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diff --git a/old/55801-8.txt b/old/55801-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e625d8a..0000000 --- a/old/55801-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7447 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Teen-age Super Science Stories, by Richard M. Elam - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Teen-age Super Science Stories - -Author: Richard M. Elam - -Illustrator: Frank E. Vaughn - -Release Date: October 24, 2017 [EBook #55801] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TEEN-AGE SUPER SCIENCE STORIES *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - _The Teen-Age Library_ - - - Teen-Age Stories of Action - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Adventure Stories - By Charles I. Coombs - - Teen-Age Aviation Stories - Edited by Don Samson - - Teen-Age Baseball Stories - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Boy Scout Stories - By Irving Crump - - Teen-Age Companion - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Football Stories - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Historical Stories - By Russell Gordon Carter - - Teen-Age Mystery Stories - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Victory Parade - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Champion Sports Stories - By Charles I. Coombs - - Teen-Age Super Science Stories - By Richard M. Elam, Jr. - - Teen-Age Science Fiction Stories - By Richard M. Elam, Jr. - - Teen-Age Sea Stories - Edited by David Thomas - - Teen-Age Sports Stories - Edited by Frank Owen - - Teen-Age Stories of the West - By Stephen Payne - - Teen-Age Animal Stories - By Russell Gordon Carter - - Teen-Age Cowboy Stories - By Stephen Payne - - Teen-Age Basketball Stories - By Josh Furman - - Teen-Age Dog Stories - Edited by David Thomas - - Teen-Age Sports Parade - By B. J. Chute - - Teen-Age Horse Stories - Edited by David Thomas - - Teen-Age Gridiron Stories - Edited by Josh Furman - - Teen-Age Stories of the Diamond - Edited by David Thomas - - Teen-Age Humorous Stories - By A. L. Furman - - Teen-Age Frontier Stories - Edited by A. L. Furman - - Teen-Age Treasure Chest of Sports Stories - By Charles I. Coombs - - Teen-Age Baseball Jokes and Legends - By Mac Davis - - Teen-Age Treasure Hunt - By Richard M. Elam - - Teen-Age Nurse Stories - Edited by A. L. Furman - - Teen-Age Nature Stories - Edited by A. L. Furman - - _The Teen-Age Library_ - - - - - _TEEN-AGE_ - SUPER SCIENCE - STORIES - - - By RICHARD M. ELAM, Jr. - - _Illustrated by_ Frank E. Vaughn - - Grosset & Dunlap _Publishers_ - NEW YORK - - Copyright © 1957 by Lantern Press, Inc. - - BY ARRANGEMENT WITH LANTERN PRESS, INC. - LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 57-8908 - PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN CANADA BY - GEORGE J. MCLEOD, LIMITED, TORONTO - - MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - CONTENTS - - - _The First Man Into Space_ 9 - _Mystery Eyes Over Earth_ 33 - _Race Around the Sun_ 43 - _Flight of the Centaurus_ 58 - _Expedition Pluto_ 73 - _Mercy Flight to Luna_ 95 - _The Peril from Outer Space_ 106 - _The Ghost Ship of Space_ 149 - _Space Steward_ 227 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - _Cold, bulging eyes peered into his own_ 70 - _That pledge of secrecy for you begins at this instant_ 110 - _Clay's hand guided the burning instrument to within inches of - the top of the bomb_ 143 - _Almost exhausted, he pulled the ladder across and out of their - reach_ 209 - _The unicorn rushed up the slope, his head lowered and his - frightening ivory horn poised for attack_ 245 - - - - - THE FIRST MAN INTO SPACE - - -Cadet Marshall Farnsworth woke from a nightmare of exploding novae and -fouling rockets. After recovering from his fright, he laughed -contemptuously at himself. "Here I was picked as the most stable of a -group of two hundred cadets," he thought, "and chosen to make man's -first trip into space, yet I'm shaking like a leaf." - -He got out of bed and went over to the window. From his father's -temporary apartment, he could see distant Skyharbor, the scene of the -plunge into space tomorrow night. He had been awarded the frightening -honor of making that trip. - -As he watched teardrop cars whip along Phoenix, Arizona's, double-decked -streets, elevated over one another to avoid dangerous intersections and -delaying stop lights, he thought back over the years; to the 1950's, -when mice and monkeys were sent up in Vikings to launch mankind's first -probing of the mysterious space beyond Earth, and the first satellites -were launched; to the 1960's, when huger, multiple-stage rockets finally -conquered the problem of escape velocity; to 1975--today--when man was -finally ready to send one of his own kind into the uninhabited deeps. - -Marsh climbed back into bed, but sleep would not come. - -In the adjoining room, he could hear the footsteps of mother and father. -By their sound he knew they were the footsteps of worried people. This -hurt Marsh more than his own uneasiness. - -The anxiety had begun for them, he knew, when he had first signed up for -space-cadet training. They had known there was an extremely high -percentage of washouts, and after each test he passed, they had -pretended to be glad. But Marsh knew that inwardly they had hoped he -would fail, for they were aware of the ultimate goal that the space -scientists were working for--the goal that had just now been reached. - -Marsh finally fell into a troubled sleep that lasted until morning. - -He woke early, before the alarm rang. He got up, showered, pulled on his -blue-corded cadet uniform, and tugged on the polished gray boots. He -took one final look around his room as though in farewell, then went out -to the kitchen. - -His folks were up ahead of time too, trying to act as though it were -just another day. Dad was pretending to enjoy his morning paper, nodding -only casually to Marsh as he came in. Mom was stirring scrambled eggs in -the skillet, but she wasn't a very good actor, Marsh noticed, for she -furtively wiped her eyes with her free hand. - -The eggs were cooked too hard and the toast had to be scraped, but no -one seemed to care. The three of them sat down at the table, still -speaking in monosyllables and of unimportant things. They made a -pretense of eating. - -"Well, Mom," Dad suddenly said with a forced jollity that was intended -to break the tension, "the Farnsworth family has finally got a celebrity -in it." - -"I don't see why they don't send an older man!" Mom burst out, as though -she had been holding it in as long as she could. "Sending a boy who -isn't even twenty-two--" - -"Things are different nowadays, Mom," Dad explained, still with the -assumed calmness that masked his real feelings. "These days, men grow up -faster and mature quicker. They're stronger and more alert than older -men--" His voice trailed off as if he were unable to convince himself. - -"_Some_body has to go," Marsh said. "Why not a younger man without -family and responsibility? That's why they're giving younger men more -opportunities today than they used to." - -"It's not younger men I'm talking about!" Mom blurted. "It's you, -Marsh!" - -Dad leaned over and patted Mom on the shoulder. "Now, Ruth, we promised -not to get excited this morning." - -"I'm sorry," Mom said weakly. "But Marsh is too young to--" She caught -herself and put her hand over her mouth. - -"Stop talking like that!" Dad said. "Marsh is coming back. There've been -thousands of rockets sent aloft. The space engineers have made sure that -every bug has been ironed out before risking a man's life. Why, that -rocket which Marsh is going up in is as safe as our auto in the garage, -isn't it, Marsh?" - -"I hope so, Dad," Marsh murmured. - - -Later, as Dad drove Marsh to the field, each brooded silently. Every -scene along the way seemed to take on a new look for Marsh. He saw -things that he had never noticed before. It was an uncomfortable -feeling, almost as if he were seeing these things for the last as well -as the first time. - -Finally the airport came into view. The guards at the gate recognized -Marsh and ushered the Farnsworth car through ahead of scores of others -that crowded the entrance. Some eager news photographers slipped up -close and shot off flash bulbs in Marsh's eyes. - -Skyharbor, once a small commercial field, had been taken over by the Air -Force in recent years and converted into the largest rocket experimental -center in the United States. - -Dad drove up to the building that would be the scene of Marsh's first -exhaustive tests and briefings. He stopped the car, and Marsh jumped -out. Their good-by was brief. Marsh saw his father's mouth quiver. There -was a tightness in his own throat. He had gone through any number of -grueling tests to prove that he could take the rigors of space, but not -one of them had prepared him for the hardest moments of parting. - -When Dad had driven off, Marsh reported first to the psychiatrist who -checked his condition. - -"Pulse fast, a rise in blood pressure," he said. "You're excited, aren't -you, son?" - -"Yes, sir," Marsh admitted. "Maybe they've got the wrong man, sir. I -might fail them." - -The doctor grinned. "They don't have the wrong man," he said. "They -might have, with a so-called iron-nerved fellow. He could contain his -tension and fears until later, until maybe the moment of blast-off. Then -he'd let go, and when he needed his calmest judgment he wouldn't have -it. No, Marshall, there isn't a man alive who could make this -history-making flight without some anxiety. Forget it. You'll feel -better as the day goes on. I'll see you once more before the blast-off." - -Marsh felt more at ease already. He went on to the space surgeon, was -given a complete physical examination, and was pronounced in perfect -condition. Then began his review briefing on everything he would -encounter during the flight. - -Blast-off time was for 2230, an hour and a half before midnight. Since -at night, in the Western Hemisphere, Earth was masking the sun, the -complications of excessive temperatures in the outer reaches were -avoided during the time Marsh would be outside the ship. Marsh would -occupy the small upper third section of a three-stage rocket. The first -two parts would be jettisoned after reaching their peak velocities. Top -speed of the third stage would carry Marsh into a perpetual-flight orbit -around Earth, along the route that a permanent space station was to be -built after the results of the flight were studied. After spending a -little while in this orbit, Marsh would begin the precarious journey -back to Earth, in gliding flight. - -He got a few hours of sleep after sunset. When an officer shook him, he -rose from the cot he had been lying on in a private room of General -Forsythe, Chief of Space Operations. - -"It's almost time, son," the officer said. "Your CO wants to see you in -the outside office." - -Marsh went into the adjoining room and found his cadet chief awaiting -him. The youth detected an unusual warmth about the severe gentleman who -previously had shown only a firm, uncompromising attitude. Colonel -Tregasker was past middle age, and his white, sparse hair was smoothed -down close to his head in regulation neatness. - -"Well, this is it, Marshall," the colonel said. "How I envy you this -honor of being the first human to enter space. However, I do feel that a -part of me is going along too, since I had a small share in preparing -you for the trip. If the training was harsh at times, I believe that -shortly you will understand the reason for it." - -"I didn't feel that the Colonel was either too soft or strict, sir," -Marsh said diplomatically. - -A speaker out on the brilliantly lit field blared loudly in the cool -desert night: "X minus forty minutes." - -"We can't talk all night, Marshall," the colonel said briskly. "You've -got a job to do. But first, a few of your friends want to wish you -luck." He called into the anteroom, "You may come in, gentlemen!" - -There filed smartly into the room ten youths who had survived the hard -prespace course with Marsh and would be his successors in case he failed -tonight. They formed a line and shook hands with Marsh. The first was -Armen Norton who had gotten sick in the rugged centrifuge at a force of -9 G's, then had rallied to pass the test. - -"Good luck, Marsh," he said. - -Next was lanky Lawrence Egan who had been certain he would wash out -during navigation phase in the planetarium. "All the luck in the world, -Marsh," he added. - -Each cadet brought back a special memory of his training as they passed -before him, wishing him success. - -When they had gone and the speaker outside had announced: "X minus -thirty minutes," the colonel said that he and Marsh had better be -leaving. Colonel Tregasker was to be Marsh's escort to the ship. - -Photographers and newspapermen swarmed about them as they climbed into -the jeep that was to take them to the launching site farther out on the -field. Questions were flung at the two from all sides, but the colonel -deftly maneuvered the jeep through the mob and sped off over the -asphalt. - -At the blast-off site, Marsh could see that the police had their hands -full keeping out thousands of spectators who were trying to get into the -closed-off area. The field was choked with a tide of humanity milling -about in wild confusion. Giant searchlights, both at the airport and in -other parts of Phoenix, directed spears of light on the towering rocket -that held the interest of all the world tonight. There was one light, -far larger than the rest, with powerful condensing lenses and connected -to a giant radar screen, which would guide Marsh home from his trip -among the stars. - -A high wire fence surrounded the launching ramp and blockhouses. -International scientists and dignitaries with priorities formed a ring -around the fence, but even they were not allowed inside the small circle -of important activity. The guards waved the colonel and Marsh through -the gate. - -Marsh had spent many weeks in a mock-up of the tiny third stage in which -he was to spend his time aloft, but he had never been close to the -completely assembled ship until this moment. The three stages had been -nicknamed, "Tom," "Dick," and "Harry." Marsh swallowed as his eyes roved -up the side of the