He leaned back by pushing the edge of the control desk.
"Pretty fast with the answers, aren't you?" he grinned. "I wonder what you'll think up for the spaceport police when they ask you?"
"You don't believe—," she began.
He shook his head and to avoid further argument he picked up his sliderule, muttering something about checking his landing curve. Actually, he was not as convinced as he pretended that her story was all lies.
But what the hell? he thought. I have my own troubles without worrying because some blonde little spiral thinks she can go dramatic over a family spat. She'd better learn that life is full of give and take.
"You better get attached to something around here," he warned her when the time came for serious deceleration.
"I ... I could go back where I was," she stammered. He suddenly realized that for the past hour she had silently accepted his ignoring her. She asked now, "What happens next?"
"We cut our speed and come down on the tail as near to the domes of the Ericsson settlement as possible without taking too much of a chance. Then I secure everything for the towing."
"Towing? I'm sorry; I never read much about the moon rockets."
"Natural enough," Dudley retorted dryly. "Anyway, they send out big cranes to lower the rocket to horizontal so they can tow it on wheels under one of the loading domes. Handling cargo goes a lot faster and safer that way. Most of the town itself is underground."