"Your shortcoming was that you were honest and thought everyone else was. That's a common failing."
"But we knew they had bad reputations."
"It's pretty obvious how their thinking went. They must have had a clue to the contents of the papyrus. They knew your father wouldn't act without integrity but they banked on his eagerness as a student—figured it would cause him to accept their terms in order to get his hands on the scroll because there was certainly nothing dishonorable about buying it from them. They knew also that he would keep his word, being that kind of a man."
Doree's shoulders drooped in misery. "I guess that's about it."
"It was the best way they could think of to get the papyrus translated and still keep the contents secret." Mike rubbed his chin. "They were pretty smart boys. They were certain your father would find a way to act on whatever information it contained and all they had to do was stay on his trail and await their opportunity."
"How could anyone be so vile?"
Mike ignored the question. "I said they were smart, but they weren't smart enough."
"What do you mean?"
"This little trick of marooning us on a fatal orbit in space. It won't work."
"Why not?"