"Yes?" he said. He looked puzzled when he got no picture, just a voice saying, "Hello, hello."
"Yes?" he said. "Hello. Speak up, man."
"This is your agent aboard the enemy spaceship," said the young man. "Do you read me?"
"Yes," said the general. "We read you. Go ahead."
"I may not have much time. Get a fix on me if you can. And send help."
"What's your position?" the general was reacting well. He was alert and all business.
"I don't know. I've been taken prisoner, but I'm temporarily free. There isn't much time. Hafitz is bound to be back soon. He seems to be the brains of this outfit—this part of the outfit, anyway. Naomi is here, too, but I don't know whether she's with them or against them."
"Where are the plans, son?" asked the general.
"They're safe, for the moment. I can't guarantee for how long."
"I'm getting the fix," the colonel said. He was beyond the range of the young man's vision screen. "I've got him. He's still within range, but accelerating fast. We can intercept if we get up a rocket soon enough."