The freighter had released its load of beacons and slipped out of range of the space-distort net. The device would effectively twist anything within its compass inside out and back again - if the sequence, and all else, Jannu and Tolt had guessed at were right. They had enough doubts, and were keeping them to themselves. The Mott commander had the same doubts gnawing at his badly designed bowels. Despite his misgivings, he insisted on remaining in the blasting zone with them on board Kulp’s powerful ship.
Kulp had prepared everything to suit his efficient way of working, and this alone effectively confused his two partners.
‘Right trajectory of the planet won’t be long now,’ Tolt informed the others. ‘The sun must be directly behind it and the collapsar at its side.’
‘Where does it say that?’ demanded Jannu.
‘On Kulp’s sequence list.’
‘If he had a sequence list made out all the while, why have we been guessing at everything?’
‘I didn’t think we could trust it. He might have just left it for us to find in case we dumped him, and kept the sequence in his head. He’s shrewd enough to remember it.’
‘Then why trust it now?’ hissed Jannu out of the Mott’s translator range.
‘Because I have this feeling of desperation overtaking me and I’ve got to trust something,’ he hissed back. ‘Got any better suggestions?’
‘No, only don’t do anything to make the Mott more nervous than he is. He keeps passing wind and it is very unpleasant.’
Tolt knew what Jannu meant and carefully started to arm the terminals. Kulp had already armed the one on the planet before he decided to kill them, and both of them knew not even he could have disarmed it. Still nursing fears that Kulp might find some way of getting back to his ship, Tolt began to speed up the dangerous process.
‘Take it easy,’ Jannu reminded him, ‘Remember to give us enough time to get out of here.’
‘Now Ea 8 88 won’t respond,’ hissed Tolt petulantly.
‘It’s probably a conspiracy with Ex 8 89.’
‘It’s not funny!’ Tolt snapped. ‘You should have checked their maintenance on the way here.’
‘That was your job as well.’
‘It was not. You told me you were going to check them. I was plotting the sequence.’
The Mott was lost for words at their sudden display of petulance, and weighed up the pros and cons of killing them then and there. Unfortunately, however unreliable these two were, they knew more about the space-distort net than he did. In fact, all the glowing intellects who could have done something about it were on the planet’s surface, though none of them were engaged in profound thoughts that might have improved the situation.