One corner of his mouth crooks into a sympathetic half-smile, and he reaches forward a little to put his hand on Crichton's knee.

"Spaceman, I've known Arthur for years. And the kinds a' men that he thinks got it coming to them? They're pretty good at not giving a rat's left ass-cheek who they gotta hurt to get their way. They don't make it sound like it's the worst thing they ever did."