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I've got something else lined up, anyway." Shinny's eyes sharpened. "You must have a pretty big strike, Billy boy, if you're so hot to buy a spaceship!" "Only want to take a little ride upstairs, Mr. Shinny," said Loring. "Don't hand me that space gas!" snapped Shinny.
I don't see anything that will give us any protection down there. Be sure your humidity control is turned up all the way. As soon as you step outside the jet boat, you're going to be hit by a temperature of four hundred degrees!" "Aye, aye, sir," came Shinny's reply over the intercom. Roger flipped the communicator on and acknowledged the order.
They sank back into their chairs. "It's simple," said Mason fearfully. "Loring wants to steal a spaceship." "A pirate job!" said Shinny. He drew in his breath sharply. "You must be outta your mind!" "You've called yourself in on this," Loring reminded him. "And you're staying in." "Oh, no!" Shinny's voice dropped to a husky, frightened whisper. "Deal's off.
Roger glided the jet boat to a smooth stop on the night side of the planetoid. "How much longer before the reactor units go up?" asked Shinny. Connel turned, thinking he had heard something on the communicators, then answered Shinny's question. "Only four hours," he said. The crew of spacemen climbed out of the jet boat into the still blackness of the night side of the planet.
"Couldn't be silver any more, since they're making the artificial stuff cheaper'n it costs to mine it." The little man's jaw dropped and he stared at Loring. "You mean ?" "That's right," said Loring, "copper!" Shinny's mind raced.
Loring motioned to them to sit down at a table. He ordered a bottle of rocket juice and filled three glasses. "This ain't uranium, Mr. Shinny!" he said. Shinny's eyes opened wider still. "What then?" "What's the most precious metal in the system today?" Loring asked. "Why gold, I guess." "Next to gold?" Shinny thought for a moment.
"A twentieth of the take," said Shinny. "And that's dirt cheap." "It's robbery," said Loring, "but O.K. We've got no choice!" "Loring, wait a minute!" objected Mason. "One twentieth! Why, that could add up to a million credits!" Shinny's eyes opened wide. "Twenty million! Hey, there hasn't been a uranium strike that big since the old seventeenth moon of Jupiter back in 2294!"
Search parties were out constantly, all over the solar system, trying to find more of the precious stuff. So a deposit of the kind Loring and Mason were talking about was a prize indeed. Shinny's greedy fingers twitched with anticipation. "So that's why you want to buy a spaceship, eh?" "Wanted," replied Loring. "I don't want to buy one now.
"Ah, it was nothing, skipper," said Roger blandly. "I just took over the ship with a little help, of course!" "A little help?" asked Connel. "From whom?" Roger then gave the officer a complete review of what had happened to him since leaving the space station, finishing with Shinny's aid in his escape. "Why would he want to help you?" asked Connel. "I don't know, sir," replied Roger.
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