great vessel, part of a project that had cost -millions to perfect and was as high as a four-story building. - -The gigantic base, "Big Tom," was the section that would have the -hardest job to do, that of thrusting the rocket through the densest part -of the atmosphere, and this was a great deal larger than the other -sections. Marsh knew that most of the ship's bulk was made up of the -propellant fuel of hydrazine hydrate and its oxidizer, nitric acid. - -"We're going into that blockhouse over there," Colonel Tregasker said. -"You'll don your space gear in there." - -First a multitude of gadgets with wires were fastened to the cadet's -wrists, ankles, nose, and head. Marsh knew this to be one of the most -important phases of the flight--to find out a man's reaction to space -flight under actual rocketing conditions. Each wire would telemeter -certain information by radio back to the airport. After a tight inner G -suit had been put on to prevent blackout, the plastic and rubber outer -garment was zipped up around Marsh, and then he was ready except for his -helmet, which would not be donned until later. - -Marsh and the colonel went back outside. The open-cage elevator was -lowered from the top of the big latticed platform that surrounded the -rocket. The two got into the cage, and it rose with them. Marsh had lost -most of his anxiety and tension during the activities of the day, but -his knees felt rubbery in these final moments as the elevator carried -him high above the noisy confusion of the airport. _This was it._ - -As they stepped from the cage onto the platform of the third stage, -Marsh heard the speaker below call out: "X minus twenty minutes." - -There were eleven engineers and workmen on the platform readying the -compartment that Marsh would occupy. Marsh suddenly felt helpless and -alone as he faced the small chamber that might very well be his death -cell. Its intricate dials and wires were staggering in their complexity. - -Marsh turned and shook hands with Colonel Tregasker. "Good-by, sir," he -said in a quavering voice. "I hope I remember everything the Corps -taught me." He tried to smile, but his facial muscles twitched -uncontrollably. - -"Good luck, son--lots of it," the officer said huskily. Suddenly he -leaned forward and embraced the youth with a firm, fatherly hug. "This -is not regulations," he mumbled gruffly, "but hang regulations!" He -turned quickly and asked to be carried down to the ground. - -A man brought Marsh's helmet and placed it over his head, then clamped -it to the suit. Knobs on the suit were twisted, and Marsh felt a warm, -pressurized helium-oxygen mixture fill his suit and headpiece. - -Marsh stepped through the hatch into the small compartment. He reclined -in the soft contour chair, and the straps were fastened by one of the -engineers over his chest, waist, and legs. The wires connected to -various parts of his body had been brought together into a single unit -in the helmet. A wire cable leading from the panel was plugged into the -outside of the helmet to complete the circuit. - -Final tests were run off to make sure everything was in proper working -order, including the two-way short-wave radio that would have to -penetrate the electrical ocean of the ionosphere. Then the double-hatch -air lock was closed. Through his helmet receiver, Marsh could hear the -final minutes and seconds being called off from inside the blockhouse. - -"Everything O.K.?" Marsh was asked by someone on the platform. - -"Yes, sir," Marsh replied. - -"Then you're on your own," were the final ominous words. - -"X minus five minutes," called the speaker. - -It was the longest five minutes that Marsh could remember. He was -painfully aware of his cramped quarters. He thought of the tons of -explosive beneath him that presently would literally blow him sky-high. -And he thought of the millions of people the world over who, at this -moment, were hovering at radios and TV's anxiously awaiting the dawn of -the space age. Finally he thought of Dad and Mom, lost in that multitude -of night watchers, and among the few who were not primarily concerned -with the scientific aspect of the experiment. He wondered if he would -ever see them again. - -"X minus sixty seconds!" - -Marsh knew that a warning flare was being sent up, to be followed by a -whistle and a cloud of smoke from one of the blockhouses. As he felt -fear trying to master him, he began reviewing all the things he must -remember and, above all, what to do in an emergency. - -"X minus ten seconds--five--four--three--two--one--FIRE!" - -There was a mighty explosion at Skyharbor. - -The initial jolt which Marsh felt was much fiercer than the gradually -built up speed of the whirling centrifuge in training. He was crushed -deeply into his contour chair. It felt as though someone were pressing -on his eyeballs; indeed, as if every organ in his body were clinging to -his backbone. But these first moments would be the worst. A gauge showed -a force of 7 G's on him--equal to half a ton. - -He watched the Mach numbers rise on the dial in front of his eyes on an -overhead panel. Each Mach number represented that much times the speed -of sound, 1,090 feet per second, 740 miles an hour. - -Marsh knew "Big Tom" would blast for about a minute and a half under -control of the automatic pilot, at which time it would drop free at an -altitude of twenty-five miles and sink Earthward in a metal mesh 'chute. - -Marsh's hurting eyes flicked to the outside temperature gauge. It was on -a steady 67 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and would be until he reached -twenty miles. A reflecting prism gave him a square of view of the sky -outside. The clear deep blue of the cloud-free stratosphere met his -eyes. - -Mach 5, Mach 6, Mach 7 passed very quickly. He heard a rumble and felt a -jerk. "Big Tom" was breaking free. The first hurdle had been -successfully overcome, and the ship had already begun tilting into its -trajectory. - -There was a new surge of agony on his body as the second stage picked up -the acceleration at a force of 7 G's again. Marsh clamped his jaws as -the force pulled his lips back from his teeth and dragged his cheek -muscles down. The Mach numbers continued to rise--11, 12, 13--to -altitude 200 miles, the outer fringe of the earth's atmosphere. There -was a slight lifting of the pressure on his body. The rocket was still -in the stratosphere, but the sky was getting purple. - -Mach 14--10,000 miles an hour. - -"Dick" would jettison any moment. Marsh had been aloft only about four -minutes, but it had seemed an age, every tortured second of it. - -There was another rumble as the second stage broke free. Marsh felt a -new surge directly beneath him as his own occupied section, "Harry," -began blasting. It was comforting to realize he had successfully -weathered those tons of exploding hydrazine and acid that could have -reduced him to nothing if something had gone wrong. Although his speed -was still building up, the weight on him began to ease steadily as his -body's inertia finally yielded to the sickeningly swift acceleration. - -The speedometer needle climbed to Mach 21, the peak velocity of the -rocket, 16,000 miles per hour. His altitude was 350 miles--man's highest -ascent. Slowly then, the speedometer began to drop back. Marsh heard the -turbo pumps and jets go silent as the "lift" fuel was spent and rocket -"Harry" began its free-flight orbit around Earth. - -The ship had reached a speed which exactly counterbalanced the pull of -gravity, and it could, theoretically, travel this way forever, provided -no other outside force acted upon it. The effect on Marsh now was as if -he had stopped moving. Relieved of the viselike pressure, his stomach -and chest for a few seconds felt like inflated balloons. - -"Cadet Farnsworth," the voice of General Forsythe spoke into his helmet -receiver, "are you all right?" - -"Yes, sir," Marsh replied. "That is, I think so." - -It was good to hear a human voice again, something to hold onto in this -crazy unreal world into which he had been hurtled. - -"We're getting the electronic readings from your gauges O.K.," the voice -went on. "The doctor says your pulse is satisfactory under the -circumstances." - -It was queer having your pulse read from 350 miles up in the air. - -Marsh realized, of course, that he was not truly in the "air." A glance -at his air-pressure gauge confirmed this. He was virtually in a vacuum. -The temperature and wind velocity outside might have astounded him if he -were not prepared for the readings. The heat was over 2000 degrees -Fahrenheit, and the wind velocity was of hurricane force! But these -figures meant nothing because of the sparseness of air molecules. -Temperature and wind applied only to the individual particles, which -were thousands of feet apart. - -"How is your cosmic-ray count?" asked the general. - -Marsh checked the C-ray counter on the panel from which clicking sounds -were coming. "It's low, sir. Nothing to worry about." - -Cosmic rays, the most powerful emanations known, were the only radiation -in space that could not be protected against. But in small doses they -had been found not to be dangerous. - -"As soon as our recorders get more of the figures your telemeter is -giving us," the operations chief said, "you can leave the rocket." - -When Marsh got the O.K. a few minutes later, he eagerly unstrapped the -belts around his body. He could hardly contain his excitement at being -the first person to view the globe of Earth from space. As he struggled -to his feet, the lightness of zero gravity made him momentarily giddy, -and it took some minutes for him to adjust to the terribly strange -sensation. - -He had disconnected the cable leading from his helmet to the ship's -transmitter and switched on the ship's fast-lens movie camera that would -photograph the area covered by "Harry." Then he was ready to go outside. -He pressed a button on the wall, and the first air-lock hatch opened. He -floated into the narrow alcove and closed the door in the cramped -chamber behind him. He watched a gauge, and when it showed normal -pressure and temperature again, he opened the outside hatch, closing it -behind him. Had Marsh permitted the vacuum of space to contact the -interior of the ship's quarters, delicate instruments would have been -ruined by the sudden decompression and loss of heat. Marsh fastened his -safety line to the ship so that there was no chance of his becoming -separated from it. - -Then he looked "downward," to experience the thrill of his life. Like a -gigantic relief map, the panorama of Earth stretched across his vision. -A downy blanket of gray atmosphere spread over the whole of it, and -patches of clouds were seen floating like phantom shapes beneath the -clear vastness of the stratosphere. It was a stunning sight for Marsh, -seeing the pinpoint lights of the night cities extending from horizon to -horizon. It gave him an exhilarating feeling of being a king over it -all. - -Earth appeared to be rotating, but Marsh knew it was largely his own and -the rocket's fast speed that was responsible for the illusion. As he -hung in this region of the exosphere, he was thankful for his cadet -training in zero gravity. A special machine, developed only in recent -years, simulated the weightlessness of space and trained the cadets for -endurance in such artificial conditions. - -"Describe some of the things you see, Marshall," General Forsythe said -over Marsh's helmet receiver. "I've just cut in a recorder." - -"It's a scene almost beyond description, sir," Marsh said into the -helmet mike. "The sky is thickly powdered with stars. The Milky Way is -very distinct, and I can make out lots of fuzzy spots that must be star -clusters and nebulae and comets. Mars is like an extremely bright -taillight, and the moon is so strong it hurts my eyes as much as the -direct sun does on earth." - -Marsh saw a faintly luminous blur pass beyond the ship. It had been -almost too sudden to catch. He believed it to be a meteor diving -Earthward at a speed around forty-five miles a second. He reported this -to the general. - -As he brought his eyes down from the more distant fixtures of space to -those closer by on Earth, a strange thing happened. He was suddenly -seized with a fear of falling, although his zero-gravity training had -been intended to prepare him against this very thing. A cold sweat come -out over his body, and an uncontrollable panic threatened to take hold -of him. - -He made a sudden movement as though to catch himself. Forgetting the -magnification of motion in frictionless space and his own -weightlessness, he was shot quickly to the end of his safety line like a -cracked whip. His body jerked at the taut end and then sped swiftly back -in reaction toward the ship, head foremost. A collision could crack his -helmet, exposing his body to decompression, causing him to swell like a -balloon and finally explode. - -In the grip of numbing fear, only at the last moment did he have the -presence of mind to flip his body in a half-cartwheel and bring his -boots up in front of him for protection. His feet bumped against the -rocket's side, and the motion sent him hurtling back out to the end of -the safety line again. This back-and-forth action occurred several times -before he could stop completely. - -"I've got to be careful," he panted to himself, as he thought of how -close his space career had come to being ended scarcely before it had -begun. - -General Forsythe cut in with great concern, wondering what had happened. -When Marsh had explained and the general seemed satisfied that Marsh had -recovered himself, he had Marsh go on with his description. - -His senseless fear having gone now, Marsh looked down calmly, entranced -as the features of the United States passed below his gaze. He named the -cities he could identify, also the mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers, -explaining just how they looked from 350 miles up. In only a fraction of -an hour's time, the rocket had traversed the entire country and was -approaching the twinkling phosphorescence of the Atlantic. - -Marsh asked if "Tom" and "Dick" had landed safely. - -"'Tom' landed near Roswell, New Mexico," General Forsythe told him, "and -the 'chute of the second section has been reported seen north of Dallas. -I think you'd better start back now, Marshall. It'll