“Café Cosmos.”
Roger picked up his glass of sweet water, raising it in a toast to the little man in front of him. “Until tomorrow, Mr. Shinny, when you come here with the papers, or I come looking for you with bare knuckles!”
“You don’t scare me!” snapped Shinny. “I’ll be here!”
Roger tilted his chair back and smiled his casual smile. “I know you’ll be back, Mr. Shinny. You see, I really mean what I say. And more important, you know I mean what I say!”
Shinny got up. “Tomorrow, same time, same place,” he said, hurrying out the door.
Roger finished the bottle of Martian fizz, suddenly very depressed. He didn’t really want the false papers. He just wanted to get away from the deadly humdrum existence on Spaceman’s Row. He walked wearily back to his scrubby little bedroom to wait for night to come. He hated to go back to the room, because he knew he would think about Tom and Astro and the Space Academy. Now he couldn’t allow himself to think about it any more. It was past. Finished.
* * * *
“You got who?” asked Loring.
“I said I got the best astrogator in the deep for ya!” snapped Shinny.
Loring looked at Mason and then suddenly burst out laughing, dropping his head on the table.
“What’s the matter with you?” demanded Shinny. “You got space fever or something?”
Mason, sitting quietly in the dirty hotel room, was grinning from ear to ear.
“So you got Manning for us, eh?” repeated Loring at last. “I wanta tell you something, Shinny. I was the one that got that kid to break outta that space station!”
“You what?” asked Shinny. The little spaceman had come to like the straightforwardness of Roger.
“That’s right,” said Loring. “When Mason and me loused up taking over the Annie Jones, that kid, Manning, was on the radar watch at the station. At the same time we were gonna crash into the station he crossed a coupla wires and was talking to his girl back on Earth! They think he fouled up the radar and caused the crash!”
“Then he’s your fall guy,” commented Shinny thoughtfully.
“Right,” said Loring. “And now you come along and tell us that we can get him to astrogate us out to Tara! I tell ya, Mason, this is the greatest gag I’ve heard in years!”
“Yeah,” agreed Mason, his weak mouth still stretched in a stupid grin, “but you have to be careful he never finds out it was us that got him into all his trouble!”
“Leave that to me,” said Loring. “He’ll never know a thing. In fact, he’ll thank us for getting him off the station and then giving him a chance to get back in space.” He turned to Shinny. “You got the ship?”
“I told you before,” said Shinny, “there ain’t anything to be had.”
“Well, we gotta have a ship,” said Loring. “A fortune waiting for us in the deep and no space wagon to go get it!”
“There is a ship,” said Shinny. “Not too good, but a spaceship.”
“Where?” asked Loring.
“Near Venusport. Out in the jungles, to be exact. Needs a little fixing, but it’ll make a deep space hop well enough.”
“Who does it belong to?” demanded Loring.
“Me,” said Shinny, a strange twinkle in his eyes.
“You?” gasped Loring. “By the craters of Luna, where did you get a spaceship?”
“Fifteen years ago a freighter was forced down in the jungles right near Venusport,” said Shinny. “I was prospecting near by for pitchblende, back when everybody thought Venus was loaded with it. I saw the crew leave in jet boats. Soon as they was out of sight I went over to take a look. I wanted to see if there was any grub I could swipe and save myself a trip back to Venusport for more supplies. Anyway, I went aboard and found the grub all right, but I got nosy about why they had made an emergency touchdown. I looked around the power deck and found they had busted their reaction timer. I got the idea then of fixing it up and bringing it back to Venusport to give them young jerks a surprise. I lifted her off the ground and then figured why should I give it back? Just move it someplace else and let the vines and creepers grow over it for a few days.”
“Didn’t the crew come back looking for it?” asked Loring.
“Did they?” chortled Shinny. “I’ll say they did! Almost drove them poor fellers crazy. I guess they searched for that old wagon for three months before giving up.”
“And—and you mean it’s still there—and in good condition?” asked Loring.
“Needs a little fuel,” said Shinny, “and probably a good overhaul, but I don’t think there’s anything serious the matter with it.”
“By the craters of Luna,” exclaimed Loring, “we’ll blast off immediately!”
“Hold on,” said Shinny. “I didn’t say I’d give it to you.”
“Well, what do you want for it?” demanded Loring.
“Now let me see,” mused Shinny. “I figure that if you figure to get as much as twenty million credits out of the copper, a full quarter share ought to be about right.”
“Five million credits for a—a ship that’s been rotting in the jungle for fifteen years!” exclaimed Loring.
“She’s in good shape,” defended Shinny. “I go out there every six months or so and turn over the reactors just to keep ’em from getting rusty.”
“Why didn’t you try to do something with it before?” asked Loring.
“Never had no occasion to,” answered Shinny. “Well, is it a deal, or isn’t it?”
“Too much,” snapped Loring.
“That’s my price,” said Shinny.
“I could take the ship and not give you anything,” sneered Loring.
“If the Solar Guard looked for three months in that jungle, with a hundred men and instruments, do you think you’ll find it?”
“I’ll give you a fifth share,” said Loring.
“Nope,” said Shinny, “I’ve named my price. You either take it or leave it!” He glared at Loring.
Mason finally spoke. “Take it, Loring,” he said, “and let’s get out of here. I’m getting jittery over that investigation that’s coming up on the station.”
“All right,” said Loring, “it’s a deal. One quarter share for the ship.”
“Done!” said Shinny—“Now I guess we’d better go talk to that boy Manning, eh?”
“Don’t you think it’ll be a little dangerous taking him along?” whined Mason.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” said Loring.
“If it was me,” said Shinny, “I wouldn’t give it a second thought. You’re going into deep space. It ain’t like a hop to Mars or Titan. This is as deep as you can go. If I was you, I’d want the best there is in my crew. And from what I’ve heard about that young feller, he’s the best there is on the radar bridge. You know who his father was?”
“Who?” asked Mason.
“Ken—” Shinny suddenly closed his mouth tight. “Just another spaceman,” he said, “but a good one!” He rose quickly. “Well, I’m supposed to meet Manning in an hour at the Cosmos.”
The