Bo shook his head. There was a wild hammering in his breast, but his voice surprised him with steadiness: "No. I've got the upper hand. I can kill you if you move. Yell if he tries anything, Valeria."
Lundgard's eyes challenged her. "Do you want to die?" he asked.
Her head lifted. "No," she said, "but I'm not afraid to. Go ahead if you must, Bo. It's all right."
Bo felt cold. He knew he wouldn't. He was bluffing. In the final showdown he could not crash her. He had seen too many withered space drained mummies in his time. But maybe Lundgard didn't realize that.
"Give up," he said. "You can't gain a damn thing. I'm not going to see a billion people burned alive just to save our necks. Make a bargain for your life."
"No," said Lundgard with a curious gentleness. "I have my own brand of honor. I'm not going to surrender to you. You can't sit there forever."
Impasse. The ship floated through eternal silence while they waited.
"All right," said Bo. "I'll fight you for the power beam."
"How's that?"