take us many months -to analyze all the information we've gotten. We can't contact you very -well on the other side of the world either, and thirdly, I don't want -you exposed to the sun's rays outside the atmosphere in the Eastern -Hemisphere any longer than can be helped." - -Marsh tugged carefully on his safety line and floated slowly back toward -the ship. He entered the air lock. Then, inside, he raised the angle of -his contour chair to upright position, facing the console of the ship's -manual controls for the glide Earthward. He plugged in his telemeter -helmet cable and buckled one of the straps across his waist. - -Since he was still moving at many thousands of miles an hour, it would -be suicide to plunge straight downward. He and the glider would be -turned into a meteoric torch. Rather, he would have to spend -considerable time soaring in and out of the atmosphere in braking -ellipses until he reached much lower speed. Then the Earth's -gravitational pull would do the rest. - -This was going to be the trickiest part of the operation, and the most -dangerous. Where before, Marsh had depended on automatic controls to -guide him, now much of the responsibility was on his own judgment. He -remembered the many hours he had sweated through to log his flying time. -Now he could look back on that period in his training and thank his -lucky stars for it. - -He took the manual controls and angled into the atmosphere. He carefully -watched the AHF dial--the atmospheric heat friction gauge. When he had -neared the dangerous incendiary point, with the ship having literally -become red-hot, he soared into the frictionless vacuum again. He had to -keep this up a long time in order to reduce his devastating speed. - -It was something of a shock to him to leave the black midnight of -Earth's slumbering side for the brilliant hemisphere where the people of -Europe and Asia were going about their daytime tasks. He would have -liked to study this other half of the world which he had glimpsed only a -few times before in his supersonic test flights, but he knew this would -have to wait for future flights. - -Finally, after a long time, his velocity was slowed enough so that the -tug of gravity was stronger than the rocket's ability to pull up out of -the atmosphere. At this point, Marsh cut in "Harry's" forward braking -jets to check his falling speed. - -"There's something else to worry about," he thought to himself. "Will -old Harry hold together or will he fly apart in the crushing -atmosphere?" - -The directional radio signals from the powerful Skyharbor transmitter -were growing stronger as Marsh neared the shores of California. He could -see the winking lights of San Diego and Los Angeles, and farther inland -the swinging thread that was the beacon at Skyharbor. All planes in his -path of flight had been grounded for the past few hours because of the -space flight. The only ground light scanning the skies was the gigantic -space beacon in Phoenix. - -When Marsh reached Arizona, he began spiraling downward over the state -to kill the rest of his altitude and air speed. Even now the plane was a -hurtling supersonic metal sliver streaking through the night skies like -a comet. He topped the snow-capped summits of the towering San Francisco -Peaks on the drive southward, and he recognized the sprawling serpent of -the Grand Canyon. Then he was in the lower desert regions of -moon-splashed sand and cactus. Although the fire-hot temperature of the -outer skin had subsided, there had been damage done to the walls and -instruments, and possibly to other parts, too. Marsh was worried lest -his outside controls might be too warped to give him a good touchdown, -if indeed he could get down safely at all. - -A few thousand feet up, Marsh lowered his landing gear. Now the only -problem left was to land himself and the valuable ship safely inside the -narrow parallels of the airstrip. He circled the airport several times -as his altitude continued to plummet. - -The meter fell rapidly. His braking rocket fuel was gone now. From here -on in, he would be on gliding power alone. - -"Easy does it, Marshall," the general said quietly into his ear. "You're -lining up fine. Level it out a little and keep straight with the -approach lights. That's fine. You're just about in." - -The lights of the airport seeming to rush up at him, Marsh felt a jolt -as the wheels touched ground on the west end of the runway. He kept the -ship steady as it scurried along the smooth asphalt, losing the last of -its once tremendous velocity. The plane hit the restraining wire across -the strip and came to a sudden stop, shoving Marsh hard against the -single safety belt he wore. Finally, incredibly, the ship was still and -he was safe. - -He unfastened his strap and removed his space helmet. The heat of the -compartment brought the sweat out on his face. He rose on wobbly legs -and pressed the buttons to the hatches. The last door flew open to admit -the cool, bracing air of Earth which he had wondered if he would ever -inhale again. - -His aloneness was over then, suddenly and boisterously, as men swarmed -over him with congratulations, eager questions, and looks of respect. -Reporters' flash bulbs popped, and he felt like a new Lindbergh as he -was pulled down to the ground and mobbed. Finally the police came to his -rescue and pushed back the curiosity seekers and newspapermen. Then only -three men were allowed through the cordon. - -The first to reach him was General Forsythe, who almost seemed to have -ridden with him the whole way. He grabbed Marsh's hand and clapped him -on the shoulder. He said briefly, "You've launched the age of space -travel, Marshall. Congratulations, son. Now go home with your father and -get a good night's rest. We'll see you tomorrow." - -"Thank you, sir," Marsh replied. - -Colonel Tregasker came forward, and there was moisture visible in the -eyes of the cadet officer. "Now that one of my boys has made the first -trip into space and fulfilled a career-long dream, I can retire in -peace," he murmured. "I'm proud to have been associated with you, -Marshall Farnsworth. Congratulations, my boy." - -Then Dad had his turn. He stood for a moment in front of his son as -though undecided what to do, hat in hand, the night breeze ruffling his -hair. Mr. Farnsworth seemed embarrassed by the grandeur of the moment -and reluctant to accept a part in one of the greatest accomplishments of -modern times. - -Marsh moved forward and clasped his shoulders. "I did it, Dad," he said. - -"Thank God for bringing you back safely," his father murmured huskily. -"Are you ready to go home, son?" - -Suddenly Marsh was terribly weary, and he felt as if he could sleep for -days. "I am kind of tired," he said. "Let's go home and see Mom." - -The people around seemed to realize that this was not their moment. They -parted ranks quietly as the father and his son walked through them and -got into their car. As they drove off, even the stars and planets seemed -to be standing silent and watchful, in respect for the dawn of space -travel on the tiny pebble that was Earth. - - - - - MYSTERY EYES OVER EARTH - - -Dr. Myron Lowenthal, gaunt, keen-eyed, and sixty, shuffled over to the -receptionist's desk in an office in the Pentagon. Clutched tightly -beneath one spidery arm was a worn brief case. - -"May I see Mr. Goodnight, miss?" Dr. Lowenthal asked. - -"Who shall I say is calling, sir?" the young woman asked mechanically, -not looking up. - -"Lowenthal." - -The young woman's eyes lighted alertly as if the name were of great -significance to her. "Of course, Dr. Lowenthal. Mr. Goodnight is -expecting you. Go right in." - -At the sight of Dr. Lowenthal and his brief case, Mr. Goodnight rose -slowly to his feet, his face reflecting deep interest not unmixed with -apprehension. - -"You--you have finished the translation?" he asked. - -Dr. Lowenthal placed the brief case on the desk, and Goodnight's fingers -were far from steady as he opened the case and pulled out top-secret -manuscripts. - -First he laid aside the sheaf of strange, charred papers, each protected -by a cellophane envelope. The sheets were of very thin, amazingly tough -material of unknown substance, and they were covered with tiny, neat -hieroglyphics. The papers had been found by a farm boy twelve months -before in Wickenburg, Arizona, and Dr. Lowenthal, archaeologist and -cryptographer, had been all this time trying to decipher the hidden -message. - -Before reading the translation, Goodnight asked, "Is it your belief that -this sheaf of papers was dropped from a flying saucer, as we first -thought?" - -"Undoubtedly," Lowenthal replied. - -"Is it good--or bad?" Goodnight asked tremulously. - -"Perhaps you had better read it, sir, and judge for yourself." - -Mr. Goodnight began reading the manuscript translation: - - -FROM: Kal-Pota-Tekkala, Observer 13-J07, Group 507. - -TO: Grand Council, Federation of the Triple Suns, Planet Ykaa, Takarala -Sector GZ-5000-7076, Milky Way Galaxy. - -SUBJECT: Planets of Sun 00836-Y, Specifically, Third Takarala Sector -GZ-5000-7070. - -Planet Called Earth, Charaan Year 37,811. - -It is now my tenth year of observation in the planetary group called the -solar system. In this brief report I shall review somewhat randomly a -few of the things I have witnessed on Earth, only planet of intelligent -life in this system and therefore the only world of interest to us in -the Federation. - -I arrived in the Earth year 1947. (What a youthful civilization this is, -but about average in their development as compared to some 28,000 other -worlds the Federation has so far observed.) I pride myself on being -among the first of us (Group 507) to be detected by Earthmen in recent -times. This was, of course, the sighting by one Kenneth Arnold near Mt. -Rainier in America, the most advanced country of Earth. Our receivers -picked up the newscast of the sighting and translated. Arnold's -description of having seen what looked like "saucers" led to our craft -being thereafter named "flying saucers." - -Soon after this sighting, our receivers told us that nearly all the -nations of Earth had taken up the cry of "Saucers! Saucers!" Indeed, the -men of Earth must truly have been overwhelmed by the abundance of our -craft in the sky at this time when our greatest concentration of -observers viewed the planet. - -It is hard to realize that many Earth inhabitants still doubt that there -are other planets of habitation beside their own in the universe. (This -is an opinion formed from reports of news commentators.) Yet how they -can close their minds to such a fact, when they know that there are many -billions of suns and planets, is beyond my comprehension. Of course, -Earth has been an island to itself since the beginning of its -civilization, and since they have not even yet ventured into space, I -can understand their skepticism somewhat. - -Incidentally, this skepticism of Earthmen is remarkable. Yes, even after -the evidence of our heavy concentration of craft in their skies for ten -years (at our latest visit), many even now doubt our reality. This is in -spite of our near collisions with Earth craft reported by reputable -witnesses (especially the Chiles-Whitted episode near Montgomery, -Alabama, United States of America). Yet those who do believe in us are -very stanch supporters, and I have heard newscasters say there have been -some convincing books written on the subject. Some day--when we make -contact--all must surely believe. - -Earth is a planet of many races and different political groups. Although -an effort is being made for co-operation through an organization called -United Nations (not to be confused with United States), there is no -real, enforceable unity among the countries of Earth. The planet has not -even advanced to the point of a common tongue! Without being able to -speak the same language, there is too much opportunity for -misunderstanding, and this must be one of the causes of the deplorable -bloodshed this planet has gone through in its history. - -It is good to know that democracy presently seems to hold the balance of -power on Earth. The world leader, America, has been a champion of -democracy since its colonization by Europeans, and perhaps it has saved -Earth from total disaster by intervention on two occasions in recent -years. - -There is one major threat to the democratic life of Earth. This is the -nation of Russia, located in the Eurasian area. Its leaders have taken -to the archaic system of totalitarianism. But at the present time the -democracies are so strong that Russia appears hesitant to take the path -of conquest. Besides this, I believe all realize that Earth cannot stand -another world war because of the frightful nuclear weapons that would be -used. In such a war there would be no victor, only losers and world -destruction. - -If Earth avoids the pitfall of major warfare, I believe she is on the -threshold of great things. Even now she is launching satellites into -space in the first step toward space travel. The aircraft of Earth are -attaining greater speed, height, and maneuverability. They are still -slow and awkward, of course, compared to the craft we have, but the -engineers are learning, even as we had to do thousands of years ago. - -Since Earthmen have still not gone into space, there has been no -experimentation on craft utilizing force fields, but after observing our -craft for the past ten years, I am sure the scientists have come up with -some theories as to how we get about. They are baffled by our motions -that seem to defy the laws of physics. They report that no living person -can withstand the abrupt turns and acceleration of which we are capable. -When they have utilized the cosmic rays of space and understand that a -force field will permit a flyer to spin and soar with his craft, without -distress of any kind, then they will have unlocked the key to what they -believe to be a dark mystery. - -Their attempts to overtake us in their jet craft have been laughable. I -often wonder what they would do if we should suddenly stop and dare them -to approach closer. Should they fire on us, it would undoubtedly fill -them with fear and dismay to see their shots bounce harmlessly off our -force field. - -It is my opinion that the more prosperous races of the planet are not -the leaders that they could be. There is