"
Roger continued to look at Shinny, his palm outstretched on the top of
the table. "One hundred credits," he repeated coldly.
Reluctantly, Shinny handed over the money. Slowly, carefully, Roger
counted the bills, and then, after putting them away, he turned to face
Loring for the first time.
"You said you have something important to discuss with me?" he drawled.
"I see you learned fast, kid!" said Loring with a crooked smile. "I
wouldn't trust Shinny as far as I could throw a comet!"
Mason laughed loudly. The other three merely glared at him, and he
stopped abruptly.
"Here's the proposition, Manning," said Loring, leaning across the
table. "I've gotta ship and I wanta make a hop into deep space. I want
you to do the astrogation!"
"I'm interested," said Roger. "Keep talking."
Briefly Loring described the copper satellite, its potential value, and
what they expected to get out of it. Roger listened without comment.
When Loring had finished, Shinny told him about the ship and its
condition. When Shinny finished, Loring turned to Roger.
"Well, Manning," he asked, "how do you like the setup?"
"How much do I get out of it?" asked Roger.
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