E-STAT LANDING
Since Mura was in the of ship the of his was a job. But, though Rip and Dane over it by inches, they nothing unusual—in nothing from Sargol a small of the red which on the steward's where he had been something to in one of his landscapes, to be for all time in a plasta-bubble. Dane this around in his fingers. Because it was the only link with the he couldn't help but that it had some importance.
But Kosti had not any in the wood. And he, himself, and Weeks had it they had Graft's cup and had no effects—so it couldn't be the wood. Dane put the on the work table and the protecting over the tools—never until days later how very close he had been in that moment to the of their problem.
After two hours of shifting every one of the steward's belongings, of on hands and about the and to perfectly walls, they had nothing. Rip sat on the end of the bunk.
"There's the hydro—Frank a of time in there—and the storeroom," he told the places off on his fingers. "The and the cabin."
Those had been the of Mura's world. They search the storeroom, the and the cabin—but to with the would their air supply. It was for that very that they now looked at each other in surmise.
"The perfect place to plant something!" Dane spoke first.
Rip's teeth his underlip. The hydro—something planted there not be out unless they a landing on a port and had the whole stripped.
"Devilish—" Rip's tight. "But how they do it?"
Dane didn't see how it have been done either. No one but the Queen's own had been on the ship their entire on Sargol, for the Salarik. Could that have something? But he and Mura had been with the every minute that he had been in the hydro. To the best of Dane's memory the had touched nothing and had been there only for a moments. That had been the also—
Rip got to his feet. "We can't the in space," he pointed out the quietly.
Dane had the answer. "Then we've got to earth!"
"You that warn-off. If we try it—"
"What about an Emergency station?"
Rip very still, his big hands locked about the of his arms belt. Then, without another word, he out of the and at a up the ladder, for the Captain's and the records Jellico there. It was such a chance—but it was than none at all.
Dane into the small space in his wake to Rip making a selection from the tapes. There were E-Stats among the asteroids—points or small in might for or repairs. The big Companies their own—the Patrol had for independents.
"No Patrol one—"
Rip managed a smile. "I haven't gone space yet," was his comment. He was a tape into the reader on the Captain's desk. In the over his the Hoobat him intently—for the time since Dane no of by or wild spitting.
"Patrol E-Stat A-54—" the reader squeaked. Rip a key and the wire to the next entry. "Combine E-Stat—" Another and click. "Patrol E-Stat A-55—" punch-click. "Inter-Solar—" this time Rip's hand did not the key and the continued—"Co-ordinates—" Rip for a and the list of figures.
"Got to this with our present course—"
"But that's an I-S Stat," Dane and then he laughed as the of such a move him. They did not set the Queen at any Patrol Station. But a Company one which would be by only two or three men and not any but their own people—and I-S them help now!
"There may be trouble," he said, not that he would have any if there was. If the Eysies were for the present of the Queen he would welcome trouble, the which would plant his on some Eysie face.
"We'll see about that when we come to it," Rip on to the with his figures. Carefully he the on the and it be with the Jellico had set his collapse.
"Good enough," he as the result on. "We can make it without using too much fuel—"
"Make what?" That was Ali up from the search of Kosti's quarters. "Nothing," he gave his report of what he had there and then returned to the question. "Make what?"
Swiftly Dane their suspicions—that the seat of the trouble in the and that they should clean out that section, upon materials at the I-S E-Stat.
"Sounds all right. But you know what they do to pirates?" the Engineer-apprentice.
Space law came into Dane's field, he needed no prompting. "Any ship in emergency," he automatically, "may from the nearest E-Stat—paying for them when the is completed."
"That means any Patrol E-Stat. The Companies' are private property."
"But," Dane pointed out triumphantly, "the law doesn't say so—there is nothing about any Company and Patrol E-Stat in the law—"
"He's right," Rip agreed. "That law was when only the Patrol had such stations. Companies put them in later to save tax—remember? Legally we're all right."
