The Free Traders
did not like it, there was even a vaguely superstitious feeling that such
a bargain would inevitably draw ill luck to them. But they were left with
no choice if they wanted to retain their influence with the Salariki.
"Cutting orbit pretty fine, aren't we?" Ali asked Rip across the mess
table. "I saw your two star man sweating it out before he came down to
shoot the breeze with us rocket monkeys--"
Rip nodded. "Steen's double checked every computation and some he's done
four times." He ran his hands over his close cropped head with a weary
gesture. As a semi-invalid he had been herded down with his fellows to
swallow the builder Mura had concocted and Tau insisted that they take,
but he had been doing a half a night's work on the plotter under his
chief's exacting eye before he came. "The latest news is that, barring
accident, we can make it with about three weeks' grace, give or take a
day or two--"
"Barring accident--" the words rang in the air. Here on the frontiers of
the star lanes there were so many accidents, so many delays which could
put a ship behind schedule.
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