Excerpt: ...Vacuum Tube Transport. He listened to his sons words, listened to Joes defense. He said, looking at Joe, "If I understand this, you have some scheme which you think will bring victory in spite of what seems a disastrous situation." "Yes, sir." The two Haers looked at him, one impatiently, the other in weariness. Joe said, "Im gambling everything on this, sir. Im no Rank Private in his first fracas. I deserve to be given some leeway." Balt Haer snorted. "Gambling everything What in Zen would you have to gamble, captain? The whole Haer family fortunes are tied up. Hovercraft is out for blood. They wont be satisfied with a token victory and a negotiated compromise. Theyll devastate us. Thousands of mercenaries killed, with all that means in indemnities; millions upon million in expensive military equipment, most of which weve had to hire and will have to recompensate for. Can you imagine the value of our stock after Stonewall Cogswell has finished with us? Why, every two by four trucking outfit in North America will be challenging us, and we wont have the forces to meet a minor skirmish." Joe reached into an inner pocket and laid a sheaf of documents on the desk of Baron Malcolm Haer. The Baron scowled down at them. Joe said simply, "Ive been accumulating stock since before I was eighteen and Ive taken good care of my portfolio in spite of taxes and the various other pitfalls which make the accumulation of capital practically impossible. Yesterday, I sold all of my portfolio I was legally allowed to sell and converted to Vacuum Tube Transport." He added, dryly, "Getting it at an excellent rate, by the way." Balt Haer mulled through the papers, unbelievingly. "Zen " he ejaculated. "The fool really did it. Hes sunk a small fortune into our stock." Baron Haer growled at his son, "You seem considerably more convinced of our defeat than the captain, here. Perhaps I should reverse your positions of command." His son grunted, but said nothing....