"Unless the on a howl," Ali amended. "Oh, don't give me that look, Rip. I'm not any warn-off on this, but I just want you to be prepared to a our and us the as bandits. If you want to the Eysies, I'm all for it. Got a of theirs pinpointed?"
Rip pointed to the on the computer. "There she is. We can set in about five hours' ship time. How long will it take to the and re-install?"
"How can I tell?" Ali irritable. "I can give you for for about two hours. Depends upon how fast we can move. No telling until we make a start."
He started for the and then added over his shoulder: "You'll have to answer a challenge—thought about that?"
"Why?" Rip asked. "It might be repairs us in. They won't be trouble and we will—we'll have the advantage."
But Ali was not to be out of his view of the future. "All right—so we land, in hand, and take the place. And they off one little to the Patrol. Well, a life but an one. And we'll make all the Video for sure when we go out with blasting. Nothing like having a little to the of a voyage."
"We aren't going to, are we—" Dane protested, "land armed, I mean?"
Ali at him and Rip, to Dane's surprise, did not that thought.
"Sleep certainly," the Astrogator-apprentice said after a pause. "We'll have to be prepared for the moment when they out who we are. And you can't re-set a in a minutes, not when we have to keep on for the others. If we were able to turn that off and work in it'd be a job—we we set and then it in at once. But this way it's going to be piece work. And it all on the at the Stat we have trouble or not."
"We had out the now," Ali added to Rip's of the situation. "If we set and out at once it will up our of being spacemen—"
Sleep or not, Dane to himself, the whole plan was one of desperation. It would upon who the E-Stat and how fast the Free Traders move once the Queen touched her to earth.
"Knock out their coms," that was Ali to plan. "Do that and then we don't have to worry about someone calling in the Patrol."
Rip stretched. For the time in hours he to have returned to his self. "Good thing somebody in this Video serials—Ali, you can us on all the latest of space pirates. Nothing is so that you can't make use of it a career."
He over the he his hand on a single key set a from the other controls. "Put some local color into it," was his comment.
Dane understood. Rip had on the at the Queen's nose. When she set on the Stat she would be a banner of trouble. Next to the lights, set only when a ship had no of port at all, that was one every having to flash. But it was not the lights—not yet for the Queen.
Working together they out the space and them at the hatch. Then Weeks and Dane took up the of their while Rip and Ali prepared for landing.
There was no in the sleepers. And in Jellico's Queex appeared to be by the of its master, for of Dane with its normal of rage, the Hoobat on the of its cage, its top about two of the wires, its out into the room with what closed to a intelligence. It did not as Dane passed under its to thin into his patient.
As for Sinbad, the cat had to Dane's and to the he had chosen, with tooth and the one time Dane had to take him to Van Rycke's office and his own there. Afterwards the Cargo-apprentice did not try to him—there was in that on the he had little to use.
His nursing performed for the moment, Dane into the hydro. He was in this of the ship's air supply. But a was something else again. In his years he had in such a program at least twice as a of learning the of the Service. But then they had had unlimited to on and the action had taken place under no more pressure than that by the instructors. Now it was going to be a more job—
He slowly the the banks of green things. Plants from all over the Galaxy, for their to the air renewal—as well as such as fresh fruit and vegetables, were there. The sweet odor of their life was strong. But how any of the four now on tell what was there and what might have been in? And they be sure anything had been introduced?
Dane there, his those lines of greens—such a mixture of from the familiar of Terra's to with by other on other worlds—looking for one which was to be noticeable. Only Mura, who this garden as he his own cabin, have them. They would just and trust to luck—
He was aware of a movement in the banks—a of stem, of leaf. The act of his had set some plant to register his presence. A lacy, fern-like thing was its into balls. He should not stay—disturbing the peace of the hydro. But it little now—within a of hours all this would be out to die and they would have to upon and tanks. Too bad—the much time and labor on Mura's part and Tau had medical plants there he had been for a long time.
