spaceline n.

The bonds of friendship between the two planets had grown swiftly in those three years, and they were already linked by many regular space lines. These ships made the trips as frequently as the relative positions of the planets permitted.

The skipper had treated them with stories of his own and had explained that it had been the original intention to serve the dinner during the turnover, but all pilots were not as capable as the one they had now, and the turnover had been known to be rough at times—and no space line liked to have the job of removing spilled soup from fifty evening gowns, let alone the bad publicity.

For the Osirian space-line did not run ships beyond Sol in that direction, and even the Viagens Interplanetarias did not run direct service from the Procyon-Sirius group to the Centaurine group.

For the following reasons: Item, ere we Sha'akhfi be allowed on Earth or the Earthly space line, must we pledge ourselves the use of this small talent to forswear. And since our own space line runs not hitherward nigher than Epsilon Eridani, to visit the Cetic planets must we of the Procyonic group to this pledge subject ourselves.

Farwell snorted and poured himself a drink before he buckled down to planning a series of releases for the International Spacemen’s Union. The space lines, longing for the old open-shop days, were sniping at the I.S.U. wherever they found an opening.

She would be so happy and proud at having given the space-lines another Fanshaw.

Look at it this way, Chandi. Given a spaceline disaster, my only reaction is morbid interest as to whether any death-toll records may be broken.

‘Your starship was delayed by an ion storm in the Cirrus system. I’m linked to the spaceport’s Primary Artificial Intelligence Network, and will inform you immediately when PAIN notifies me of your flight’s new estimated departure time.’ Kroosew stroked the back of his head fretfully, then noticed the clump of greasy gray hairs stuck to his palm. [...] The attendant murmured reassuringly, ‘Pan Galactic Spacelines, your “On Time, Some of the Time” spaceline, apologizes for any inconvenience you may be experiencing. I hope the hotel accommodations PAIN arranged for you during these delays have been satisfactory.’

The door to that office read: ‘Jovial Spacelines.’ Spaceport legend claimed Montoya had been so taken with a typo that he had abandoned his firm’s original, locale-apropos name. [...] There was a reason for meeting here—the dingy, paperwork-covered walls masked the most snoop-proofed facility on Callisto. The spaceline was a front organization for the United Planets Intelligence Agency, and Montoya was the local UPIA station chief. He reported to the security officer of the project no one had yet identified beyond veiled references to a nearby astronomical body, to which, not coincidentally, the only civilian flights authorized were Jovial charters.