It was midafternoon before Dana's hunger overcame her excitement atbeing on Sandeman, hiking with her chosen lord—her thakur, in theSandeman term she preferred—and trying to track a balik. She hadn'tgotten within two hundred meters of the wolflike predator, and hadfinally realized she wasn't going to, so the two found a small clearingwith bare rocks which made decent seating. Jason dug hot-cans of trailfood out of his hiking pack, Dana did the same with cold-cans offortified milk, and they sat eating and drinking in silence. They wereputting the empty cans back in their packs when Dana began lookingaround, frowning.
"What is it?" Jason asked.
"I thought I heard something … brushing against branches, snowfalling … but no other predators would invade a balik's territory,and it's probably kilometers away by now."
"Other tourists, maybe. Clan Torrance is supposed to have a huntingparty in the area, but they aren't due till tomorrow noon."
Dana made a face. "I was hoping we wouldn't see anyone else till wegot to the pickup point."
"So was I—but not even I can have everything my own way all thetime."
"No," Dana agreed with a chuckle, "you just come close. Maybe if weleave now?"
"I think it's too late." Jason stood as half a dozen men entered theclearing. "Good afternoon, gentles."
"Not for you it isn't," the obvious leader said. "You don't goanywhere without a couple thousand credits petty cash, MisterJason—hand it over."
"In the mountains?" Jason laughed. "Not even I carry cash wherethere's nothing to buy and no bodyguards."
"Like hell," the leader said pleasantly. "Hand it over, Jason, or wetake it out of your hide."
"I told you, I don't have anything to hand over."
"Then we'll take what you don't have." The leader gave a hand signal,and his men surrounded Jason. He grunted and swore at them, his voiceholding a mixture of disgusted anger and pain.
"NO!" Dana shouted, jumping on the back of one man and wrapping herleft arm around his throat, her right hand against the back of hishead, her left reaching for her right elbow for a neck-breaking hold.
She was pulled off before she could complete it, held securely despiteher struggles while the attackers gave her thakur a fast frisking.
"Hell, he was telling the truth," the leader finally said in disgust."No trace of a wallet or anything that'd hold that kind of cash." Hebackhanded Jason, almost casually. "You've been one hell of a lot oftrouble, Jason, for no return. Want to try convincing us we shouldn'tkill you for it?"
"You can't kill him!" Dana exclaimed, horrified. "He's— You justcan't!" She took a deep breath; these men would need more than heremotions to discourage them. "Jason Interstellar's Security peoplewouldn't quit till they found you, and they'd make sure you werepunished."
One of the two holding her fondled her roughly. "Maybe have some funwith the fem before we kill both of 'em, Ca—Boss?"
Dana was too angry to be frightened; she twisted to give him a scornfullook, then glared at the leader, who gave her a frightening smileb