"I have your itinerary here. Your accommodations are clear as far as Aldo Cerise. You'll have to rely on your ingenuity to get you the rest of the way."
"That's a pretty rough trip, Mr. Councillor. Suppose I don't make it?"
Magnan looked sour. "Someone at a policy-making level has chosen to put all our eggs in one basket, Retief. I hope their confidence in you is not misplaced."
"This antiac conversion; how long does it take?"
"A skilled electronics crew can do the job in a matter of minutes. The Jorgensens can handle it very nicely; every other man is a mechanic of some sort."
Retief opened the envelope Magnan handed him and looked at the tickets inside.
"Less than four hours to departure time," he said. "I'd better not start any long books."
"You'd better waste no time getting over to Indoctrination," Magnan said.
Retief stood up. "If I hurry, maybe I can catch the cartoon."
"The allusion escapes me," Magnan said coldly. "And one last word. The Soetti are patrolling the trade lanes into Jorgensen's Worlds; don't get yourself interned."