 Why didn't Casey want to take the deal?
But—and this was the 'but' that was likely to deprive the System of my activities—even experimenting with them was illegal even if it needed to be done; also, I had promised not to rat on him before taking the job. So there I was, closeted with the ten members of the S.S. Customs Court, getting set to hear the gavel fall and the head man intone the sentence that would take me out of circulation for a long, long time. How could any—" The senior judge rapped ferociously, and I skidded to a halt. "I just made a pass at the Killicut Emeralds, that's all, and got nabbed."
 He didn't think he'd live through it.
 He'd never make a deal with the S.S.C.  He wanted to retire from smuggling  He didn't think he'd live through it.  They didn't offer him enough money