Dane started. That was it! The point they had lost sight of during their struggles to get aid. There was no possible chance of upping the ship today--probably not for days to come--or ever, if the case went against them. So they had broken contract--and the Board would be down on them for that. Dane shivered inside. He could try to fight back against the Patrol--there had always been a slight feeling of rivalry between the Free Traders and the space police. But you couldn't buck the Board--and keep your license and so have a means of staying in space. A broken contract could cut one off from the stars forever. Captain Jellico looked very bleak at that reminder. "The Eysies will be all ready to step in. I'd like to know why they were so sure we had the plague on board--" Van Rycke snorted. "I can supply you five answers to that--for one they may have known the affinity of those creatures for the wood, and it would be easy to predict as a result of our taking a load on board--or again they may have deliberately planted the things on us through the Salariki--But we can't ever prove it. It remains that they are going to get for themselves the Sargolian contract unless--" He stopped short, staring straight ahead of him at the wall between Rip and Dane. And his assistant knew that Van was exploring a fresh idea. Van's ideas were never to be despised and Jellico did not now disturb the Cargo-master with questions. It was Rip who spoke next and directly to the Captain. "Do you know what they plan to do about us, sir?" Captain Jellico grunted and there was a sardonic twist to his mouth as he replied, "It's my opinion that they're now busy adding up the list of crimes you four have committed--maybe they had to turn the big HG computer loose on the problem. The tally isn't in yet. We gave them our automat flight record and that ought to give them more food for thought." Dane speculated as to what the experts _would_ make of the mechanical record of the Queen's past few weeks--the section dealing with their landing in the Big Burn ought to be a little surprising. Van Rycke got to his feet and marched to the door of the conference room. It was opened from without so quickly Dane was sure that they had been under constant surveillance. "Trade business," snapped the Cargo-master, "contract deal. Take me to a sealed com booth!"