"Make what?"
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. "Any ship in
emergency," he recited automatically, "may claim supplies from the
nearest E-Stat--paying for them when the voyage 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 difference between Company and Patrol E-Stat in the
law--"
"He's right," Rip agreed. "That law was framed when only the Patrol had
such stations. Companies put them in later to save tax--remember? Legally
we're all right."
"Unless the agents on duty raise a howl," Ali amended. "Oh, don't give me
that look, Rip. I'm not sounding any warn-off on this, but I just want
you to be prepared to find a cruiser riding our fins and giving us the
hot flash as bandits.
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