"Listen, my friend. Since I started to ride rockets I've been told
I wasn't going to get away with this or that. Why not be more original?
Use what is between those outsize ears of yours. We fought our way in
here--we landed at Terraport against orders--we're Patrol Posted. Do you
think that one man, one lone man, is going to keep us now from doing what
we came to do? And don't look around for any reinforcements. We sprayed
both those rooms. You can run the emergency hook-up singlehanded and
you're going to. We're Free Traders--Ha," the man had lost some of his
assurance as he stared from one drawn young face to another, "I see you
begin to realize what that means. Out on the Rim we play rough, and we
play for keeps. I know half a hundred ways to set you screaming in three
minutes and at least ten of them will not even leave a mark on your skin!
Now do we get Service--or don't we?"
"You'll go to the Chamber for this--!" snarled the tech.
"All right. But first we broadcast. Then maybe someday a ship that's run
into bad luck'll have a straighter deal than we've had. You get on your
post.
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