“Gone to see about our contract,” Jellico reported.  “What’s the news about our status now?”

“Well, they’ve got to wipe out the plague ship listing.  Also—­we’re big news.  There’re about twenty video men rocketing around out in the offices trying to get in and have us do some spot broadcasts.  Seems that the children here,” he jerked his thumb at the three apprentices, “started something.  An inter-solar invasion couldn’t be bigger news!  Human interest by the tankful.  I’ve been on Video twice and they’re trying to sign up Hovan almost steady—­”

The Medic from the frontier nodded.  “Wanted me to appear on a three week schedule,” he chuckled.  “I was asked to come in on ’Our Heroes of the Starlines’ and two Quiz programs.  As for you, you young criminal,” he swung to Dane, “you’re going to be fair game for about three networks.  It seems you transmit well,” he uttered the last as if it were an accusation and Dane squirmed.  “Anyway you did something with your crazy stunt.  And, Captain, three men want to buy your Hoobat.  I gather they are planning a showing of how it captures those pests.  So be prepared—­”

Dane tried to visualize a scene in which he shared top billing with Queex and shuddered.  All he wanted now was to get free of Terra for a nice, quiet, uncomplicated world where problems could be settled with a sleep rod or a blaster and the Video screen was unknown.

Having heard of what awaited them without, the men of the Queen were more content to be incarcerated in the quarantine section.  But as time wore on and the Cargo-master did not return, their anxieties awoke.  They were fairly sure by now that any penalty the Patrol or the Terrapolice would impose would not be too drastic.  But a broken contract was another and more serious affair—­a matter which might ground them more effectively than any rule of the law enforcement bodies.  And Jellico took to pacing the room, while Tang and Wilcox who had started a game of four dimensional chess made countless errors of move, and Stotz glared moodily at the wall, apparently too sunk in his own gloomy thoughts to rise from the mess table in the alcove.

Though time had ceased to have much meaning for them except as an irritating reminder of the now sure failure of their Sargolian venture, they marked the hours into a second full day of detention before Van Rycke finally put in appearance.  The Cargo-master was plainly tired, but he showed no signs of discomposure.  In fact as he came in he was humming what he fondly imagined was a popular tune.

Jellico asked no questions, he merely regarded his trusted officer with a quizzically raised eyebrow.  But the others drew around.  It was so apparent that Van Rycke was pleased with himself.  Which could only mean that in some fantastic way he had managed to bring their venture down in a full fin landing, that somehow he had argued the Queen out of danger into a position where he could control the situation.