THE COSMIC COMPUTER

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"Why did the pirates bother with them?" he asked Sylvie.

"They used the women and some of the old men to do[Pg 86] housekeeping
chores for them," she said. "Mostly, though, they were hostages; if the
men didn't work, Perales threatened to punish the women and children. I
wasn't doing any housework; I'm too good a mechanic. I was helping on
the ship."

"Well, what'll I do with them when the fighting starts? I can't take
them into battle."

"You'll have to; it'll be the safest place for them. You can't leave
them anywhere and risk having them recaptured."

"That means we'll have to detach some men to cover them, and that'll cut
our striking force down." He whistled at the sound-pickup of his screen
and told his father about it. "What do I do with these people, anyhow?"