Part 8 (1/2)

”Of course,” the two men answered, then seeing his grin, relaxed and returned it. Apparently this E was human.

It took only a minute for them to reach the control room, where Louie sat in his navigator's cubby; and only ten more seconds for the s.h.i.+p to lift clear. And still no command came over the radio to halt them.

Someone in civil authority had slipped. Had Gunderson really felt that a simple injunction would stop everything, that the E's would not challenge this encroachment? Was he playing some deeper game, allowing the Junior to slip through his fingers in the hope he would louse up the Eden rescue, add strength to the campaign to bring the E's back under civil control--his control?

Or had someone genuinely slipped?

The command to halt, turn around, and return to base did not come until their second hop had brought them into the Mars...o...b..t. Then it came from s.p.a.ce police in charge of s.h.i.+pping traffic at that point.

”I am under orders from E.H.Q. to proceed,” Tom answered, after a quick, questioning look at Cal.

”The attorney general's office orders you to halt,” the voice commanded.

Tom looked at Cal again, questioning. This was bucking the federal government, his license wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on if he ignored the order. To say nothing of any other punishment they might choose to hand him.

”Keep going,” Cal answered shortly. ”And make your next jump as quickly as you can.”

”I am under orders to keep going,” Tom answered the police. If he refused the request of an E, a lifetime of work would go down the drain.

Over in his seat, Frank Norton's fingers were speeding through the intricate pattern of setting up the next jump. He and Louie were working as one man.

”I am under orders to disable you if you refuse,” the police warned.

”We have an E on board,” Tom answered. ”You'd be risking a lot.”

”I am advised he is a Junior E,” the voice said in clipped speech. ”Not such a risk.”

”Far as I'm concerned,” Tom answered laconically, ”he's an E. I have to follow his orders.”

He nodded to Frank who touched the jump switch. There was an instant silence. They were at the approach to the asteroid belt.

”They can get us here,” Louie spoke up. ”We have to give over controls so they can take us through. No chart can keep up to the microsecond on these asteroid movements. They have to calculate a path in short hops, and take us through a step at a time. I keep saying there ought to be an expressway out of the solar system, but ...”

”What about a good long jump at right angles?” Cal asked. ”Get over it instead of through it?”

”It's illegal,” Louie complained.

”Our necks are already out,” Tom said quietly.

”Okay, you're the boss. But I'll have to figure it. It takes time to figure it.”

”Well, get going on it.”

”There's stuff all over,” Louie explained. ”Not just a band, like most people think. The asteroids have moved at right angles, too. Not so thick, but there's a globe of stuff, not just a belt. Maybe a bunch of little jumps.”

”We can't start making them until you figure them, Louie,” Frank reminded him.

The radio gave its hum of life, and a voice came through.

”We have orders from s.p.a.ce police not to escort you through, to turn you back.”