Finally we were moving in on Jinx with the fusion drive.

I broke a silence of hours. “Now what, Elephant?”

“As soon as we get in range, I’m going to call that number of yours.”

“Then?”

“Drop you off at Sirius Mater with enough money to get you home. I’d take it kindly if you’d use my house as your own until I come back from Cannonball Express. I’ll buy a ship here and go back.”

“You don’t want me along.”

“With all due respect, Bey, I don’t. I’m going to land. Wouldn’t you feel like a damn fool if you died then?”

“I’ve spent about three months in a small extension bubble because of that silly planet. If you conquered it alone, I would feel like a damn fool.”

Elephant looked excruciatingly unhappy. He started to speak, caught his breath—

If ever I picked the right time to shut a man up, that was it.

“Hold it. Let’s call the puppeteers first. Plenty of time to decide.”

Elephant nodded. In a moment he’d have told me he didn’t want me along because I was overcautious. Instead, he picked up the ship phone.

Jinx was a banded Easter egg ahead of us. To the side was Binary, the primary to which Jinx is a moon. We should be close enough to talk…and the puppeteers’ transfer-booth number would also be their phone number.

Elephant dialed.

A sweet contralto voice answered. There was no picture, but I could tell: no woman’s voice is quite that good. The puppeteer said, “Eight eight three two six seven seven oh.”

“My General Products hull just failed.” Elephant was wasting no time at all.

“I beg your pardon?”

“My name is Gregory Pelton. Twelve years ago I bought a No. 2 hull from General Products. A month and a half ago it failed. We’ve spent the intervening time limping home. May I speak to a puppeteer?”

The screen came on. Two flat, brainless heads looked out at us. “This is quite serious,” said the puppeteer. “Naturally we will pay the indemnity in full. Would you mind detailing the circumstances?”

Elephant didn’t mind at all. He was quite vehement. It was a pleasure to listen to him. The puppeteer’s silly expressions never wavered, but he was blinking rapidly when Elephant finished.

“I see,” he said. “Our apologies are insufficient, of course, but you will understand that it was a natural mistake. We did not think that antimatter was available anywhere in the galaxy, especially in such quantity.”

It was as if he’d screamed. I could hear that word echoing from side to side in my skull.

Elephant’s booming voice was curiously soft. “Antimatter?”