"We have an E on board," Tom answered. "You'd be risking a lot."
"I am advised he is a Junior E," the voice said in clipped speech. "Not such a risk."
"Far as I'm concerned," Tom answered laconically, "he's an E. I have to follow his orders."
He nodded to Frank who touched the jump switch. There was an instant silence. They were at the approach to the asteroid belt.
"They can get us here," Louie spoke up. "We have to give over controls so they can take us through. No chart can keep up to the microsecond on these asteroid movements. They have to calculate a path in short hops, and take us through a step at a time. I keep saying there ought to be an expressway out of the solar system, but ..."
"What about a good long jump at right angles?" Cal asked. "Get over it instead of through it?"
"It's illegal," Louie complained.
"Our necks are already out," Tom said quietly.
"Okay, you're the boss. But I'll have to figure it. It takes time to figure it."
"Well, get going on it."