"I finished my pie, the way he told me to, though I didn't want it very much by then. Ski was nice about it. He grinned at me and said, 'No hard feelings, Mr. Jarman. All according to protocol and all that sort of thing.' Then he wanted to know where in the world I had gotten the idea."
Matt felt his neck grow warm. "You told him it was my idea?"
"Do I look stupid? I just told him somebody had pointed out regulation number nine-oh-seven to me."
Matt relaxed. "Thanks, Tex. I'll remember that."
"Forget it. But he sent you a message."
"Me?'
"It was just one word: 'Don't,'"
"Don't what?"
"Just 'Don't.' He added that amateur space lawyers frequently talked themselves out of the Patrol."
"Oh." Matt tucked this away and started trying to digest it. "What happened afterwards? When you saw the duty officer?"