The World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven Page B

you."
    "I'll take care of that first."
    In the Belt as on Earth, privacy was rare and precious. The phone booth was a transparent prism, soundproof. Lit sneaked a last look at Marda before he answered the call. She looked both worried and determined.
    "Hello, Cutter. What's new?"
    "Hello, Lit. That's why I'm calling," said the duty man at Ceres. Cutter's voice was colorless as always. So was
    his appearance. Cutter would have looked appropriate dispensing tickets or stamps from behind a barred window. "Lars Stiller just called. One of the honeymoon specials to Titan just took off without calling us. Any comments?"
    "Comments? Those stupid, bubbleheaded--" The traffic problem in space was far more than a matter of colliding spacecraft. No two spacecraft had ever collided, but men had died when their ships went through the exhaust of a fusion motor. Telescopic traffic checks, radio transmissions, rescue missions, star and asteroid observations could all be thrown out of whack by a jaywalker.
    "That's what I said, Lit. What'll we do, turn 'em back?"
    "Oh, Cutter, why don't you go to Earth and start your own government?" Lit rubbed his temples hard with both hands, rubbing away the tension. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Marda's having trouble, and it's bugging me. But how can we turn back thirty honeymooning flatlanders, each a multimillionaire? Things are tense enough now. Want to start the Last War?"
    "I guess not. Sorry to hear about Marda. What's wrong?"
    "She didn't get here in time. The baby's growing too fast."
    "That's a damn shame."
    "Yeah."
    "What about the honeymooner?"
    Lit turned his thoughts away from the coming storm. "Assign somebody to watch her and broadcast her course. Then write up a healthy bill for the service and send it to Titan Enterprises, Earth. If it isn't paid in two weeks
    we send a copy to the UN and demand action."
    "Figures. 'Bye, Lit."
    Conceived in free fall, gestated in free-fall for almost three months, the child was growing too fast. The question could smash a marriage: Let the 'doc abort now? Or wait, slow the child's growth with the appropriate hormone injections, and hope that it wouldn't be born a monster?
    But there was no such hope.
    Lit felt like he was drowning. With a terrible effort he kept his voice gentle. "There'll be other children, Marda."
    "But will there? It's so risky, hoping I can get to Confinement before it's too late. Oh, Lit, let's wait until we're *sure*."
    She'd waited three months between 'doc checks! But Lit couldn't say so now, or ever. Instead he said, "Marda, the autodoc is sure, and Dr. Siropopolous is sure. I'll tell you what I've been thinking, We could take a house right here in Confinement until you're pregnant again. It's been done before. Granted it's expensive--" The phone rang.
    "Yes?" he barked. "Cutter, what's wrong now--"
    "Two things. Brace yourself."
    "Go ahead."
    "One. The honeymooner is not going to Titan. It seems to be headed in the direction of Neptune."
    "But-- Better give me the rest of it."
    "A military ship just took off from Topeka Base. It's chasing the honeymooner, and they didn't call us this time either!"
    "That's more than peculiar. How long is the honeymooner on its way?"
    "An hour and a half. No turnover yet, but of course it could be headed for any number of asteroids."
    "Oh, that's just great." Lit closed his eyes for a moment."It almost sounds like something's wrong with the honeymooner, and the other ship's trying a rescue mission. Could something have blown in the lifesupport system?"
    "I'd guess not, not in the Golden Circle. Honeymooners have fail-safe on their fail-safe. But you'd better hear the punch line."
    "Fire."
    "The military ship took off from the field on its fusion drive."
    "Then--" There was only one conceivable answer. Lit began to laugh. "Somebody stole it!"
    Cutter smiled thinly. "Exactly. Once again, shall we turn either of them back?"
    "Certainly not. For one thing, if we threaten to shoot we may have to