“Maybe he’s filling some portable tanks,” suggested Feth hopefully.
“With what? There isn’t a pump on board that could take air faster than the lock bleeders can deliver it, except the main circulators. He’s not using those, where he is.”
“Why don’t you call him and ask, then? I notice the inner door is sealed, too; he’ll probably have a fit if you opened it in the middle of his work.”
“I’ll have one myself if this goes on,” growled Lee. He watched the indicators for another moment, noting that the pressure now seemed to be holding steady at about half normal. “Well, if it’s a leak, he had sense enough to plug it.” He turned to the microphone, switched to the local wavelength used in the suit receivers, and made the suggested call. Ken answered promptly, denying that he had bored any holes in the hull and stating that he would be through shortly. Lee was able to get nothing else from him.
“One would almost think you didn’t trust him,” gibed Feth as the pilot turned away from the microphone. “You have as much reason to believe him as you have to believe me, and I notice you don’t worry much about me.”
“Maybe after he’s had a few more sniffs I’ll feel the same about him,” Lee replied. “Right now, just listening to him makes me think he’s not convinced yet about being under the influence. I never heard anyone talk like that to Drai before.”
“I did — once.”
“Yeah. But he’s done it more than once. Drai feels the same way — he told me to camp in this control room as long as you two were on board. I don’t think it matters, myself — I’ve got the key, and if anyone can short the whole control system out from under a Bern lock he’s darned good. However, orders are orders.” He relaxed once more with his book. Feth resumed his gloomy train of thought
“So they’re trusting on just that one hold on us. As if I didn’t know it. If Ken could figure out some means of getting at Drai’s cold-safe — I certainly have never been able to — but then, we couldn’t find Sarr anyway — if only we were looking for a sun like Rigel or Deneb, that a fellow could recognize at thousands of parsecs instead of having to get close enough to spot planets—” his thoughts rolled on, consisting largely of “If only’s” as they had now for years. The drug had one little if anything to Feth’s mind, but the fact of his subjection to it had long since given him an apathetic attitude toward all suggestions for escape. He wondered why he had consented to do as Ken asked — how could the scientist possibly keep the assurance he had given?
Ken’s own voice eventually interrupted this line of cogitation. “Feth, could you come down here to help me for a moment? I’m nearly through; there’s some stuff I want to take out of the lock.” Both Sarrians in the control room glanced at the indicators. The lock pressure was rising again.