Humans and aliens thronged the corridors, but the soldiers accompanying Wixa, Jaff, Mahtani and Neex persuaded them to move aside.

"I hope our people haven't made too much of a mess of C and C," Wixa said. "We'll soon have it cleaned up for you." The two Klaff didn't answer. "The humans in maintenance will put in unpaid overtime," Wixa went on.

"Hey, says who?" Jaff protested.

"Okay, the ones who were on the wrong side." Wixa laughed. A laugh that turned nervous when nobody joined in.

"Anyway," she said, sobering, "I'm sure things will be back to normal soon."

"Indeed," Mahtani said. Nothing more and Wixa didn't like his tone. A little gratitude would be nice, she thought. The humans got their station back for them. We deserve some credit for that.

Command and Control was a mess, but people were already working to clear it up. Humans manned the various workstations around the walls, filling in until the Klaff workers returned. The central tower looked the worse for wear, with a couple of missing wall panes. Wixa saw Maiga standing in one of the gaps and raised a hand. Maiga returned the wave and turned back into the office.

"Well, let's get you back where you belong, Mr Mahtani," Wixa said.

The manager's office was badly damaged, but most of the debris had been swept away to one side of the room. Maiga rose from the desk as they stepped off the lift platform. Wixa wanted to grab her and hug her tight. Wixa knew now that she'd been right all along. Maiga was the right choice.

"Sir." Maiga bowed her head briefly to Mahtani. "I relinquish the station back to your control. There is an urgent message waiting for you from the ships that are heading this way. I've already told them that Bara is no longer in control of the station."

Barely twelve hours away now, Wixa knew. But now the Klaff controlled the station again they wouldn't be likely to attack. She suspected there'd be a condition to make them leave though. Mahtani sat at his desk and looked at the computer panels, while Maiga joined Wixa and Jaff. They both clapped her on the shoulder and grinned.

"I'm sure you can guess what they are demanding." Mahtani said. "They accept Bara no longer controls the station, so will not attack. But they want her handed over to them. If we don't comply they will board and take her by force." He looked up at Maiga. "I am told she was injured during the fight to seize this office."

"Yes," Maiga said.

"She is with your doctor now?"

"Yes."

"And you will hand her into our custody?"

"No."

Mahtani blinked and Neex flushed dark blue. Wixa and Jaff both stared at Maiga.

"No?" Mahtani said. "Then you mean you will hand her over yourselves when the ships arrive?"

"No. I'm not handing her over to anyone."

"Captain..." Neex began, but Wixa and Jaff, acting as one grabbed Maiga's arms.

"Excuse us a second," Wixa said. The two of them turned the unresisting Maiga around and hustled her across the room.

"What the hell do you mean, you're not handing her over?" Wixa demanded. "That's what this is all about!"

"For you perhaps. Would you let go of me please?"

"Not until I shake some sense into you!"

"Yeah, stop screwing around," Jaff said. "Those ships are close and they'll kick the stuffing out of this place. If they board, then Neex's security force will be massacred! Or they'll stand aside and let our people be massacred."

"Thanks for your input," Maiga said. "Now, excuse me." She pulled away from them and walked back to Mahtani's desk.

"She's ours. We need to try her for mutiny and murder."

"You have no courts," Neex said, his skin still dark. He'd been speaking into his communicator, no doubt ordering his security people to find Bara.

"As long as we have five officers we have a court martial. I refuse your request."

Wixa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maiga had won and now she was screwing it all up on some point of principle.

"I'll find the bitch. I'll hand her over!" Wixa ran for the lift platform.

She reached Sheni's clinic in record time. No sign any of any of Neex's people in the clinic. Either they had already been, or she'd beaten them here. Well, she did know a few shortcuts. Lon stared at her astounded as she walked out of a treatment room cupboard; one that he hadn't known had a false back. He froze, standing over a man with some nasty burns.

"Er, how did you get in there?"

"Never mind that. Is Bara here? Where's Sheni?"

"I don't know." Lon frowned. "And we could use the doctor. Do you know how busy we are?" He nodded through the open door and the waiting room that had become a triage area. Wixa saw Major Jax and her girls out there distributing blankets and water to the waiting patients.

No Bara and no Sheni. Maiga must have Bara and the doc hidden away someplace. That implied Bara must be badly hurt, if Maiga had persuaded Sheni to stay with her when there were so many other patients to take care of. Well, that could be good news. Maybe Bara would die. The aliens should be happy with her dead body.

"Doc," she said to Lon. "If you see Bara or Sheni, message me. It's a matter of life and death."

Wixa strode out of the treatment room, through the triage area and into the corridor. Only once out there did she take out her Snapper and call Gry.

"I need your help. Maiga's stashed the bitch someplace. You must be able to find them. Even if you can't see them now, you must have seen them moving around."

"I can't help." Gry's voice sounded strange, shaking, catching, almost a sob in it. "It's all over."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." And now he really was sobbing. Wixa stared at her Snapper, horrified.

"Gry, talk to me!"

