George frowned. “I didn’t think of that. I was just tryin’ t’make their work easier.”
“Too easy,” said Pancho.
Levinson looked completely unconcerned. “New technology always brings some economic dislocations. But think of the benefits of cheaper raw materials.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Pancho. Then it hit her with the force of a body blow. “Holy cripes! Once Humphries finds out about this there’s gonna be hell to pay!”
“Whattaya mean?” George asked.
“Once this nanotechnology starts being used, there won’t be room for two competing companies in the Belt. The only way to make economic sense out of this is for one company to run the whole damned Belt, keep production of raw materials under control and set prices for the buyers. That’s what he’s after!”
“But Humphries doesn’t know anything about this,” George said.
“Wanna bet?” Pancho snapped.