"I won't prosecute you if you talk," Kendall promised.
"Okay," Miller grunted. "You won't live to use the information anyway." He sat up and rubbed his jaw. "The Secretary owns a lot of stock in the colony that's making antivirotic drugs on Vescalor IX. He wanted to put Rastol III out of commission so that the drugs would have to be bought from Vescalor IX. So he framed this alien Galth and had him sentenced to the execution chamber. He knew what would happen if the Government executed a Rastolian."
Stone pounded his fist against the seat. "Don't the lives of a thousand innocent people mean anything to him?"
"I never asked him, mister."
Stone started to lash out angrily at Miller, then pulled back the fist. "Then Galth didn't kill the Earthman?"
"Nope. Penowski did. The tall guy who was with me in the Secretary's place."
Kendall reached out one hand and clamped it tightly on the small man's shoulder. Miller winced. "You're going to tell the Governor your story," Stone said. "Every word."
Miller shook his head. "Oh, no. You can slap me around all you want, but I ain't gonna get myself in hot water that way. No, sir, brother. If the—LOOK OUT!"
Stone whirled and saw an aircar approaching, dropping down on his tail. A white-hot beam flashed from it, blistering the paint on Stone's ship.