much frivolity and lack of -emotional discipline about them, and few seem to employ their fullest -mental capabilities. Their radio and picture-radio are entirely in the -realm of entertainment, and formal education seems to be largely -abandoned after an Earthman has passed his school years. Our receivers -constantly pick up, day in and day out, music of definite rhythms which -seem to be enjoying current popularity. These melodies survive for only -a few weeks, then new ones take their place and are, in turn, played to -their deaths. There is a noble class of music that is heard less -frequently and usually at late hours. This never seems to lose -popularity, for some of our recorded pickups of these long compositions -have been compared with recordings made some two hundred years ago by -our prior observers, and they are identical. - -Regarding the subject of frivolity, there is a deadly "game" being -played unceasingly across the pathways of Earth, particularly in -prosperous America. Although not really a game, of course, I am reminded -of one as I see it going on. Each player is in control of a free vehicle -(or "guided missile" as I think of it), and he attempts to survive by -avoiding collision with another player. Some are indifferent to the game -and drive their cars unexcitedly and with caution. Other players--and -there are many of them--appear to enjoy the game very much and drive -their "weapons" with reckless haste and seeming indifference to their -own safety and the safety of others. Many of these players lose the -game, and their remains are carried away systematically. It is very -disturbing to see this bloody game going on without end, and I should -feel better if America would abandon it in favor of travel of a less -dangerous nature. But they seem years away from a truly safe, fully -automatic car of our type with the electronic protection shield. - -While on the subject of fatality, it is with regret that I heard of the -disintegration of Paltaa-Vezek and his craft some days ago. Paltaa and I -were boys together barely three hundred (Earth) years ago on the -Symphony Lake plantation. We went through sleep-absorption education -together for twenty years, and he was my dear friend. Paltaa's force -field collapsed when he was escaping a fleet of Earth craft which were -rising into the sky in pursuit. At an acceleration of some 5,000 miles -an hour, his craft collided with air in inertia, and he and his "saucer" -were vaporized in a blinding flash and thunderous roar. The radio -commentators calmly informed the world that it was merely a large meteor -burning itself up in the atmosphere. (The stubborn refusal of Earthmen -to accept our existence continually baffles me.) - -From what I have heard these radio spokesmen say, Earthmen who believe -in us seem to regard us with a sort of awe. They rightly consider us -much farther advanced than themselves, but you should hear the -outlandish descriptions some have given us. And after the weird -appearance they present to us, too! - -I have judged the people of Earth to be excitable and unpredictable. -Therefore I can understand the Federation's reluctance to have us make -contact. Earthmen undoubtedly regard us as invaders and would treat us -as such, although they must realize we have shown no acts of aggression. -Nevertheless, there have been a few unfortunate instances that might -tend to make them think we are belligerent (namely, the Mantell case in -1948). Kaal-taa-ar, pilot of the involved craft, I understand, has been -recalled to Ykaa because of his mistake in permitting an Earth craft to -venture into his force field, thereby destroying the alien craft and -violating our strict orders to avoid any incidents with Earth craft. - -In spite of the obvious risk, it is my greatest anticipation to meet -these Earth folk face to face. Our observations have been from afar and -therefore lacking much that we could really know about these people. I'm -sure there are things they could teach us, and of course there is much -that we could do to make happier their own existence. Some day, I know, -the Federation will give the word to land on Earth soil. Should I be one -of those fortunate ones, I am ready, and if it costs me my life I shall -be satisfied to have first enjoyed making contact with other men who -live so many light-years from our own Ykaa. - -When will this contact be, my friends? - -Today? - -Tomorrow? - -_When?_ - - -As he concluded his reading of the report, Mr. Goodnight's eyes -reflected the relief he felt. - -"It is reassuring, Doctor, isn't it?" he asked, huskily. - -"I think so," Dr. Lowenthal replied. "Even with my liberal translation, -the nonaggressive attitude comes through continually." - -"This is the final proof we needed as to the authenticity of the -saucers," Goodnight remarked. "This couldn't possibly be a hoax, could -it?" - -"Not a chance. The substance of the original paper is completely alien -in its composition and manufacture, and the language is undoubtedly the -creation of minds farther advanced than our own." - -Mr. Goodnight sighed as if a great burden had been lifted from him. -"Well, our part in this is closed, Dr. Lowenthal," he said. "It is out -of our hands." - -"And now?" Lowenthal prompted. - -"It is the job of others to determine if the manuscript is to be made -public. This thing could be revolutionary in impact, Dr. Lowenthal. It -could change the thinking and living of every person on Earth." - -The scientist nodded in agreement. "You know, Mr. Goodnight," he said -after a meditative pause, "I believe that Kal-Pota-Tekkala would be a -rather nice fellow to know. I should really like to meet him." - -"So would I," Goodnight replied, then added significantly with a sparkle -of anticipation in his eyes, "Who knows? Perhaps some day, Doctor, not -too distant, we _shall_." - - - - - RACE AROUND THE SUN - - -Steve Gordon stared out of the forward port of the _Condon Comet_, which -was streaking toward the sun. A dense filter protected his eyes from the -searing brilliance of the star, looming ever larger by the day and hour -as the rocket devoured the miles at a speed never before equaled by a -space flyer. - -"We'll whip Dennis easily if we can keep up this pace!" exclaimed -Steve's older brother, Bart, in his clipped way. - -Steve saw a gloating, almost fanatical, expression on Bart's face. -Bart's one passion in life was to beat a Dennis ship with a Condon -craft. The rivalry extended back eighteen years to 2003, when the -youths' fathers had first started their competing light-space-craft -companies. - -"Take a look out back, Steve, and see if we're still gaining," Bart -said. - -Steve left his seat and at the rear of the compartment searched the TV -screen, which showed the star-filled darkness behind the ship. A small -silvery mote, the _Dennis Meteor_, moved against the immobile stars. - -"We're well ahead," Steve reported, turning back. "Why don't you let up, -Bart? We'll burn out our jets at this speed!" - -Bart's expression was grimly set. "This is the moment Dad wished for all -his life, Steve. A Condon ship has always played second best to a -Dennis. Now that we seem to have broken through, do you think I'm going -to let up?" - -Steve realized that an eventual victory for Bart would not settle -anything, for then Jim Dennis would strike back with an even better ship -next year, and the fight would continue. On and on it would go until one -of them took a foolhardy chance. Then disaster would be the final victor -in the feud. - -"We're going a hundred miles a second!" Steve protested. "We're already -ahead of Jim's last year's record!" - -"I'm going to set a record around the sun that no Dennis ship will ever -top!" Bart asserted stubbornly. - -Steve had come along as Bart's assistant mainly in the hope of somehow -calming his brother's hotly competitive spirit and restraining him from -over-stepping the bounds of common caution in this race that held the -interest of the entire world. - -Steve looked over the strain dials on the control panel. The needle was -wavering toward the danger point. - -"Bart, slow down!" Steve burst out. "We'll shake ourselves to pieces! -This refrigerator gauge has been acting funny too!" - -Bart checked the panel dials. "I guess we can afford to coast a little," -he admitted. - -They pushed levers, and Steve felt the little ship bucking gently as her -forward jets braked to slower speed. - -"Why do you and Jim have to keep going on like this year after year?" -Steve asked. "A Dennis-Condon merger would make for a terrific space -ship." - -Bart grinned tolerantly. "Still trying, aren't you, Steve?" Then he -frowned. "If Jim Dennis wants peace, let him come to us. Then we'll -incorporate his best points in our machines and call them Condons." - -"It would have to be a fifty-fifty proposition, Bart," Steve reminded -him. "Jim has as much pride as we do." - -The younger man studied the slowly enlarging yolk of Sol in front of -them. In spite of the heavy filter over the port, it seemed as though -the terrific light and heat were burning through his eyes. - -This was Steve's first trip, but he had been told by Bart that the -celestial furnace had an aura about it that seemed to penetrate clear to -one's bones. Their refrigerating unit and heat-repulsing hull would be -taxed hard to keep them from bursting into flame. - -"Better check on Jim again," Bart said impatiently. - -"He's holding back; I know he is. He won't try to overtake us yet," -Steve replied. Nevertheless, he got up to take another look at the -screen. He was glad to see that his assumption was correct. - -He returned to his seat at the panel and carefully kept tab on the -readings, covering first one dial and then another. Some minutes later -the refrigerator-gauge needle unexpectedly soared above the subzero -mark. Almost at the same moment, Steve felt encroaching heat pressing in -on him from all sides. The sweat popped out. The heat filled his -nostrils, burned his lungs. - -"The refrigerator has broken down!" Steve gasped. - -His gaze shifted to Bart, who was rubbing a moist hand over his -crimsoning face. Bart's fingers jerked instinctively from the levers -that had quickly grown too hot to handle. In the motion, Bart's arm -carelessly brushed against one of the side jet levers. The ship veered -on its gyroscopic balance and plunged out of control. - -Steve bumped against the far corner of the compartment, feeling bruises -all over him, but he was not really hurt, although it seemed as though -he were breathing fire. Bart's head had struck the fire drill, a big -welding machine for repairing breaks in the hull, stupefying him. - -Steve shook his head to clear it and scrambled to his seat, righting the -ship again and putting it on automatic pilot. Then he got up and hurried -down the corridor to the garb room. His magnetic shoes clacked along the -metal floor. Hurriedly, Steve donned space suit, oxygen tank, and -helmet. - -The insulated gear momentarily cut out the oppressive heat. But in -another few minutes he and Bart would be sizzling like steaks on a -griddle, for even the insulation of their suits could not withstand raw -heat for long. The only way out, as Steve saw it, was to call on Jim -Dennis. - -Steve carried another set of gear down the corridor and shook Bart. "Put -this on, Bart," he said. "It'll protect you from the heat." - -Bart was gasping in the hot air of the compartment, his face scarlet and -shining, but he took the gear. Next, Steve went outside onto the skin of -the _Condon Comet_. The vault of starlight closed in all about him, and -the deep web of midnight space seemed to extend endlessly. There was the -sweeping veil of the Milky Way galaxy and here closer the pulsing, -blinding sphere of Sol. There was another startling light, a driving -streak of firestreams and silvery glow--the _Dennis Meteor_. - -Jim and his co-pilot, Pete Rogers, could hardly miss seeing them. -Quickly the _Dennis Meteor_ drew abreast of the _Condon Comet_, but then -it swept on past overhead! - -Steve felt bitterness and disappointment well up in him. He had always -thought Jim to be a "right guy." Could it be that the winning of the -race was more important to him than two persons' lives? - -The only hope now was a hasty repair of the refrigerator unit. Steve -hustled back into the ship and made his way to the rear where the -cooling machinery was located. He found Bart working there, his helmet -off. Steve removed his own helmet, for apparently Bart had repaired the -trouble. The customary blandness of the atmosphere had been restored. - -"What happened to it?" Steve asked. - -"The dynamo burned out," Bart answered. "I just coupled in the spare -one. Where have you been?" - -"Out on the skin," Steve said. "I was trying to signal Jim Dennis." - -Bart's face went red again, and he muttered to himself. - -"I didn't think there was any chance of repairing the trouble," Steve -went on. - -"I'd rather burn than take help from Jim Dennis!" Bart snapped. "Did -Dennis see you?" - -"He must have. He went right overhead." - -"Obviously he didn't stop, though." - -"No, he didn't," Steve said frankly. - -"I wouldn't have believed that of Dennis," Bart murmured. "I thought he -was a better man than that." - -"He may not have seen me, Bart. Let's give him the benefit of the -doubt." - -"I'll give him nothing!" Bart rapped. "If Jim Dennis wants a fight to -the finish, we'll give it to him!" - -Bart began immediately to battle to regain their lead. It was a -frenzied, closely fought contest for many hours, the lead seesawing back -and forth. It took the top speed Bart's craft was capable of to gain the -lead he was finally able to maintain. - -Only when Jim Dennis appeared content to linger behind again did Bart -cut their driving velocity. Once more Steve felt he could breathe -easier--for a while at least. - -In the days that followed, there were no changes in position. Steve and -Bart took turns at the controls during the sleeping periods. They could -see the planet Venus at a distance. Their flight had been planned to -avoid close proximity with Earth's twin because of the retarding effect -of her gravity. - -The sun steadily dominated the sky, an enormous cottony ball of atomic -fury with a surface temperature of 6000 degrees centigrade and an -interior heat around 20,000,000 degrees. The red leaping flames of