"All right, below there?" came a hail from the "Meteor."
"All right, sir," replied Dacres. "We've close on fifty Valderians we found in the cells. We must stand by them."
"Quite right," replied Vaughan Whittinghame. "What have you done with the Commandante and the rest of the garrison?"
"Safe in the underground cellars, sir."
"You might detain the Commandante as a hostage."
"We've a better hostage than the Commandante."
"Who, then?"
"President Zaypuru is a prisoner of war."