"You sound as if you have authority," Nedra commented.
"I have."
"But you gave me the impression you were a deserter."
"They haven't discovered that yet, at headquarters. So far as they are concerned, I'm on a secret mission. And I haven't deserted the human race." Zen put sting into his words. The implication was that two people present were really deserters.
"Ah, well, colonel, we shall see about that." West had recovered most of his aplomb. Again he seemed to be observing from a great distance the antics of this strange species called human. But his face remained bleak and his eyes had flickers of lightning in them. He started away from the opening.
And stopped as metal clanged ahead of them.
A door opened there. An Asian soldier with his rifle at the ready came through. A second one followed the first. The rifles of both covered West.
Zen jerked his arms toward the roof. Neither the craggy man nor Nedra moved a muscle.
Slowly, West and Nedra raised their hands. At gun point, the two soldiers herded them toward the main gallery. At the sight of them the lieutenant hastily called Cal to him.
"Is this the one?" he demanded, pointing at West.