the -chromosphere were like the mountainous waves of a gigantic cosmic ocean -as they lapped millions of miles out into surrounding space. Magnetic -storms--sunspots--all of them large enough to swallow the Earth, were -seen as whirling dark cyclones in the sea of gas. - -As the _Condon Comet_ moved around and behind the star, it began to -close in on the planet Mercury. The ship was actually overtaking the -miniature world even though it was circling the sun at a rapid thirty -miles a second. - -On the fifth day away from Earth, the _Condon Comet_ reached its apogee, -the farthest point of its orbit from the mother planet. It was "behind" -the sun now, the dominant ball eclipsing the Earth. By now Mercury had -grown hugely, a big pebbly world that literally shimmered with the -frightening heat that poured down upon it. It was a startling sight, -halved into hemispheres of darkness and extreme brilliance. The closer -side was so hot that streams of molten tin and lead flowed, while that -side away from the sun approached the arctic cold of absolute zero. - -"I hope we don't have to land there, Bart," Steve spoke uncomfortably, -looking out the port. - -They began to feel the gravitational attraction of the miniature world, -and they had to bolster rocket fire to combat it. Unlike Venus, Mercury -could not be avoided in this flight. - -Steve watched the gauges, especially the refrigerator dial. The latter -was holding up well under this maximum barrage of heat from Sol, but -there was still an oppressive hotness that reached through the laboring -artificial coolness and penetrated Steve's pores like insidious rays. - -"If the _Comet_ isn't superior to Dennis's in any other way, it's made -of better heat-resistant alloy," Bart had said with self-assurance -before leaving Earth. Steve wondered now if the proof of this assertion -would be settled before both ships were beyond the sun's reach. - -Hours later, when the _Condon Comet_ had passed Mercury, Steve was -impelled to check on their rivals behind. For a moment he couldn't find -the ship on the TV screen. When he spotted it at last, by changing the -direction of the movable screen, he was amazed to find the craft far -below, hovering over the planet. - -"Bart!" Steve called. "It looks as if Jim and Pete are in trouble! -They're diving for Mercury and seem to be heading for the terminator -line between the dark half and the light!" - -Steve wished there were some kind of radio communication between the -ships, but electrical interference from the sun made radio impossible on -these round-the-sun races. - -"We've got to go down there, Bart," Steve said. - -"We haven't won yet, Steve. There's still the record to beat." - -"Will you stop thinking about records!" Steve retorted. "There are a -couple of men down there in trouble!" - -"Did they stop for us?" Bart bit out. "It's probably only a trick to -lure us down so that Dennis can make a quick getaway!" - -But Steve knew that his brother was not as cold-hearted as he pretended -to be. Bart proved it in the next few minutes when he reluctantly turned -the _Comet's_ nose downward with a savage thrust of the upper tail jets. - -"You'll never regret this," Steve said. - -"I wonder," Bart grunted, without satisfaction. - -As the ship moved strongly into Mercury's gravitation field, Bart lined -the automatic pilot up with the tiny speck on the rocky world below that -was the _Dennis Meteor_. Then he and Steve strapped down on their -protective couches for the grueling landing. - -Steve felt as though his chest were crushed under the rapid -deceleration. It was the effect of a swiftly dropping elevator -multiplied hundreds of times as the _Comet's_ forward jets thrust -against Mercury's crust to brake the hurtling speed. Steve finally -blacked out; he always did. When he came to, they had landed, and -through blurry eyes Steve saw his brother struggling to release himself -from his straps. - -They went to the port. The _Dennis Meteor_ was in bad shape, its prow -crumpled into a huge face of rock. Its occupants could have been killed -by the concussion, although there was a good chance that they were still -alive if they had had time to strap down. - -Steve noted their rugged surroundings, where strange rock pillars thrust -into the black sky from a shimmering, white-hot plain. Snaky rifts of -incalculable depth split the torrid landscape. - -"The ship landed on its side," Bart observed, speaking over his -short-range helmet radio. "The escape port is underneath!" - -There was no point of exit from the ship for the trapped occupants if -they were still alive, Steve observed. Even the rocket tubes had been -crushed flat. Actually the _Dennis Meteor_ was a complete ruin, its -entire glossy surface warped and corrugated. - -"You can see the ship broke down under the heat," Bart said. "That's why -they had to crash-land." - -"Look here on the other side!" Steve's voice suddenly crackled in alarm -over his helmet radio. - -Bart joined him. Only now did they see that the craft had nearly rolled -down a precipitous incline into a canyon stream of molten lead far -below. The ship was balanced precariously on the ledge. It seemed as if -the slightest jar would send it hurtling down the slope. - -"We've got to get them out of there before the ship falls!" Steve said. -"The precipice looks so crumbly it may give way at any minute!" - -"I don't see how we can get them out," Bart commented. - -Steve thought a moment. "The fire drill! We can cut a hole in the top of -the ship!" - -Bart frowned. "The force of the drill or even our weight on top of it -may cause the ship to go. But if you're game, I am." - -They brought the fire drill out of the _Condon Comet_, and as they -climbed up onto the warped hull of the other ship with it, Bart smiled -wryly. "I never thought I'd see the day that I'd risk my neck for a -Dennis," he remarked. - -A moment later, when Bart was about to start the drill, he asked, "Ever -try swimming through molten metal, Steve? You'd better think about it. -We may be doing it in a second." - -Steve felt weak in the knees as he looked down into the plunging gulf -where the metallic river tossed against blackened rocks. A person flung -into that stream would be a cinder in scant moments. - -Steve gritted his teeth. "Start it up, Bart." - -The machine whined into action, pouring a thin stream of blue-hot biting -energy against the heat-resistant alloy. The rocket shuddered under the -drill's action, and Steve felt waves of fear course through him. The -drill moved in an arc that was to be a circle barely large enough for -the two men inside to squeeze through in their space suits. - -When the job was halfway done, the ship ground forward several feet. -Steve saw Bart's face drain whitely. Steve could almost feel the -scorching bite of liquid metal against his body. Yet the ship somehow -clung stubbornly to its precarious support. - -They renewed their efforts, and the arc grew. Finally the circle was -full round. Bart stood up and jammed a foot against the isolated ring, -and it dropped inside. Steve held his breath as he looked in, afraid of -what he might see. He felt immeasurable relief as Jim and Pete came up -to the opening attired in space gear. They shoved a ladder into place -and started up. Steve gave Pete a hand, for he seemed to be shaken up. -Suddenly the ship rumbled a foot or two. It was going any instant. The -four of them carefully walked the length of the craft and made their way -down the flattened rocket tubes. - -Bart was the last to jump to the ground. His movement affected the -delicate balance of the ship, and it slid forward, its stern arching -straight up as it dipped over the gulf. The ground shook, and a moment -later the _Dennis Meteor_ had thundered to oblivion into the river of -lead. - -After Jim and Pete had expressed gratitude for their rescue, the four -fell into silence as they trooped back to the _Condon Comet_. Although -no one spoke, Steve felt that the others, like himself, must be thinking -many things. Would this mark the end of the long feud, or would it be -only a temporary truce? - -Jim Dennis walking with a limp, studied the Condon ship. He circled the -rocket completely and closely examined the smooth hull, still undamaged -by the abnormal heat bombardment it was taking. - -When they were inside, Jim was the first to speak. "This ship is -terrific," he said simply. - -"You admit that?" Bart asked incredulously. - -"I've never seen a craft stand up so perfectly under extreme heat," Jim -continued. "I think you've done it, Bart. It's the finest light space -ship ever built." - -"An engineer who started out with Dad made this alloy," Bart declared. -"He told me he thought he had finally come up with the ideal metal." - -"The _Meteor_ rattled like an old freighter the whole way!" Jim -complained. "We spent a lot of time in the rear checking on the rocket -tubes. We were afraid they'd shake loose. I guess we must have been back -there when we passed you, for the last time I looked out you were ahead -of us." - -That explained why they hadn't seen his wave, Steve thought. - -"It sure was a lucky break for us that you brought your drill along," -Jim went on. "I had so much confidence in the _Meteor_ I was sure we -wouldn't need it." - -"I felt the same way," Bart admitted, "but Steve insisted we bring it. -That kid brother of mine always did have more practical sense than I." - -"I've been doing a lot of thinking since we crash-landed, Bart," Jim -said. "I've been thinking that maybe this feud has gone on long enough -and that you must be as sick of it as I am. Together, we could turn out -ships that would be just about perfect. What do you say, Bart?" - -Bart's face grew stern and thoughtful. Finally he answered, "I'll have -to think it over first, Dennis." - -"While you're thinking, we may as well have a look-see," Jim said. He -went over to the panel and checked the readings. "You seem to be way -ahead of my old record, Bart. You're still going to try to beat it, -aren't you?" - -Steve knew this remark had broken down the last of Bart's stubborn pride -and reserve. His brother smiled and thrust out his hand to Jim Dennis. -"You're a good loser, Jim," he said. - -"I'm no loser," Jim answered, grinning. "I'm a winner--we both are." - -Young Steve Condon sighed contentedly. He glanced at Pete Rogers, who -winked at him. Jim and Bart sat down side by side at the control panel -of the _Condon Comet_. Steve didn't doubt for a moment that the long -feud was finally at an end. He was satisfied that his father would have -liked it this way. - - - - - FLIGHT OF THE CENTAURUS - - -Spacemaster Brigger came into the navigation compartment of the -_Centaurus_, which was thrusting into the starry night of space far -beyond Saturn. Rob Allison, junior officer, looked up from the desk -where he sat, wondering at the frown on the skipper's face. - -"It's just as I feared, Allison," Mr. Brigger said gravely. "The men are -sorry they signed on for Titania and are grumbling already. They think -they'll be ridiculed when they get back." - -"Because of Dr. Franz's being discredited by all the scientists, I -suppose?" - -The skipper nodded. "They're sure they're on a wild-goose chase. I'm -afraid I'm inclined to agree with them." - -"I guess you and the crew, sir, are only reflecting the opinion of -almost everyone else on Earth," Rob mused bitterly. - -The spacemaster of the _Centaurus_ dropped onto a plastic bench beside a -port that overlooked the star fields of the outer solar system. "Exactly -why did your brother Grant authorize this expedition, Allison? Does he -really believe we'll find animal life on Uranus' satellite or is it -something else?" - -Grant Allison, an illustrious front-rank explorer of several years -before, was now president of Interplanet Exploration, which controlled -research space travel. - -Rob relaxed as he prepared to answer. "You probably didn't know, sir, -that Dr. Franz put my brother through space school when our father -couldn't afford it. He was Grant's teacher in space mechanics in high -school and thought he showed unusual promise." - -"That would explain President Allison's interest in Dr. Franz," Mr. -Brigger agreed, "but I can't understand an intelligent man like your -brother falling for a harebrained story such as Dr. Franz told." - -The facts of Dr. Franz's amazing discovery were known to the whole -world. While studying the planet Uranus a distance of two and a half -years before, the research ship blew a rocket tube and was forced down -on Titania, Uranus' largest moon. While the crewmen repaired the craft, -Dr. Franz went prospecting. After he returned, he reported that he saw -fish life swimming beneath Titania's solid ice sheet, where the -temperature was 300 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The crewmen were too -interested in their work and, not having a scientific curiosity anyhow, -did not bother to verify the scientist's claim. - -Upon returning to Earth, Dr. Franz, who was in the early stage of a -fatal illness, told the scientific world of his remarkable discovery. He -was totally unprepared for the rebuff he received from all quarters. No -scientist on Earth would admit that Dr. Franz's preposterous tale could -possibly be true. Those people who would not go as far as calling Dr. -Franz a dishonest publicity seeker (as some did) were nevertheless -agreed that the ordeal he had gone through must have been too much for -him. Dr. Franz died six months later of his illness--a brokenhearted -man. - -"Grant truly believed Dr. Franz found life on Titania," Rob said to the -skipper of the _Centaurus_. "He's so sure of it that he has risked his -own career on this expedition. If this fails, he says public sentiment -will force him out of office." - -"Your brother must have a lot of confidence in you, Allison," Mr. -Brigger said, "making you head of this research trip which is so -important to him. But from what I hear of your exploits on other -planets, he has reason to trust you." - -"Thank you," Rob murmured. "I couldn't do a good job, though, if I -didn't believe as whole-heartedly in this as Grant does. I believe, as -Grant does, that Dr. Franz spoke the truth." - -"It will certainly be a revolutionary discovery for science if you find -and bring back evidence of that," the skipper admitted. - -Before leaving the compartment, Mr. Brigger