The H-bomb went off in silence. A bright flower of intolerable blue-white, dying to a dull red glow.
"Just off center," Jacob Norsedal said. He looked at the computer read-out. "They'll have no trouble correcting the slight tumble. The next detonation will go off on schedule."
Aeneas MacKenzie nodded. "So C-4 is on its way. I'm surprised you didn't go with them, Jacob."
Norsedal laughed. "Three's a crowd. Newlyweds don't need company, and they can certainly manage the navigation."
"Yes. I suppose they can," MacKenzie said. He glanced at the wreckage of Galahad. It hadn't been easy to find, but he'd offered ten thousand francs to the miner who could locate it. He told himself that Laurie Jo would want to see it. "I still can't believe that thing worked. Ingenious young man, my son-in-law," MacKenzie said.
"Sure is. I've got good reason to know it," Norsedal said. "What will happen to Stoire?"
MacKenzie shook his head. "We'll pay his debts and send him home."
"Rich."
"Yes, but I doubt he'll stay away from the gaming tables long."
"It seems a shame that he gets off so easily," Norsedal said.
MacKenzie's voice was gruff. "Bill Dykes was a good friend. I don't like it much that Stoire gets off, but I don't doubt the price for vengeance was damned high. Higher than I could pay, and I doubt Bill would have wanted us to waste that much revenge."
"Yes," Norsedal said. "He had the entire cargo ready to blow. Arthurium, gold, all the refined metals—"
"And not even Laurie Jo could have put more money into space without some return," MacKenzie finished. "Glenda made the only deal possible. The human race advances, but sometimes we pay in strange coin, Jacob."
"Time," Norsedal said. The viewscreen flared again, a point of brilliant white fading rapidly. Norsedal studied the radar returns. "Well done," he said. He watched the computer read-out a moment longer, then looked up. "Will you be staying long?"
"No. I'm taking the Arthurium back to Luna in Valkyrie. We can be back months before C-4 arrives, and our fusion people are anxious to get to work. They think they may have a demonstration reactor by the time the kids arrive."
"If Kevin doesn't come up with a better design," Noresdal said. "He's got a good computer and lots of time to work." Norsedal typed inputs. The viewscreen blurred, then showed a map of the solar system and C-4's orbit from Ceres to Earth. "THREE HUNDRED AND FOUR DAYS," it announced.
"A long trip," Aeneas said.
"I doubt they'll notice." Norsedal's grin was wide.
Aeneas MacKenzie looked wistfully at the viewscreen. "Laurie Jo and I once had sixty days to ourselves. Sixty days with nothing to do but get to know each other. I think you're right, Jacob. They'll find this a short trip."
Norsedal grinned slightly and typed again.
"PROGNOSIS CONFIRMED," the computer announced.