to me." "The kid's stripped his cogs," Aziz laughed through his loudspeaker. Vicenzo aimed his rocket launcher at Henry's midriff. He growled, "Too bad you turned cube, Henry." "Don't fire that thing in here!" Ranjit yelled. "You'll blow a hole through the hull! What are you fellows up to? I never saw such mixed-up goings on." Henry said, "They're going to steal the ice-sweeper. That's why I had to be taken aboard, so I could wreck your equipment and keep you from reporting us or calling the other stations. The sweeper is supposed to vanish without a trace. I'm sorry I ruined your radio, Ranjit. I was supposed to try to keep the crew from becoming suspicious while Vicenzo and Aziz were clinching. They're going to move the sweeper into a Sun orbit, somewhere, and use it for a base. They're going to hijack spaceships." "Of all the crazy schemes!" Ranjit snorted. "You gangsters are space happy! You're ready for the psychodocs! You can't get away with gangstering these days! I fought your grandfathers in the Crime War. I was in the Battle of Jupiter Orbit. We whipped you good, and nearly wiped you out, but, ever so often, a few of you still turn up and try silly stuff like this. Solar Government will get you!" Vicenzo said, "Shut up, old man! Aziz, hold the girl. If the rest of you don't behave while I'm tying you, Aziz will stab her." "Dat'd be a awful waste," Aziz said, twisting Morna's arms behind her back. Morna began to cry again. Teardrops floated like tiny planets. Vicenzo pulled a long cord from his pack and lifted Joachim with one hand. "Save the Rings," Joachim mumbled. "You are desecrating the glory of the Solar System." Vicenzo lashed Joachim's wrists to an overhead pipe. Vicenzo said, "All right, Henry, you and the old man put your hands against that pipe." Ranjit said, "I'm 107 years old, but never in my life—" "I'm going to shut you up, if you don't do it yourself," Vicenzo promised. He secured Ranjit beside Joachim and then started tying Henry's wrists to the pipe. "Be careful what you do to the sweeper, Vicenzo," Henry begged. "Ranjit was telling me how dangerous it is. If anything causes the velocity to drop, we'll fall on Saturn." "You think I'm stupid? That's the
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