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In the last hour and a half we've covered roughly the distance the Queen could have gone on her own in, say, thirty days." "Then where ..." "Home," Gefty said simply. "It's ridiculous! Other side of the Hub from where we started." He nodded at the plate. "Eastern Hub Quadrant. Section Six Eight. The G2 behind the green dot that's the Evalee system.
We're from Slyth-Talgon on Evalee, here for a few days shooting." Trigger nodded. "Do we do any shooting?" Mihul pointed a finger at a side table. The Denton lay there, looking like a toy beside a standard slender-barrelled sporting pistol. "Bet your life, Comteen!" she said. "I've always been too stingy to try out a first-class preserve on my own money. And this one is first class." She paused.
If she'd just wanted to hole up, that was where she would have had the best chance to do it successfully. Evalee, the first Hub stop, was only nine hours' flight away; Garth lay less than five hours beyond Evalee. After that there was only the long subspace run to Manon.... They'd have to work very fast to keep her from leaving the Hub this time!
The same thing in the Maccadon Precol office. Same thing at the Evalee Home office. Same thing at the U-League any office. Then I try to contact Mantelish. I'm informed he's with Tate! The two of them have left word I'm to carry on." She spread her hands. "Carry on with what?
"What were they?" "They had an Evalee record which told us more than the brains did. They were high-priced boys. Their brains told us they'd allowed themselves to be mind-blocked on this particular job. High-priced boys won't do that unless they can set their standard price very much higher. It didn't look at all any more as if they'd come to your door by accident." "No," she admitted.
"Something you pick up in some sections of the Evalee tropics, isn't it?" Mihul nodded. "That's what you did, child! Skipped your shots on the last trip we took and six months later you're still paying for it. You were in one of those typical Dykart fever comas when we brought you in last night." "Very clever!" Trigger commented acidly. "Very." Mihul pursed her lips.
"Interesting thought, isn't it?" Kerim was silent for long seconds. "Then they ... or we ..." "Oh, they're us, all right," Gefty said. "They'd have to be, wouldn't they?" "I suppose so. It seems a little confusing. But I was thinking. If you send them a transmitter call ..." Gefty shook his head. "The Queen's transmitter isn't too hot, but it might push a call as far as Evalee.
At the bottom of the form was stamped "Application Denied," followed by the signature of the Secretary of the Department of Precolonization, Home Office, Evalee. Trigger's gaze shifted incredulously from the signature to the two words, and back. They'd taken the trouble to get that signature transmitted from Evalee just to make it clear that there were no heads left to be gone over in the matter.
Yes, the Dawn City was leaving Ceyce Port for the Manon System tomorrow evening. Yes, it was subspace express one of the newest and fastest, in fact. His eyes slipped over the dress again. Also one of the most luxurious, he might add. There would be only two three-hour stops in the Hub beyond Maccadon one each off Evalee and Garth.
"Here's a little extra spending money then," he said. "The balance of your Precol pay to date. I had it picked up on Evalee this morning. Seven hundred twenty-eight FC." "Thanks," Trigger said. "I can use some of that." They stood looking at each other. "Any questions?" he asked. "Sure," Trigger said. "But you wouldn't answer them." "Try me, doll," said Quillan.
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