Of a sudden he wanted nothing so much as to embrace her.
But there were so many questions to be answered....
He flung them at her bluntly: "Why did they come here, Ylana—your father; Bor Legat? What brought them down to Womar—to this ship?"
He could see her soft lips quiver. For an instant the grey eyes wavered.
But then they raised again and met his gaze. She said: "My father is a traitor, Jarl Corvett—a traitor to himself and all the things he believes in, and to the Federation."
Jarl stared, unspeaking.
The girl's mouth worked. Her fingers gouged his hand.
"Jarl—oh Jarl...." Agony was in her voice. "Before, I told you how he'd loot Ceresta. Now—now he's gone the whole way. He dreams of still more power—of carving out an empire, destroying the Federation with its own fleet. His orders—I learned today they were to arrange a truce and spare Ceresta, give the asteroids their freedom and bring them into the Federation on even terms. But he's beyond that. All he can think of is loot and power, destruction. He's mad—mad, Jarl; stark, raving mad...."
The girl's voice broke. Sobbing, she buried her face against Jarl's shoulder.