"Well?" the Governor demanded.
"They were just leading him into the death cell when the message arrived," the guard said. "They've returned him to confinement pending the written pardon."
Kendall Stone sank down limply on a chair.
He glanced at his watch. 0545.
Outside the window, the first rays of dawn were breaking through the murky night. He thought of his family awakening light years away. The sun would be coming up too on Rastol....