added, "Let's hope we don't -have a mutiny on our hands before this thing is over." - -Alone, Rob got up and stared out of the port into the perpetual black -deeps where the star points glowed like polished gems. - -Some minutes later a young spaceman with sandy, disordered hair that -even space regulations could do nothing with, came into the compartment. -Jim Hawley was Rob's best friend and had flighted a number of -expeditions with him. There was a sober look on Jim's customarily jovial -face. - -"The men are complaining like babies, Rob," Jim said. "Do you think -they'll be any good to us?" - -"They'll have to be, Jim," Rob answered grimly. "They're all we have." - -Jim looked at his stalwart young friend in admiration. "You and Grant -are all right, Rob. Not many men would risk their careers on an old -man's whims. Aren't you scared--just a little bit?" - -"I'm plenty scared," Rob told him, with a nervous smile. "I'm only a -subofficer of five months, and here I am in charge of an expedition. -Don't think that isn't frightening. In a sense, the lives of all men -aboard the ship will be in my hands after we land." - -"If you need me," Jim assured him, "here's one buddy you can count on." - -Two days later the Centaurus had intercepted the orbit of Titania and -was beginning to barrel surfaceward. Rob, looking outside from the -officer's platform up forward, saw a huge rocky world filling the port, -its mantle of ice shimmering in the reflected light of the unseen -primary body. - -The _Centaurus_ dropped lower over a plateau that Rob had pointed out to -Mr. Brigger as the spot where Dr. Franz had visited. The underjets threw -out pencils of braking power to check the plunge of the space ship. - -Finally the _Centaurus_ touched down on its tail fins and then -Spacemaster Brigger said to Rob, "It's all yours now, Allison." - -Looking out over the hoary wilderness, completely airless because of the -little world's inability to retain an atmosphere, Rob felt suddenly -incompetent. Only now did he realize fully his youthful inexperience. It -was one thing to be an idle witness on a journey; it was another to be -in charge of a crew of men. - -Rob heard footsteps on the platform and turned to see Jim Hawley walking -up. Jim grinned in his engaging fashion, and it was like a tonic to -Rob's spirits. - -"What do you say we get started, Rob?" he said. "We've got a lot to do." - -Rob had the skipper round up the crew in the orientation compartment as -soon as he had made his own plans. Then he laid before them the order of -procedure. On a flannel board he tacked an enlarged map he had copied -from one owned by Dr. Franz. - -"Here's a sketch of this area," Rob explained. "Dr. Franz neglected to -mark where he had seen the fishlike animal swimming beneath the ice. He -did report that he was only able to find one after days of searching. -They must be very scarce." - -"So scarce there probably aren't any at all," retorted one of the -subofficers in a low voice. - -Rob ignored the remark and went on with his explanation. "We'll scatter -out over the area and begin searching. It won't be an easy job because -the ice isn't completely clear but is streaked through with ammonia and -other opaque solubles." - -"Just how long will we have to keep up this search?" another crewman -demanded. "I don't want to spend Christmas in this forsaken place." - -Spacemaster Brigger spoke up then. "We can spend seven days on searching -and still have enough supplies and fuel to get us home again. If we -don't find anything in that time, we start back just the same. Is that -clear, Mr. Allison?" - -"Yes, sir," Rob said. Seven days sounded like ample time, but the area -they had to cover was several square miles. From Dr. Franz's description -of the place, the liquid medium beneath the ice was wide and deep, a -veritable ocean. Beneath this solution the ice began again and extended -into the core of the small planet. - -Explanations over, the majority of the crew, about twenty spacemen, -climbed into their space gear, Rob and Jim with them. Mr. Brigger and a -few key personnel would remain aboard to attend the operational -facilities of the ship. The suits were triple-reinforced against the -exceeding cold and were electrically heated. The helmets, with inside -radio sets, were frost-free types, and the shoes were doubly weighted -and spike-soled for navigating over the icy, low-gravity surface. - -The men descended to the ground on an escalator dropped from the side of -the _Centaurus_. Rob had the men spread out, two by two, as safety -buddies. He concentrated on the farther corners of the ice field to -begin with, intending to bring the searchers closer and closer to the -ship each day. - -As the men began hiking over the glacier, Rob and Jim talked together -through their helmet radio sets. - -"I don't understand how the water under the ice flows without freezing -in this superlow temperature," Jim remarked. - -"It can't be water," Rob answered. "It's something else, probably a -liquefied gas with an extremely low freezing point. Wherever it is, it -must contain all the elements needed to support its strange life forms." - -"Let's start looking too, Jim," Rob suggested. - -The first "day" passed without success. Then the second. Night was only -a relative term, for Uranus, Titania's main source of light, was never -out of the sky. On the third day, some of the men complained about -having to spend ten hours at a time in biting cold weather searching for -something they were sure did not even exist. Despite the men's heavily -insulated suits, the ultralow temperature that frosted the suits like -mold could not be entirely kept out. Rob sympathized with the men, but -there was no other way to do the job. - -It was on the fifth day that one of the searchers spotted a small -thick-bodied shape several feet beneath the ice. The cordon of searchers -had closed in more than halfway to the ship by now. - -"Jim, will you supervise operation of the ice saw?" Rob asked, when they -had joined the men who had made the discovery. - -Jim nodded and left. - -"Has it moved yet?" Rob asked one of the crewmen, trying to curb the -almost overpowering excitement he felt. - -"No," one of them replied. "It seems to be dead and embedded in the -ice." - -Presently the ice saw came trundling up on its ski runners, being pushed -along by Jim and two others. It was a boxlike machine, heavily insulated -against the cold. Jim dropped the blade and turned on the machine, -guiding it along an invisible outline around the imprisoned thing. He -went over the cuts several times, lowering the blade each time until a -depth of several feet was reached. Then he gave the saw a side-to-side -motion, and there was a sharp crack as the block of ice was snapped off -beneath the surface. - -By now all the searchers had come over. Jim worked the lifters on the -machine and the block of ice, containing its inanimate prisoner, was -raised and set down. The men crowded close and looked. Then Rob looked, -and Jim. Rob felt a sickening disappointment as he realized their -failure. There was no creature inside the ice at all. It was nothing but -a slab of rock. - -One of the men snorted contemptuously. Another laughed openly in scorn. - -Rob bit his lips and regretfully ordered the ice saw back to the ship. -Then he sent the men back to their positions of search. - -The young officer felt little hope. The ring was closing in toward the -_Centaurus_. There wasn't much more area that hadn't already been -examined. Rob, realizing the attitude of the men, knew they hadn't -probed as diligently as they were supposed to have. Very likely large -areas had been only carelessly examined. But that couldn't be helped. - -Rob went through the last day with the slow resignation of defeat -settling within him. In only a few hours the searchers would have -covered the entire area, and their own moment of victory would be at -hand. - -When the search was finally over and still no one had found anything -moving beneath the ice, Rob knew how it felt to taste defeat. - -Jim clapped Rob sympathetically on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rob," he -said. "Perhaps later on there will be another expedition." - -"There won't be any more to this place, you can be sure of that!" Rob -blurted. "After this failure, the Space Command certainly won't send any -more good money after bad!" - -Later, as all on board the _Centaurus_ slept, Rob tossed restlessly on -his cot. He heard the quiet breathing of the crewmen in the adjoining -compartments. They were happy; their reluctant job was done and they -were going home. The blast-off was scheduled for 0600 the next morning. - -Rob could not stand his plaguing thoughts. He got out of bed and pulled -on his clothes. He looked across the room at Jim Hawley, breathing -deeply in sound slumber. Rob walked down the corridor to the garb room -and began tugging on space gear. He realized only then how bone-weary he -was, how his head ached from the tension of the past weeks, how heavily -his heart throbbed in his breast. He couldn't relax any place now, he -knew, but it would be easier outside, continuing the search to the very -end. - -Rob tucked an electron gun in the holster of his suit, then left the -_Centaurus_. He struck out over the glacier pack, his head lowered. It -came to him then how difficult it would have been for the men to detect -any moving object in the murky maze below. - -Hours passed and Rob found himself far from the ship. He was shivering -from the stubborn cold. He turned the heat in his suit to full strength -and pushed his aching legs faster to speed up the circulation. His eyes -never left the ground, searching, searching.... - -If he were the only one involved in the failure, it wouldn't matter so -much, but it was his brother's problem too. Grant hadn't made many -mistakes on research expeditions--that was why he held the highest -office in the organization. After this, though, it would go hard with -him. Then there was the misunderstood Dr. Franz, who deserved a better -fate than being labeled an old man who in his final days seemed to have -lost his clear, scientific outlook. - -"Maybe, though, the public was right," Rob thought. "Maybe it was a hoax -Dr. Franz pulled in order to gain public recognition he had never quite -made." But even now, in the blackest moment, Rob couldn't really believe -this of the dear friend who had launched his brother's career. - -Rob's legs were beginning to feel like stumps as the time dragged on. He -stumbled often on burls of ice that cluttered the wasteland. Finally he -tripped and fell heavily, and it seemed that he did not even have the -strength to rise again. His helmet was flat on the ice and his eyes, -misted over with sleeplessness, were still looking downward. - -_Then he caught a sign of movement in the depths._ He blinked his eyes -to clear the glaze out of them. - -"There it is again!" he said aloud. "It's no hallucination either!" It -was a long dark shape threading its way sluggishly down below. Now the -thing was rising to the surface. Cold, bulging eyes peered into his own. - -With numb fingers Rob uncached his electron gun and pressed the barrel -against the ice. A moment later the creature was hanging buoyant and -lifeless under the submerged edge of the ice layer. Rob struggled to his -feet, astounded at the renewed energy he now had. He memorized the spot -as best his dazed faculties would allow. Then he laid the pistol on the -ice for an additional marker. He began running toward the ship. - -From that moment on, Rob's mind seemed to be in a dream world. He -vaguely remembered the long way back to the space ship and then nearly -collapsing before reaching it. He dimly remembered Jim, who had missed -him, coming outside and assisting him into the warmth of the vessel. And -he barely recalled pouring out the story of his find. - -Now, much later, he was fully awake and the nightmare was over. He found -himself on his cot, fully dressed. Jim Hawley was looking down on him. -Rob was aware that the ship was moving. He knew the _Centaurus_ had -already blasted off for home. - -"Did you find--!" he exclaimed. - -Jim soothed him with a smile. "Yeah, we dug out your monster and we've -got him aboard. If you're through being a sleepyhead, I'll take you to -see him." - -[Illustration: _Cold, bulging eyes peered into his own._] - -"How long have I been under?" - -"Twelve hours." - -"Wow!" - -"Feel rested?" - -"Good as new," Rob answered. - -They went down the corridor to one of the cold-storage compartments. -Several of the crew were inside, as well as the skipper. But Rob wasn't -noticing the men. He was looking at a dark alien form lying on the -floor. Rob went over closer and knelt down. The creature was fishlike, -and the strangest thing about it was the glistening dark skin, similar -to metal. Rob touched it and it was like stroking cold steel. - -"No wonder it can live in such frigid temperatures," Rob murmured, "with -a metallic covering like that! Won't the scientists back home have a -picnic dissecting him?" - -He stood up and found his gaze level with Mr. Brigger's. - -"I never believed in your fantastic theory," the chief officer said, -"and I still doubt it after I've seen it. But I admired your spirit from -the first, Allison. I believe you would have been as good a loser as a -winner and I'm proud to have flighted with you." - -He smiled and offered his hand to Rob, who shook it. Then the others -came forward, and they too offered congratulations. But Rob's thoughts -weren't for his own success this day. They were reaching ahead to when -Grant Allison would be even more of a fabulous figure in the field of -space science, and Dr. Franz would at last have claimed his -well-deserved victory. - - - - - EXPEDITION PLUTO - - -"The lieutenant doesn't think you've got your mind on navigation, Rob," -Duff Ford was saying, as he and Rob Allison stood before a port of the -rocket ship _Rigel_ looking out over the sea of space. - -"Does it show that much?" the lean young spaceman answered. - -"We'll find him, Rob," the redhead answered. "Stop eating your heart -out." - -"You never knew Jim Hawley, did you, Duff?" Rob asked. - -"No, but from what I've heard of him, he's quite a guy. Always smiling -and bursting with friendliness." - -"That's Jim," Rob said, a tightness in his