"Friendly?" Pace smiled grimly. "Have you listened in on your control stations lately? Those boys are all business."
"Well, they're pretty busy, Pace. You have to remember that." Murchison folded his hands into his lap.
"Busy," said Pace enviously.
"I know what's eating him," Towne said wisely. "It's the girl."
Pace looked away.
"Laura was very sorry about not showing up, Pace," Murchison said. "It's this rotten virus stuff that's going around. You know how she looks forward to these visits—"
"You bet," Towne agreed. "There's an outposter on G-70 who'll really cry in his beer when we show up without her."
"The Sweetheart of Space," the man said sardonically.
"Oh, come on," Briggs said. "You like to see her as much as anybody else, Pace. She's a good kid."