She glanced at the blazing-eyed creature, and it lay down at her feet as it received her telepathic command.
"Stilicho, you brought these three men here?” the girl asked the old Martian. “Who are they?"
"Yes, who are they?” squeaked Jenk Cheerly, the obese, beady-eyed Uranian. “What's all the mystery about them?"
Stilicho Keene's rheumy eyes glistened, and his wrinkled face quivered with excitement as he answered.
"Why, they're just three lads I picked off a wreck coming back, and fetched along to Turkoon,” he quavered. The old man paused to enjoy his coming triumph, then added, “Maybe you've heard of these three boys. They're called the Three Planeteers."
"The Three Planeteers!"
Brun Abo, the squat Jovian, uttered that startled cry. He and everyone else in the room stared at John Thorn and Sual Av and Gunner Welk in rigidly frozen amazement.
The beady eyes of Jenk Cheerly, the fat Uranian, were wide with astonishment. Kinnel King, the Earthman, stiffened. And Lana Cain's dark blue eyes narrowed incredulously as she stared at Thorn's dark face.
"It's them, all right,” muttered the Jovian in a moment. “I've seen their pictures on reward notices."
"Those pictures on the notices were poor likenesses,” said Sual Av, a grin on his froglike face. “They hardly did me justice, as you can see for yourselves."
"What do you Planeteers want here, if you are the Planeteers?” demanded Jenk Cheerly suspiciously.
Gunner Welk stiffened at the fat green pirate's question.
"We're not in the custom of asking anybody's leave for our coming and goings, Uranian!” he flared.
"Not even the Planeteers can talk to me like that!” squeaked Jenk Cheerly furiously, his hand dropping to his side.
"Draw that atom-pistol, and I'll shove it down your fat throat,” warned the towering Mercurian ominously.
"Quiet, Gunner,” snapped John Thorn. “I'll do the talking."
"Let them fight!” urged old Stilicho Keene with quavering eagerness, a ghoulish avidity in his rheumy eyes as he leaned forward. “There's nothing to warm the blood like the sight of two good men in a stand-up fight."
"There'll be no fighting here!” flared Lana Cain. “You all know my rules! If any of you doesn't like them he can get out of Turkoon and out of the Zone!"
The girl's voice cracked like a silver whip, and her dark blue eyes were stormy now with little lightnings. The space dog, Ool, had sprung to his feet, his great green eyes blazing.
Thorn sensed the electric force in this girl which had kept her the acknowledged leader of the wild Companions of Space. The others in the room were stricken to sullen silence by it.
Lana's stormy eyes swung back to Thorn.
"Jenk's question was a fair one, John Thorn,” she declared. “What are you Planeteers doing here? You’ never came into the Zone before — you always worked by yourselves."
Thorn shrugged. “We didn't come here by choice. Perhaps you heard of the trouble we got into at Earth?"
"We heard of your attempt to kidnap the Chairman there,” Lana nodded curtly. “Go on."
"We bungled the job and had to run for it with half the Earth Navy on our tail,” Thorn continued coolly. “We tried to lose them in a swarm and got wrecked. The old Martian there picked us up and brought us here to Turkoon. It's not a place we'd have picked voluntarily.” Lana stiffened, and asked dangerously, “You don't think much then of we Companions and our ways?"
"Not much,” Thorn answered coolly. “I've no doubt your followers are good fighters, but they look like rather an undisciplined rabble."
Thorn was playing his part to the hilt. He knew well that for the famous Planeteers to seem too friendly on first acquaintance, too eager to join the pirates, would quickly arouse suspicion.
"But, boy, I was hoping that you three would join’ up with us!” quavered old Stilicho Keene dismayedly.
"The Planeteers work alone,” Thorn declared frowningly. Then he appeared to hesitate, and added, “It's true that we're stranded here now without a ship—"
Sual Av instantly played up to him. “Yes, John, we need a ship and equipment. Maybe we could work with these people for a while, and take a new cruiser as our share of loot."
"You haven't been asked to join the Companions yet,” flared Lana Cain. “You Planeteers are just three men here. I could order you gunned down and it would be done."
John Thorn looked at her steadily with cool black eyes. “Would you do that?"
"No, I wouldn't,” she admitted after a moment. “Turkoon is a refuge for every outlaw who comes into the Zone, as long as he obeys my rules. And I don't countenance killing here."
Thorn smiled. “After all, we Planeteers are in no position to be choosers. We need a ship. We'll join up with you for a while, if you're agreeable, and take a ship as our share of spoil, and then be on our way. What do you say?"
Lana frowned in thought, her anger gone. “We do need captains,” she murmured.
"And where will you find better ones than the Planeteers?” cried old Stilicho Keene with shrill eagerness. “Take them in, lass — it's heaven sent them here to help us in the big new foray we've planned."
"We can pull that job without their help,” squeaked Jenk Cheerly, his pig-like eyes malignant. “What do we need with the Planeteers?"
Brun Abo, the squat Jovian, nodded sullen agreement. But Kinnel King, the handsome Earthman, turned on the obese Uranian.
"After all, Jenk,” said Kinnel King silkily, “you yourself are still a newcomer in our midst. We don't need advice from you on this."
"No brawling!” Lana ordered imperiously. She continued, “John Thorn, I'm taking you three into the Companions. But understand one thing. When we blast off Turkoon, everyone is under my command, even the Planeteers."
Thorn frowned, though inwardly his heart was pounding with elation.
"We're not used to being under orders of anyone,” he declared.
"Take it or leave it!” Lana flashed. “There can only be one leader when ships go into action."
Thorn finally shrugged. “Well, as I said, we're not in a position to be choosers. We follow your orders in space."
"That's settled, then,” Lana said curtly. Her slender figure swung round to Stilicho Keene. “Now what about your reconnaissance, Stilicho? Did you find out anything at Jupiter about those scheduled freighters?"
The old Martian nodded his white head vigorously. “Sure did. We slipped in to Jupiter without bein’ spotted, and landed secretly in that big marsh near Vosek. Me and one of my boys went into the city in disguise and hung around the docks. We saw rich cargo bein’ loaded in them freighters — thirty of ‘em. We waited till they took off, a bunch of tankers with ‘em. They're blasting along without any naval convoy. I figger them to cross under the Zone tomorrow, on their way to Saturn."
"Didn't I tell you they'd sail without convoy?” squeaked Jenk Cheerly, the obese Uranian's eyes glistening. “Wasn't my tip right? This'll be a rich haul, and without even a fight."
Lana Cain turned to Thorn and his two comrades and explained crisply.
"Jenk just joined us two weeks ago. He came with his ship from Jupiter, where he had a secret base on one of the outer moons. He brought advance notice of these rich Jovian freighters scheduled to transit across the inner orbits of the system to reach Saturn which is now approaching opposition.
"They're without convoy,” the pirate girl continued rapidly, “because the League of Cold Worlds is concentrating all its cruisers at Saturn right now, preparing for the great attack they're going to make on the Alliance. I sent Stilicho to check their sailing and make sure they had rich cargo. We'll surprise them tomorrow when they pass under the Zone."
"Yes, and fine loot there'll be to divide,” squeaked the obese Uranian gloatingly. “We'll gun them to a wreck, and gut them of every scrap of spoil, and leave not a man alive on them to take the tale to Saturn."