"What's going on here?" said Jasperson. "If you're having a conference of some kind, I should be in on it."
"Just routine work, Burl. What is it you want?"
"Somebody is getting careless. The bulletin of yesterday's run has not been posted. It's little things like that that make all the difference in the reputation of a shipping line. Somebody ought to be reprimanded. What was the day's run, by the way? Well, speak up, Josiah! I'm waiting."
Evans reached for a sheet of paper from the desk and silently handed it across. Jasperson looked at the figures, frowned, and spoke angrily.
"Have your computers broken down, Captain Evans? Or is this a joke? Why, that's only about two-thirds our usual distance. At this rate it will take us from now to eternity to arrive."
"You'd better sit down, Burl." The Captain looked steadily at him. "Those figures explain why I ordered that the bulletin was not to be posted. Not one passenger out of a hundred would have noticed much change in the figures, but I do not want to alarm even that one in a hundred. I have ordered the ship to proceed at half-speed."
"What? Have you lost your mind?"
"We are approaching the Thakura Ripples. It just isn't safe to go any faster."
Expelling a long breath, Jasperson spoke more calmly.
"That means we'll be late in reaching Almazin III?"