throat. "I sure would like to -know what happened to him and the others on Pluto." - -"How come you didn't get to go along on the first Pluto expedition?" -Duff asked. "I thought you and Jim Hawley always went together." - -"I've been working with my brother in the States," Rob replied. "As the -new president of Interplanet Exploration, he's been awfully busy." - -"There's a real guy," Duff said with admiration, "your brother Grant. I -guess he's the greatest spaceman who's been born. And judging by your -own record around the solar system, Rob, you're not far behind him." - -"Thanks for the flattery," Rob said, grinning. - -It felt good to smile again. He hadn't smiled since he'd learned about -the break in communication from the Pluto expedition ship _Capella_. The -breakoff had come suddenly after landing, and the source of the trouble -was unknown. As soon as Rob had heard that the _Rigel_ was going in -search of the missing explorers, he had signed up for the trip as -assistant to the navigator. He'd been grateful for the companionship of -young Duff Ford, a likeable fellow he'd met in space school. Duff was a -regular crewman, an air purifier, on the _Rigel_. - -Duff was speaking again. "Think we'll get by the big boy there with the -halo?" - -Rob looked at the giant, glowing pearl of Saturn, which had been growing -before their eyes for the past couple of days. Though placid and -beautiful against the velvet sky, the ringed planet was a real menace to -the _Rigel_. - -"Lieutenant Stone said it's going to be a tight squeeze," Rob answered. -"We hope we've got enough rocket power to fight off the terrific gravity -pull of Saturn and his moons." - -"I can't understand why we couldn't go on a beeline to Pluto without -even coming close to the other planets," Duff said. "Pluto is a long -ways off the plane of the outer planets, isn't it?" - -"We could," Rob answered, "if it weren't for floating clouds of -explosive hydrogen which have been found to exist outside of the plane -of the ecliptic. That's why we have to stay in close until we're past -Neptune." - -"Won't Uranus and Neptune give us trouble?" Duff asked. "They're pretty -big too." - -"Uranus is far around on his orbit, and Neptune is heading away from us. -However, we'll see Neptune at a distance." - -Hours later Rob was in the navigation compartment with Lieutenant Stone, -his immediate superior. They were leaning over a level ground-glass -screen upon which were a projected television image and a panel of -dials. In the middle of the scene was poised the oblate sphere of Saturn -and its spinning necklace of millions of meteoric particles. Scattered -about were globes of varying sizes, which were Saturn's moons. The -screen surface was roughened to take pencil marks. A tiny dot -represented the _Rigel_, and arcs were drawn to show the motions of all -the objects. - -"Our closest approach to the planet will be here at point 'X'," spoke -the navigator. Glancing at his watch, he added, "We've got about five -minutes to go." - -As they waited, Rob went over to the side port where he could watch the -luminous planet directly. He thought he had never seen a sight so -beautiful. Saturn was banded with color layers something in the manner -of Jupiter, only in softer tints. Riotous masses seethed and tossed in -the cauldron of fury beneath the apparently paper-thin girdle of shaded -bands. - -"It's gorgeous--but deadly too," Lieutenant Stone commented. - -"Yes, sir," Rob murmured, "and I'm in no mood for a bath of methane and -ammonia. We've got to get to Pluto; that's the only thing that's -important!" - -At zero hour, all rockets were blowing at full capacity. Rob could feel -the _Rigel_ bending to the implacable will of the big world. As the -ship's nose was pulled inward, the young spaceman could see the anxiety -on his superior's face. - -"I hope we've calculated this thing correctly, Rob," the lieutenant said -tightly. "The ship should begin to turn tail on Saturn in a little -while." - -But the _Rigel_ still had not turned after twenty, nor even forty, -minutes. - -"We're losing ground!" Lieutenant Stone said, checking a dial on the -screen. "Something's wrong! But that can't be!" - -Rob went over to the screen, where the spectroscope dial showed that the -globe was growing closer, although it was not visibly so. If the _Rigel_ -were not checked within a short time, the space ship would plunge into -Saturn's poisonous atmosphere! Rob picked up a clipboard of papers and -began studying it. - -"I'd give anything if we were on the _Procyon_ which took you and your -brother to Jupiter!" Lieutenant Stone complained. "The _Rigel_'s built -primarily for distance and hasn't a fraction of the _Procyon_'s rocket -thrust!" - -"There seems to be something wrong in the figures for Titan!" Rob -suddenly spoke. - -Lieutenant Stone looked over his shoulder. Silently the two went through -the figures, inspecting every equation where the numbers appeared -relating to Saturn's largest satellite. - -"The figures are wrong in two places!" the officer exclaimed. "No wonder -we miscalculated the total gravity pull! Whoever prepared these notes -back at the base will surely catch it! I guess we can't blame him too -much, though. These figures were worked up on extra short notice for -us." - -"What're we going to do, lieutenant?" Rob asked. "The ship's on top -power drive now!" - -Lieutenant Stone explained the new development over the intercom phone -to Spacemaster O'Leary. The skipper verified the fact that the _Rigel_ -was on full thrust. He said that there was no other alternative but to -abandon ship and make for the moon Japetus in the two space boats and -hope to be picked up later from there. - -"We can't abandon the ship!" Rob burst out uncontrollably. - -"And why not, Allison?" came the skipper's retort over the intercom. - -"I beg your pardon, sir, but I was thinking of the _Capella_ and her -crew!" Rob said. "What will happen to them?" - -"That can't be helped I'm afraid," the skipper replied. "My first duty -is to my ship and men. Both of you prepare to abandon ship." - -When Spacemaster O'Leary had cut off, Lieutenant Stone said, "I'm sorry, -Rob. I know how much you thought of Spaceman Hawley, but there's nothing -more to be done. Better get together what stuff you want to take along." - -However, as the officer began getting up his things, Rob remained at the -screen, poring over it and a little mathematical machine called an -electronic computer. - -"Ready to go, Rob?" Lieutenant Stone asked sometime later. - -"I think I've found something, sir!" Rob said, holding a place on the -screen with his finger. - -"A die-hard, if I ever saw one," murmured his superior, with an admiring -grin. He came over to see. - -"Scylla is known to have a slightly unpredictable orbit," Rob said. -"During the past few minutes I've traced it cutting inward toward the -planet. I've checked the moon's gravity-and-distance ratio on the -computer, and I believe if we delay the abandon-ship for several more -minutes we can pull free of Saturn and its family!" - -"Let me see," the lieutenant said. They checked the slight movement of -Saturn's tenth satellite, which had been discovered in 1963. Scylla was -tiny, a dense ball of rock only three miles in diameter. But its -diminishing gravity pull as it moved away could be enough to swing the -balance in favor of the _Rigel_. - -Lieutenant Stone agreed with Rob's finding in general, although in the -brief time available there was no opportunity to make a positive -measurement. He phoned the skipper, who was ready to send out the first -space boat. Lieutenant Stone reported to him Rob's find. - -"If you agree it's worth a chance, lieutenant, I'll play ball," the -skipper replied. - -As Rob stared apprehensively at the big planet from the side port, he -tormented himself about whether he had done the right thing in -suggesting what he did. Had the _Rigel_ been abandoned, as was planned, -all hands would have been saved. As things stood now, however, the -entire crew might perish. Still, Rob could not really regret taking the -responsibility. Times before, when there had been lives at stake, he had -stuck by his convictions and had never failed to accept danger when that -seemed the best move for all concerned. - -Rob and Lieutenant Stone kept their eyes glued on the TV screen, -particularly the speck that was Scylla and the slight motion it was -describing. Rob felt shudders rock the space ship as great powers locked -in combat. - -Some minutes later, Lieutenant Stone checked the dials and said with a -deep sigh of relief, "I think we've done it! Thanks, Rob!" - -They had done it. The balance was swung in favor of the _Rigel_ as -Saturn's tiny companion continued to move away, giving up the fight. -From now on the planet would appear to diminish in size, but it would be -many hours before its commanding sphere would be lost among the other -millions of lights in the heavens. - -For days and days, nothing seemed to change in the endless depths of -black space as the _Rigel_ sped toward Pluto. There were the same -monotonous patterns of stardust and the eternally broad sweep of the -Milky Way and other remote galaxies. Only the distant planets grew and -shrank in size. As the space ship neared Neptune, the big green world -enlarged importantly. Rob and Duff, in an off-duty hour, watched the -frigid, lonely planet. - -"Neptune reminds me a little of Earth," Rob said. - -Duff's brows raised questioningly. "I can't see _any_ similarity. Why, -Neptune is four times Earth's diameter!" - -"But Neptune's mean surface gravity is the same as Earth's because of -its low density," Rob replied. "Like Saturn, another big puffball, -Neptune has a small rocky core surrounded by huge layers of ice and -atmosphere. Both Neptune and Earth have a greenish cast, and each has a -satellite of about the same size and at about the same distance away." - -"There's one big difference, though, Rob," Duff said. "Neptune's a -zillion times colder." - -"It's still not as cold as we're going to find Pluto," Rob reminded him, -"near absolute zero!" - -The redhead made a wry face. "Why did you have to say that? It's so warm -and comfortable in here!" - -As the _Rigel_ drove onward, thousands of miles a minute, day upon day, -Rob grew impatient to reach Pluto. He was thinking of Jim Hawley and the -_Capella_ crew undergoing unknown hardship and peril. The radio circuit -with the ill-fated space ship had been left open in case she was able to -get a message through. But none had come during all this time, and Rob -was beginning to doubt that he would ever see his fun-loving friend -again. - -The day finally came when the _Rigel_ hovered over the little planet, -which was not quite as large a world as Mars. Rob and Duff, with some of -the other crewmen in the pilots' compartment, stared down upon trackless -wastes of incredible frozen beauty. Ever since the ship had dropped low -enough to reveal the dazzling surface features of the solar system's -most distant planet, no one had spoken. The bizarre landscape seemed to -have awed everyone into a state of silent fascination. - -Suddenly Duff broke the quiet. "Look, what a pretty blue lake!" - -Rob saw the small body of water partly surrounded by a canyon of -towering ice cliffs. In the twilight glow of stars and the weak sun, the -lake and peaks sparkled with a clarity that reminded Rob of great -jewels. - -"It's a lake rightly enough," Spacemaster O'Leary said. "You can see the -ripples, but that's no water." He checked the thermocouple. "It's 348 -degrees below zero Fahrenheit down there! That's a lake of _liquid -oxygen_. I've seen them on the dark side of Mercury." - -Rob gasped in astonishment. He had visited most of the planets, but -there was nothing to compare with a wonder such as this. - -Lieutenant Stone then spoke. "Those ice cliffs don't look to be frozen -water. Do you think they might be chunks of dry ice, sir?" - -"That's my opinion," the spacemaster replied, "--solid carbon dioxide. -Notice those other crystal peaks off to the right. They are probably -ammonia. I've seen them on Mercury, too." - -There was a scant, dense atmosphere close to the ground--that had been -known. It was a strange-looking substance, Rob thought. It lay like a -blanket of gray-blue mist between the space ship, which was several -thousands of feet up, and the ground below. The compressed atmosphere -was filled with small clouds of icelike particles which floated lazily -near the surface like tiny fish in a cosmic ocean. Everything about the -scene suggested a terrible coldness almost beyond human realization. - -"Our bearings indicate this is approximately the area where the -_Capella_ was last heard from," the skipper declared. "But I see nothing -of the ship. Do any of you?" - -With the others, Rob strained his eyes to pick out a shiny cigar shape -in the bleak stretches below. It seemed an impossible task, and he was -reminded of an old analogy of the elusive needle in the haystack. There -were broad areas of dark rock between the icebergs, filmed over lightly -with rime. Such dark expanses could account for Pluto's weak solar -reflection, Rob decided. - -The _Rigel_ cut its power to a low cruising speed and began making a -detailed search. Scanning scopes were used to magnify the view, but the -job promised to be a long and painstaking one. - -Perhaps it would even take too long to be of any service to the -_Capella_, Rob thought gloomily, as his scope swept the ground. His -speculations then took an even grimmer turn. Perhaps the lake of oxygen -had swallowed up the space ship! Or maybe the craft lay buried under -layers of frost. - -The hours of search, many of them, dragged by. At last the skipper -called his crewmen together and make a pronouncement that shocked Rob. - -"There's no purpose in keeping up the search any longer," he said -decisively. "Even if we should find the ship now, we don't have enough -fuel to land and blast off again. I'm afraid the elements have claimed -the _Capella_ and that the first expedition to Pluto will have to be -written off the books." - -"But, sir,...!" Rob burst out. - -The spacemaster looked at him levelly. - -"I'm sorry, Rob. I realize you've got a more personal interest in the -_Capella_ than the rest of us. But we're simply licked." - -Rob turned away from him in abject despair and stared