As Dane closed the door him, the line of which had marked his passage, he a rustling, a as if a wind had across the green room within. The which was a Trader's (when it was bounds) that the plants guessed—With a for his own sentimentality, Dane the and to check with Rip in control.
The Astrogator-apprentice had his own problems. To the Queen on the of an E-Stat—without a to in—since if they the Stat they must their own was and they would have to answer questions—was the of test a pilot would over. Yet Rip was now in the Captain's place, his hands spread out on the of the waiting. And in the engine room Ali was in Stotz's place to fire and cut at order. Of they were years ahead of him in Service, Dane knew. But he at their quick of and he himself that point of self-confidence—his memory to the mistake he had on Sargol.
There was the note of a gong, the of red light on the board. They were off automatic, from here on in it was all Kip's work. Dane at the com-unit and was a moment later when it at him, from space code.
"Identify—identify—I-S E-Stat calling spacer—identify—"
So was that that Dane's to the answer key he and them back, to his hands in his lap.
"Identify—" the voice of the over their heads.
Rip's hands were on the board, playing the there with the of a some masterpiece. And the Queen was alive, now through her plates, into a landing.
Dane the plate. The E-Stat was of a size, but in their it was a bleak, of through emptiness.
"Identify—" the in pitch.
Rip's were compressed, he quick calculations. And Dane saw that, though Jellico was the master, Rip was fit to in the Captain's prints.
There was a in the cabin—the had stopped. The must now have that the ship with the on her nose was not going to reply. Dane he not watch the plate now, Rip's hands about their his whole range of sight.
He that Shannon was using every of his skill and knowledge to them into the position where they their to the of the E-Stat field. Perhaps it wasn't as a landing as Jellico have made. But they did it. Rip's hands were quiet, again that of on the of his tunic. He no move from his seat.
"Secure—" Ali's voice up to them.
Dane his safety and got up, looking to Shannon for orders. This was Rip's plan they were to through. Then something moved him to give where it was due. He touched that him.
"Fin landing, brother! Four points and down!"
Rip up, a him look his old self. "Ought to have a of that for the Board when I go up for my pass-through."
Dane matched his smile. "Too we didn't have someone out there with a tri-dee machine."
"More likely it'd be at our trial for piracy—" their must have Ali on the ship's inter-com, for his reply came back, to them of why they had that particular landing. "Do we move now?"
"Check first," Rip said into the mike.
Dane looked at the visa-plate. Against a of teeth was the of the E-Stat housing—more than three-quarters of it being in the out the surface of the world which supported it, as Dane knew. But a of light from the to center on the Queen. They had not the Stat napping.
They the of the spacer, on each of the semi-conscious men. Ali had the tanks—they must move fast once they the of and the hydro.
"Hope you have a good ready," he as the other three joined him by the to the which would them to the airless, surface of the asteroid.
"We have a hydro," Dane said.
"One look at the plants we will give you the lie. They won't accept our without investigation."
Dane was aroused. Did Ali think he was a as all that? "If you'd take a look in there now you'd me," he snapped.
"What did you do?" Ali interested.
"Chucked a can of over a good section. It's fast in big patches."
Rip snorted. "Good old lacoil. You drink it, you wash in it, and now you kill off the Hydro with it. Maybe we can give the company an for the official and when we Terra. All right—Weeks," he spoke to the little man, "you in on the com—it's to our units. We'll climb into these pipe and see how many we can out of the Eysies with our sad, sad tale."
They got into the awkward, and into the while Weeks the lock door at their and the opening. Then they were looking out across the ground, still of the of their landing, and by the beam.
"Nobody out with an and kit," Rip's voice in Dane's earphones. "A little aren't they?"
Slack—or was it that the Eysies had the Queen and was preparing the of welcome the of her not withstand? Dane, wanting very much in his to be elsewhere, the in Rip's wake, of them by the from the Stat dome.
