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To bring the Queen down on the circumscribed field of an E-Stat without a guide beam to ride in since if they contacted the Stat they must reveal their own com was working and they would have to answer questions was the sort of test even a seasoned pilot would tense over. Yet Rip was sitting now in the Captain's place, his broad hands spread out on the edge of the control board waiting.
There was the sharp note of a warning gong, the flash of red light on the control board. They were off automatic, from here on in it was all Kip's work. Dane strapped down at the silent com-unit and was startled a moment later when it spat words at him, translated from space code. "Identify identify I-S E-Stat calling spacer identify "
They explained in detail their visit to the E-Stat, the landing in the Big Burn, the kidnapping of Hovan. Dane's stubborn feeling of being in the right grew in opposition to the questioning. Under the same set of circumstances how would that Commander that Wing Officer that Senior Scout now all seated there have acted?
Dane volunteered to remain inside the E-Stat and assemble the necessary containers at the air lock while the other two, having had more experience, went back to the spacer to strip the hydro and prepare to switch contents. But, when Rip and Ali left, the younger Cargo-apprentice began to find the bubble a haunted place.
"First time I ever heard it that the coms were wired in with the grass," the Eysies's hands were on his hips in close proximity to something which made Dane's eyes narrow. The fellow was wearing a flare-blaster! That might be regulation equipment for an E-Stat agent on a lonely asteroid but he didn't quite believe it. And probably the other was quick on the draw too.
Swiftly Dane outlined their suspicions that the seat of the trouble lay in the hydro and that they should clean out that section, drawing upon emergency materials at the I-S E-Stat. "Sounds all right. But you know what they do to pirates?" inquired the Engineer-apprentice. Space law came into Dane's field, he needed no prompting.
It would be more chancy than landing at the E-Stat or in the Big Burn to gauge it just right and put them down on the Terraport apron where they could not be flamed out without destroying too much, where their very position would give them a bargaining point, was going to be a top star job. If Rip could only pull it off!
"We hit the nearest E-Stat when we discovered that we were contaminated," Rip spoke with an assumption of patience. "That's the law, and you know it. You have to supply us and take a voucher " "How do I know that your voucher is worth the film it's recorded on?" asked the agent reasonably. "All right," Rip shrugged. "If we have to do it the hard way, we'll cargo dump to cover your bill."
"I haven't gone space whirly yet," was his comment. He was feeding a tape into the reader on the Captain's desk. In the cage over his head the blue Hoobat squatted watching him intently for the first time since Dane could remember showing no sign of resentment by weird screams or wild spitting. "Patrol E-Stat A-54 " the reader squeaked. Rip hit a key and the wire clicked to the next entry.
"Combine E-Stat " Another punch and click. "Patrol E-Stat A-55 " punch-click. "Inter-Solar " this time Rip's hand did not hit the key and the squeak continued "Co-ordinates " Rip reached for a steelo and jotted down the list of figures. "Got to compare this with our present course " "But that's an I-S Stat," began Dane and then he laughed as the justice of such a move struck him.
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