"Yes, they will!" Lodar eyed the mate steadily. "Tell 'em they needn't worry, I'll look out for them." "There'll be trouble!" Campora snapped. "Is that a threat?" The big man's voice was icy. Then, as Campora subsided mumbling, Lodar turned abruptly to Ray. "You can come with me, Burk, if you want to look at the cargo." As he headed for the exit Ray followed curiously. It was the young navigator's first trip to Venus and he'd never seen a Mute close at hand. Which was strange, since his own past was so inextricably tied up with them. Ray had served five years with the Mars-Venus Company to earn his unlimited navigator's ticket on the Mars passenger flights. This company was chartered "to develop and exploit the planets of Mars and Venus" and most of its wealth came from the exploitation. For years Venus Mutes had been captured and sold to zoos or to wealthy people for pets. The practice was strongly condemned by humanitarian groups on Earth. This became so vociferous that, finally, the Earth Federation halted all flights to Venus regardless of charter. The Company declared such law was illegal. It would send a ship to Venus and have matters settled in court. At this time Ray Burk was due to command his first ship. He was offered the Venus flight--the breaking of law to be merely a step in establishing precedent, so they said. It sounded like high adventure, with himself carrying the ball. He gladly accepted. And, as expected, he was intercepted by an Earth patrol ship. But in the ensuing legal battle the Company found its very charter jeopardized. It hastily switched tactics, disclaimed all knowledge of the flight, and said Ray had set an incorrect course. Even hardened politicians smiled at such a thin excuse, but the Company made it stick. Ray lost his navigator's license. He was through. The Company even went further in order to clear itself. It righteously promised to limit the capture of Mutes and save them from extinction. In fact, it offered to patrol Venus and stop illegal raids by others. Then the price of Mutes rose to fantastic heights. Poachers moved in to reap fortunes from the trade. II Lodar was one of them. Cashiered from the Earth Fleet, an ex-officer, he was well trained to outmaneuver the patrols. It was he who offered Ray his first job in months. "Get in on the gravy," he urged. "They already made you a goat, and no one else will employ you!" After all, it wasn't criminal. They were only doing what the Company had done for years. There was a thrill of adventure in the risky smuggling, a sense of getting even with those who had disgraced him unjustly. Yes, Ray was curious to see these Mutes who were at the base of his trouble. He followed Lodar along the central corridor to the mid-section well, and down to the lower deck. The surging hum of the converters wafted on the warm air as they passed the engine room.