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trio from the Queen had disappearedā ā€”leaving all possible opposition asleep on the floor. Dane clanked on to join them, carrying in plated fingers their most important weapon to awake public opinionā ā€”an improvised cage in which was housed one of the pests from the cargo holdā ā€”the proof of their plague-free state which they intended Hovan to present, via the telecast, to the whole system.

Dane reached the shaft of the riserā ā€”to find the platform gone. Would either Rip or Ali have presence of mind enough to send it down to him on automatic?

ā€œRipā ā€”return the riser,ā€ he spoke urgently into the throat mike of his helmet com.

ā€œKeep your rockets straight,ā€ Aliā€™s cool voice was in his earphones, ā€œItā€™s on its way down. Did you remember to bring Exhibit A?ā€

Dane did not answer. For he was very much occupied with another problem. On the bronze doors he had been at such pains to seal shut there had come into being a round circle of dull red which was speedily changing into a coruscating incandescence. They had brought a flamer to bear! It would be a very short time now before the Police could come through. That riserā ā€”

Afraid of overbalancing in the bulky suit Dane did not lean forward to stare up into the shaft. But, as his uncertainty reached a fever pitch, the platform descended and he took two steps forward into temporary safety, still clutching the cage. At the first try the thick fingers of his gloved hand slipped from the lever and he hit it again, harder than he intended, so that he found himself being wafted upward with a speed which did not agree with a stomach, even one long accustomed to space flight. And he almost lost his balance when it came to a stop many floors above.

But he had not lost his wits. Before he stepped from the platform he set the dial on a point which would lift the riser to the top of the shaft and hold it there. That might trap the Traders on the broadcasting floor, but it would also insure them time before the forces of the law could reach them.

Dane located the rest of his party in the circular core chamber of the broadcasting section. He recognized a backdrop he had seen thousands of times behind the announcer who introduced the newscasts. In one corner Rip, his suit off, was working over the still-relaxed form of the Medic. While Ali, a grim set to his mouth, was standing with a man who wore the insignia of a Com-tech.

ā€œAll set?ā€ Rip looked up from his futile ministrations.

Dane put down the cage and began the business of unhooking his own protective covering. ā€œThey were burning through the outer doors of the entrance hall when I took off.ā€

ā€œYouā€™re not going to get away with thisā ā€”ā€ that was the Com-tech.

Ali smiled wearily, a stretch of lips in which there was little or no mirth. ā€œListen, my friend. Since I started to ride rockets Iā€™ve been told I wasnā€™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 hereā ā€”we landed at Terraport against ordersā ā€”weā€™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 donā€™t look around for any reinforcements. We sprayed both those rooms. You can run the emergency hookup singlehanded and youā€™re going to. Weā€™re Free Tradersā ā€”ha,ā€ the man had lost some of his assurance as he stared from one drawn young face to another, ā€œI 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 Serviceā ā€”or donā€™t we?ā€

ā€œYouā€™ll go to the Chamber for thisā ā€”!ā€ snarled the tech.

ā€œAll right. But first we broadcast. Then maybe someday a ship thatā€™s run into bad luckā€™ll have a straighter deal than weā€™ve had. You get on your post. And weā€™ll have the playback onā ā€”remember that. If you donā€™t give us a clear channel weā€™ll know it. How about it, Ripā ā€”howā€™s Hovan?ā€

Ripā€™s face was a mask of worry. ā€œHe must have had a full dose. I canā€™t bring him around.ā€

Was this the end of their bold bid? Let each or all of them go before the screen to plead their case, let them show the caged pest. But without the professional testimony of the Medic, the weight of an expert opinion on their side, they were licked. Well, sometimes luck did not ride a manā€™s fins all the way in.

But some stubborn core within Dane refused to let him believe that they had lost. He went over to the Medic huddled in a chair. To all appearances Hovan was deeply asleep, sunk in the semi-coma the sleep ray produced. And the frustrating thing was that the man himself could have supplied the counter to his condition, given them the instructions how to bring him around. How many hours away was a natural awaking? Long before that their hold on the station would be brokenā ā€”they would be in the custody of either Police or Patrol.

ā€œHeā€™s sunkā ā€”ā€ Dane voiced the belief which put an end to their hopes. But Ali did not seem concerned.

Kamil was standing with their captive, an odd expression on his handsome face as if he were striving to recall some dim memory. When he spoke it was to the Com-tech. ā€œYou have an H.D. O.S. here?ā€

The other registered surprise. ā€œI think soā ā€”ā€

Ali made an abrupt gesture. ā€œMake sure,ā€ he ordered, following the man into another room. Dane looked to Rip for enlightenment.

ā€œWhat in the Great Nebula is an H.D. O.S.?ā€

ā€œIā€™m no engineer. It may be some gadget to get us out of hereā ā€”ā€

ā€œSuch as a pair of wings?ā€

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