"That's tough." There was little consolation in the tone. "Got any passengers?"
"No. None this trip. I'm solo now. My engineer's gone off in the craft."
"Can't you replace that jacket and limp through?"
"Got a faulty gasket on the replacement. Can't be patched up."
"You're in a helluva fix, Conally. Even a Lunar ferry pilot's got enough sense to check his spare parts before blastoff."
"I check mine after each landing. There isn't much that can happen to it when the pile's cold.... Can you give me a tow, Altman?"
"Can't do that, Conally. I'm not...."
"If you'll just give me a boost then. To the crest of this hyperjump. Then I won't have to worry about slipping through."
"Like I started to tell you," Altman intoned insistently, "one of my grapples is sheared."
"You still have two more."