"The word has gone out--our raid on the E-Stat is now a matter of history
and Patrol record--we've been Posted!"
Dane felt a cold finger drawn along his backbone. Now they were fair game
for the whole system. Any Patrol ship that wanted could shoot them down
with no questions asked. Of course that had always been a possibility
from the first after their raid on the E-Stat. But to realize that it was
now true was a different matter altogether. This was one occasion when
realization was worse than anticipation. He tried to keep his voice level
as he answered:
"Let us hope we can pull off Rip's plan--"
"We'd better. What about the Big Burn anyway, Thorson? Is it as tough as
the stories say?"
"We don't know what it's like. It's never been explored--or at least
those who tried to explore its interior never reported in afterwards. As
far as I know it's left strictly alone."
"Is it still all 'hot'?"
"Parts of it must be. But all--we don't know."
With the bottle of soup in his hand Dane climbed to Jellico's cabin. And
he was so occupied with the problem at hand that at first he did not see
what was happening in the small room.
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