But the call cut off and though she tried to reconnect at once, there was no answer. Her knees shook and her chest felt tight. She should go down there now, he needed her help. But if she didn't find Bara then the whole station was in trouble. She had no choice. Gry would have to wait until she found Bara. No choice.

But where to start looking? It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't seen Chervaz for some time. Not since he went with Maiga to attack Command and Control. He could be guarding Bara and the doctor. Maiga would trust him. Right, first place to check, Chervaz's office.

Got to find the bitch, before it's too late.

~o~

An hour later Wixa ran back into Command and Control office, trembling now, and sick with rage and fear. Jaff was standing by a rail, arms folded, and shoulders tense. Maiga sat in a chair, looking as if she was waiting for something.

"Where is she?" Wixa yelled at Maiga, making Jaff turn around. "Stop this right now. Hand her over. People are going to die!"

"Wixa, you may have succeeded in manipulating me for a while. But I don't take orders from you."

"Manipulating?" Jaff said, curious. But before any of them could say anything else, Neex strode over to the three humans.

"The manager wants to see you in his office. Now."

They rode up on the elevator, Wixa still fuming. It was lucky for Maiga that Neex had asked for their weapons before taking them into the office, because right now Wixa didn't feel responsible for her own actions.

"Ladies, Mr Jaff," Mahtani said. "I have heard from my superiors. We will not allow you humans to fight your battles on this station. And we will not shelter you from the Alliance at the cost of having this station attacked. You have one final chance. Hand over the pirate Bara to our custody, now. If you do not, then all humans on this station will be evicted. And will be barred from visiting or residing here until further notice."

Wixa gasped. Worse than she had feared. Monumentally worse, her nightmare. This was supposed to end with the status quo restored. Everything back to the way it had been before Bara started making trouble. And now...

"You can't!" Her voice had pleading in it, and she didn't try to disguise that. "Some of us have lived here for years. We defended the station against her. You can't evict us."

"Captain?" Mahtani ignored Wixa's pleas and looked at Maiga. "It's your decision."

"I'll need help organising the evacuation," Maiga said.

Mahtani flushed. "You humans are the most extraordinarily stubborn species it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. Very well, I will provide help. But you have six hours. I am putting you three in charge of the evacuation."

"Me?" Jaff cried. "I'm just a maintenance man."

"No, Mr Jaff," Mahtani said. "You are a soldier. Remember that now and organise an orderly retreat."

"I won't help!" Wixa yelled. "I don't even want to go!"

"Well, it seems to be too late for that now," Mahtani said. "I suggest you get to work. The sooner you leave the further ahead of the Alliance fleet you can stay."

Maiga led Wixa and Jaff away and out of Command and Control. Neex followed, talking on his communicator. Through the air, on a station wide comms channel, Mahtani's voice came, making the announcement. Telling the humans they were no longer welcome on Olojimi.

"Right," Jaff said. "I'm going to go to the docks and start organising ships, see what space we have. Can we use the Trebuchet?"

"Oh by all means." Maiga said. "Don't let it leave until last."

"Okay." Jaff turned to leave, and then looked back at Maiga. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure. Please, Jaff, we must be quick." He nodded, accepting her words and ran.

Wixa didn't accept the words. When Maiga strode off, Wixa hurried after her.

"I believed in you, Maiga. I chose you! But I was wrong. You've failed."

"I'm sorry you think that." She stopped and looked at Wixa. "But don't stop believing, Wixa. You've been here so long you've forgotten that this is deck plating under your feet, not solid ground. That you have no sky here. No sun, no rain. This is not a place to live. It's a place to take shore leave. It's a place to visit, and then move on."

"And who the hell are you to decide that for everyone?"

"I'm what you chose me to be. I'm the leader."

"You're even worse than Bara!" Wixa spat the words, as Maiga turned to walk on. Maiga turned back and smiled.

"No. I'm better. By the way, when the aliens arrive they'll scan the station for any human life signs. So we all have to be gone. All of us."

Wixa scowled, understanding. She ran to catch up to Maiga.

"If Gry leaves the station, he'll die."

"He'll certainly die if he stays." Maiga stepped into a lift. "Fetch him now."

The lift doors closed and Wixa hammered her fist into them. Then she turned and ran to catch a train.

~o~

In the room where Maiga and Jaff had printed the special edition of the Chronicle, Chervaz crouched behind the big printer, watching the door. His communicator chirped.

"How is she?" Maiga asked when he answered.

Chervaz glanced at the floor beside him. Bara lay there, unmoving, on a couple of blankets, another blanket covering her. Sheni knelt beside her and moved a medical instrument back and forth around her head. Her medical kit and several discarded syringes lay scattered around.

"Sheni thinks she'll live, but some kind of brain damage is likely. Impossible to say until she regains consciousness."

"Okay. Stand by for my signal."

"Wilco. Maiga, I heard the announcement."

"It's what I expected."

He'd decided to have faith in her, but even so, this was nerve-wracking.

"This is getting pretty tricky. Are you sure it's going to work out?"

"It's newsworthy for you either way."

He gave a short laugh. "Damn, my hands are shaking too much to take notes."