Time--for the first time in days Dane was struck by that--time! Because of his training a fact he had forgotten in the past weeks of worry now came to mind--their contract with the storm priests. Even if they were able to clear themselves of the plague charge, even if the rest of the crew were speedily restored to health, he was sure that they could not hope to return to Sargol with the promised cargo, the pay for which was already on board the Queen. They would have broken their pledge and there could be no hope of holding to their trading rights on that world--if they were not blacklisted for breaking contract into the bargain. I-S would be able to move in and clean up and probably they could never prove that the Company was behind their misfortunes--though the men of the Queen would always be convinced that that fact was the truth. "We're going to break contract--" he said aloud and that shook the other two, knocked some of their assurance out of them. "How about that?" Rip asked Ali. The acting-engineer nodded. "We have fuel enough to lift from here and maybe set down at Terraport--if we take it careful and cut vectors. We can't lift from there without refueling--and of course the Patrol are going to sit on their hands while we do that--with us Posted! No, put out of your heads any plan for getting back to Sargol within the time limit. Thorson's right--that way we're flamed out!" Rip slumped in his seat. "So the Eysies can take over after all?" "As I see it," Dane cut in, "let's just take one thing at a time. We may have to argue a broken contract out before the Board. But first we have to get off the Posted hook with the Patrol. Have you any idea about how we are going to handle that?" "Hovan's on our side. In fact if we let him have the bugs to play with he'll back us all the way. He can swear us a clean bill of health before the Medic Control Center." "How much will that count after we've broken all their regs?" Ali wanted to know. "If we surrender now we're not going to have much chance, no matter what Hovan does or does not swear to. Hovan's a frontier Medic--I won't say that he's not a member in good standing of their association--but he doesn't have top star rating. And with the Eysies and the Patrol on our necks, we'll need more than one medic's word--" But Rip looked from the pessimistic Kamil to Dane. Now he asked a question which was more than half statement. "You've thought of something?" "I've remembered something," the Cargo-apprentice corrected. "Recall the trick Van pulled on Limbo when the Patrol was trying to ease us out of our rights there after they took over the outlaw hold?"