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the kif. They've got their bluff in on the stsho."
    "Customs is back on," Chur said. "Give it to five." She punched it in. "Well?"
    "I have schedule, hani."
    "You just put us at the head of it. Hear? I'm sending my own security. I've been
    robbed once at this forsaken station. Not again!"
    She broke the connection, leaned back and exhaled a long, long breath, staring
    at Tirun. "Get!"
    "Aye!" Tirun and Geran scrambled up and headed for the door.
    "Arm and take a pocket com!" she shouted after them. "And be gods-rotted
    discreet about it!" She spun the chair left to Haral. "I want that forward hold
    warmed and pressurized."
    "How long's Tully been in there?" Hilfy asked.
    Pyanfar shot a glance at the chronometer overhead. "Figure six hours. At least."
     
    "How good's that lifesupport?"
    "The way Goldtooth's set up the rest of this mess -- who knows?" She shoved her
    chair around and keyed up comp, hunting cargo lists, mass records. "This list
    updated?"
    "No," Hilfy said.
    "I need that list, gods rot it, niece." "I'm on it," Chur said, "Scan to your
    number four, captain."
    She smoothed her nose with an effort, twitched her ears and heard the jingling
    of the several rings. Experience, they meant. Wealth. Successful voyages. She
    sat and watched for anything untoward, monitoring station corn, scan, every
    pulse and breath of information Meetpoint central let them have. Their own
    systems showed live in a series of amber lights.
    "Pressure's coming up," Haral said.
    "Estimate of mass loss to three, captain."
    She shunted it to Records. Comp brought up the revision. "Fine that down, Chur.
    Navcomp's taking main five." "You've got them."
    Nav's five segments unified themselves in comp and shunted other programs to
    different banks: command screens acquired nav's displays. Maing Tol. From
    Meetpoint that was Urtur to Kita Point to Maing Tol at best.
    "We can't singlejump." she said at last. "Not with the cargo we've still got,
    not anything like it."
    Silence all round. "Aye," --finally, from Haral.
    She sat staring at the graphs. "Aunt," Hilfy murmured, and turned her chair with
    a wide-eyed look and the comset pressed in her ear. "Aunt, it's Geran. Says
    customs has those cans loaded and out already; they have a bunch of mahen
    security on it, too."
    "Good gods. Something's going right. How long?"
    "How long?" Hilfy relayed; and her eyes flickered as she listened. "They're
    coming now."
    "How's that pressure?"
    "Pressure's good," Haral said.
    "Captain--" Chur. "Someone's down at the access com -- It's Banny Ayhar,
    captain. She wants to talk to you."
    "Gods rot!" She punched in all-ship com. "Ayhar, get clear, hear me!"
    "Who is this?"
    "Pyanfar Chanur, rot your eyes, and clear my dock! There's an emergency in
    progress."
    "What emergency? Chanur, I'm not in a mood for more connivances. You hear me,
    Chanur--"
    "I've got no time for this." She spun the chair about and left it. "Haral, stand
    by to open up that hold. And tell Ayhar get herself out of the way. Hilfy, Chur,
    come on."
    They heeled her down the corridor at an almost run, into the lift for downdecks.
    She hit the button.
    Com snapped from the panel above the lift controls, at the first lurch of the
    car down. "Captain." Haral's voice. "Geran's on. They've got kif out there."
    She put a claw in the slot before the lift had a chance to pass the next level
    and stopped the car right there, on a level with the airlock. "Hilfy!" she said
    in leaving, before Hilfy had a chance to follow her and Chur. "Go on below and
    get that bay opened up."
    "Aunt--" One youthful protest, hands lifted, before the door closed between.
    They ran all-out, she and Chur, stopping only for the weapons-locker and the
    com-panel in the hall.
    "Get that hatch open!" Pyanfar yelled at Haral, and headed for the lock.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
     
    They hit the access tube running and came round the bend headon into hani coming
    up the accessway, a broad, scarred hani captain