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didn't you contact us?"
    "Fredrick's Station Control, that was us, not the Kiev ," Silver replied. "I remembered the Kiev's codes from my Navy days and didn't think you'd mind a little white lie under the circumstances."
    "Under the circumstances I don't think I mind at all," the Fredrick's Station communications officer said with a note of relief in his voice. "Come to course three-six-one by four-seven-one. Dock at Port Three. You'll be met."
    "Understood. Jolly Jane out." He punched in the slight course correction and looked over his shoulder. "Captain?"
    "Change course, Mister Olaf. I can't wait to hear what the station manager is going to say about this."
    The Health and Customs checks were expedited, but were as thorough as anywhere else. Disease doesn't discriminate. When the hatch opened they found a dozen men and women waiting for them.
    "Who is the captain?" an older man asked as he stepped forward.
    "I am Captain Denise Stabenow. Who are you, sir?"
    The man smiled and stepped forward to take her hand and shake it vigorously. "I am Aaron Lewis, Station Manager for Germanicus Mining and Minerals. I am very pleased to meet you. Very pleased indeed. The legality of the trick you pulled has been discussed by the system board, and unanimously found to be well within the laws of this system. Not just legal, but damn clever. Please accept our thanks for your timely and effective aid."
    "It was our pleasure, sir. I have a consignment of beef from New Texas. I was instructed to contact Sheilan Vardan," she said and one of the women stepped forward.
    "I'm Sheilan," she said as she smiled. "This is a double pleasure for us. The beef shipment is always a time for us to celebrate. We'll get you unloaded and then celebrate your arrival."
    A dozen station personnel joined in the unloading process while Sheilan inventoried the containers. At the end she walked over to Captain Denise and nodded. "Everything is in accordance with the manifest. Your payment is one hundred thousand sixty-one credits." She handed her memo-pad to Captain Denise for her signature.
    "Thank you. I need fuel before we settle the account," she said. Fuel was always the most expensive portion of their consumable goods.
    "Oh, that's been taken care of by Mister Lewis. The dockhands will top off your tanks and send him the bill. It's really the least we can do for you, after all."
    Captain Denise stood still for a moment, and then nodded. "Thank you. Is there any chance for a cargo going someplace? Something small enough for us to carry?" she asked with just a hint of wistful hope.
    "We mostly ship bulk, but I'm sure something can be arranged. Maybe one of the--I'll discuss it with Mister Lewis after we celebrate." She smiled and left quickly, her memo-pad clutched to her breast.
    Station personnel in clean clothes soon came and gathered the crew of the Jolly Jane for an impromptu celebration of their combined good fortune. A blip of light from the direction that the raider had fled testified that they had indeed escaped into hyperspace, and everyone relaxed as the threat was logged away.
    Mister Lewis was presiding over an electric grill, cooking for his people and laughing at the jokes that were tossed his way. Men and women were all over the station commons, some playing games while others just relaxed. The crewmembers of the Jolly Jane were toasted over and over again by strangers who only knew them as their saviors.
    The party had been going on for several hours before Mister Lewis found Captain Denise. "Ah, Captain, there you are. Are you enjoying yourself?"
    "Yes, sir. All of us are." She pointed to where Olaf and Silver were telling some outrageous lies about their pasts to a crowd of onlookers. "Those two are going to be an embarrassment."
    "Not to worry, Captain. I don't think anyone there believes them. Shielan tells me that you are in need of a cargo. We only have one shipment that you could hold, but it's seldom carried by any ship that doesn't