and I expect that you will invite us to take our meals here with you.”

In principle, I could have told him to go and take a walk outside. As captain, I said who would travel in the Control Stage, and who would eat with me — and innocent people were not usually sent to the Titan penal colony, even before their trial. On the other hand, Bryson was from the Planetary Coordinators’ office, and even off-Earth that carried weight. I suppressed my first reaction and said quietly, “What about the guards?”

“They can travel in the Second Section, right behind the Control Stage,” replied Bryson.

I shrugged. If he wanted to make nonsense of Earth’s security efforts, that was his choice. Nothing had ever happened on any of my two-month runs from Earth to Titan, and Bryson was probably quite right; nothing would happen this time. On the other hand, it seemed like a damned silly charade, to ship twenty-five guards to keep an eye on Yifter, then house them in a separate part of the Assembly.