"Who ordered this?" he demanded thickly. His mouth felt dry. His stomach was tying itself into knots.
Williams' swarthy face turned his way. "Campora said it was the captain's orders." The man spat deliberately. "A damned good idea, too, unloading them!"
IV
Abruptly Ray turned and ran for the upper deck. He burst into the control room.
Lodar turned from the chart file. The captain's face was white. His eyes burned starkly.
"So—you know they're dead." His voice was expressionless. "Are they any worse off dead than in a zoo?"
"You ordered those Mutes killed!"
Lodar made a hopeless gesture. "If we're intercepted, and have to fight, we'll all be killed, including the Mutes. So we get rid of them. We're clean, we go to Earth!"
"Cold-blooded murder!" Ray gritted. "A cowardly—"