unseeingly out of -the port. Filling his inner eye, to the oblivion of all else, was the -sight of a grinning young spaceman, with a perpetually rumpled shock of -blond hair. _He'd never see Jim Hawley again._ Knowing this, it was as -though a part of himself had suddenly died. - -As the Rigel headed away from the area over which it had cruised -unsuccessfully for so long a time, a burst of static came over the -long-silent, open circuit of the space ship's radio. Rob's heart -thrilled with hope. Could it really be the _Capella_ trying to make -contact? - -More static followed, then a muffled voice, barely audible, saying: -"_Capella_ to space ship. Can you hear?" - -Spacemaster O'Leary scooped up the radio mike, eager as a child. "Yes! -Yes! Give your location!" - -The communication came over badly, but O'Leary found out that he was -speaking to the _Capella_'s skipper, Spacemaster Nielson. Port -telescopes were pointed to the spot given as the location of the downed -rocket. Rob focused his on the upright craft, which was buried in -hoarfrost and situated on the top of a slope leading down into the blue -oxygen lake. Rob realized that only the luckiest of glances could have -picked up the camouflaged ship. - -On the mike again, Spacemaster O'Leary asked, "Are all aboard the ship -well?" - -"We're all suffering from the cold," was the reply. "Remember we've been -here for weeks, although it seems like years! We had to draw from the -atomic reactor to make a heater, but that isn't adequate. Some of the -men have frostbite. The ship is under a foot of frozen matter as you can -see. The truth of the matter is we came woefully unprepared to tackle -such an icebox!" - -"How did you get marooned?" asked O'Leary. - -"As soon as we landed, the frost began piling up," Nielson replied. "It -clogged our jets and our aerial, which is the reason we lost contact -with Earth. The hull defrosters were a complete failure. We just now got -the antenna partially repaired after all these weeks. One of the -crewmen, Jim Hawley, had to work outside on it. He's taken an especially -rough beating from the cold." - -"I hate to tell you this," O'Leary said somberly, "but I don't know how -we can save you." He explained about the lowered fuel supply. Then he -reminded Spacemaster Nielson of the fact that even should the _Rigel_ -enter Pluto's atmosphere, she would most certainly be overcome by the -same fate that had been the _Capella_'s. - -Rob, hearing this, made a suggestion to Spacemaster O'Leary. "The two -space boats may be able to go down there and back before the frost gets -them, sir." - -The _Rigel_'s commander looked at him gravely, "I can't ask a crewman to -take a chance like that." - -Rob looked at him steadily. "I'll pilot one of the boats myself, sir." - -"You Allisons have more courage than sense," O'Leary retorted gruffly. -"But you can try it." - -Lieutenant Stone spoke up. "I'll take the other boat down, sir. -Lieutenant Myers can fill in as navigator if I fail to get back." - -Shortly later, as Rob climbed into one of the rescue craft, Duff Ford -followed him, similarly clothed in a cumbersome space suit. "You may -need some help, Rob," he said. - -Rob smiled at him. "Thanks, Duff. I guess I would like some company." - -Both youths carried heat guns, as did Lieutenant Stone, for blasting -ice. The escape locks of the _Rigel_ opened, and the boats slipped out -into the vacuum of space. The life crafts were propelled by jets of -compressed air and could seat nine men comfortably. Both boats would -thus easily accommodate the sixteen crew members of the _Capella_. The -suits worn by Rob and Duff were like those carried by the _Capella_'s -crew on the expedition. They were heavily insulated, electrically -heated, and contained air spaces for additional prevention of heat loss. - -Rob dove quickly toward the planet's surface. Time was the important -element in this venture. He saw the capsule shape of Lieutenant Stone's -boat, which had gotten a head start, just below. Rob felt a steady -battering against the hull as he neared the ground. This was caused by -the suspended frozen particles in the atmosphere. - -Rob opened the forward braking jets, which poured against the big flat -area of dry ice beneath. A dense cloud enveloped the craft as the -surface of the carbon dioxide was warmed and evaporated into gas. - -The landing, therefore, had to be made more through judgment than -through vision. When Rob felt a gentle bump under him, he felt -immeasurably better. - -"That was close!" Duff remarked over his helmet radio. - -"I see the lieutenant landed safely too," Rob said. "He's getting out." - -"He left his jets idling," Duff said. "Maybe we ought to do the same." - -"Right," Rob agreed. Cutting down the engine power, he then jumped out -with his heat gun, followed by Duff. - -The _Capella_ stood about forty feet away. The flat of dry ice was free -of the cloud now, and visibility was good under the glow of the stars -and the sun, which resembled a bright arc light. As Lieutenant Stone -came over with his gun in hand, Rob was shocked to see a coating of -frost growing over the officer's suit just like a fur covering! The same -thing was happening to him and Duff, of course. Rob was grateful for the -antifreeze compound which had been rubbed onto the facepiece of his -helmet to keep vision clear. - -"Let's get over there," the lieutenant said over his helmet radio. - -Rob could already feel the insidious cold getting in to him, seemingly -to the very marrow of his bones. The grimness of the situation was -relieved to some extent as he saw Lieutenant Stone crunching along in -front of him, clouds of vaporizing dry ice swirling comically upward -with every step he took. It looked as though his boots were smoking! - -The _Capella_ was an awesome, frigid sight. Its prow jutted upward into -the twilight sky like a gigantic icicle. It seemed unbelievable that -anyone could still be alive inside such a desolate, arctic tomb. Rob and -his companions made a quick search about the ship to see which place had -the thinnest coating of ice on it. - -"I believe the jet chambers are the easiest escape openings," Rob -suggested. "There's less ice on them than anywhere else." - -Lieutenant Stone nodded. "Let's start blasting." - -Dense white vapors poured over them from the generated heat as they -fired upward into the jet cylinders. There were small, rocking -explosions, and balls of fire burst before their eyes. Duff was knocked -off his feet, and Rob and the officer were shaken. Duff rose again and -valiantly went back to work with his companions. - -"We must have ignited small amounts of explosive gases in the -atmosphere," Lieutenant Stone said. - -The explosions began to be fewer, but the white vapors persisted. At -last holes were opened in three of the large cylinders. Rob looked up, -and presently space-suited figures appeared overhead in the opening he -had blasted out. The men quickly hooked ladders, used for cleaning the -jet chambers, over the side and started down--clumsily after the bitter -ordeal they had gone through. - -Some were so overcome by the raw cold they could scarcely walk when they -were outside. One of the research scientists complained mournfully about -having to leave his equipment behind. Each man was assisted across the -ice to the waiting space boats. Spacemaster Nielson, who appeared in -somewhat better shape than most of his men, helped in this. - -"The engines have gone dead!" Duff noticed. - -"I sure hope we can get them started up again," the lieutenant groaned, -helping the last crewman he was to take into his rocket. - -Rob told Lieutenant Stone to go on, that he had only one more crewman to -help out of the _Capella_. Lieutenant Stone got in, closed the door, and -started up the stalled jets. They sputtered reluctantly, then began -firing evenly. Rob was grateful to see the capsule shape lift safely -into the sky a moment later. - -Rob and Duff returned to the doomed ship and motioned for the last -crewman at the top of the rocket shaft to come down. The space-suited -figure was about to start when he suddenly collapsed and fell over on -the floor up above! - -"Give me a boost into the chamber," Rob asked Duff. - -Duff assisted him, and he caught hold of the lower rung of the ladder -and pulled himself inside. It was an exhausting climb up the ladder in -his bulky suit, and for a moment or two he thought he could not make it -except for the man's pressing need. - -Finally he reached the floor level and leaned over the crewman who had -collapsed. It was Jim Hawley, his face ashy gray with cold! Rob hastily -propped him over his shoulders. In Pluto's light gravity pull it was not -too much of a load. - -Carefully Rob started down the ladder. The icy glaze that encrusted the -metal rungs was treacherous. A fall might easily be fatal, for a torn -suit would bring quick death from the temperature. - -Rob found Duff jumping up and down to keep warm. He looked like a -frolicking polar bear in his frost-whitened suit. Gently Rob handed the -limp body of Jim Hawley down to Duff. Then Rob leaped to the ground. -Together they started off, supporting Jim between them. Suddenly Duff -halted, jerking Rob backward. Rob turned and saw Duff pointing upward at -the _Capella_, which was tottering on its base fins! The fire blasts had -obviously upset the ship's balance. - -Rob motioned for them to hurry. Just as they reached the space boat they -felt the ground tremble. They turned and saw the space ship topple over -with a ground-shaking crash and begin to roll down the slope toward the -lake of liquid oxygen. - -Rob gave a cry of fear. - -"What's the matter?" Duff asked. - -His voice came muffled over Rob's helmet. It seemed that the freeze was -going to destroy their means of communication too. "When the ship -reaches that lake, there's going to be a fierce explosion!" Rob replied. - -"Why?" Duff inquired. - -"Our heat guns warmed up the ship and when it hits the lake," Rob told -him, "the liquid oxygen will reach its boiling point and vaporize with -terrific force!" - -Duff's steps quickened at this, and finally the two, with their burden, -were at the craft. They blasted at the frozen seams of the door with -their guns. Even in the few minutes' time, layers of frost covered the -small rocket. White clouds and small explosions accompanied his and -Duff's efforts. - -The door had had to be closed in order to keep the crewmen inside from -suffering even more from the bone-chilling temperature. Through the -frosted window Rob could see the men pushing against the door with their -feeble strength, trying to help. - -Rob felt panicky. It appeared that the few minutes' delay in rescuing -Jim might cost them their lives. He glanced down at the huddle on the -ground that was Jim Hawley. If Jim didn't get out of this biting freeze -in another minute, he would probably never survive it. - -Suddenly remembering the terrible danger from the _Capella_, Rob glanced -in its direction through an opening in the clouds. "There's a break!" he -said hopefully over his radio. "An ice boulder has blocked the ship -temporarily!" - -In reply, Rob heard only a muffled squawk over his receiver. Their -radios had succumbed to the freeze. - -When it appeared that the door seams were free enough, Rob and Duff -dropped their guns and began tugging on the door. Those inside pushed at -the same time. With a tearing sound the door swung open. Rob and Duff -helped Jim in swiftly. - -"Keep him on his feet and moving!" Rob told them, forgetting for a -moment that his radio was dead. He then made motions to show what he -wanted them to do. - -He jerked the door partially closed, took his pilot's seat, and started -the jets. They choked and gave fitful bursts. Then they died. Rob -grabbed up his heat gun and hopped outside. He crunched over dry ice to -the rear of the space boat and began blasting into the jet tubes. - -The numbing glacial cold seeped through his insulated boots and space -dress. He stamped his feet as he worked. Now and then he cast a glance -at the _Capella_, which was working free of the ice boulder and slipping -downhill again. The instantaneous freezing nature of the climate was -causing friction and helping to delay the huge craft to some extent. - -A moment later, when Rob decided that the jet tubes were opened, a -strange feeling came over him. It was a mixture of giddiness and sleepy -lethargy. - -"You're freezing to death!" his subconscious warned. "Get moving! Get -moving!" He shook himself and staggered back on numb legs to the door of -the space boat. His head cleared as he forced open the door with the -help of Duff from inside. He crawled in and slumped into his seat, -panting heavily and drinking in gulps of sweet oxygen. - -He dared not even think what would happen if the jets should not fire -this time. He switched on the power and slammed his foot against the -choking pedal. The jets sputtered, then quickened, then purred with -regularity! Rob heaved a mighty sigh and opened the throttle. The space -boat lifted into the sky with a jolt that caused the weary passengers to -tumble against each other. - -When they were well above the ground, Rob motioned for Duff to keep his -eyes on the _Capella_, which was nearing its destruction. A moment later -they saw it plunge into the oxygen lake, and Rob flinched. There -followed a ghastly flash and roar, a detonation that was as fierce as -Rob had predicted. The two young spacemen felt some of the shock -currents even at their height. But they were safely above the danger, -and that was all that really mattered. - -Some hours later the _Rigel_ was heading earthward again. As soon as he -was permitted, Rob paid a visit to the infirmary where most of the crew -of the _Capella_ lay for treatment. In one of the beds Rob saw a -familiar smiling face and touseled sandy head that warmed his heart. - -"Hi, hero!" Jim Hawley greeted. He had a comical appearance with his -cold-reddened ears and nose. - -"How are you doing, Jim?" Rob asked, pressing his shoulder gently. - -"Fine. I've got some frostbitten appendages, but the doc says I won't -lose any of them, thanks to you." - -"Thanks to you, your whole crew was saved," Rob countered. "If you -hadn't fixed that antenna...." - -Jim looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess it's thanks to everybody on -this trip, Rob." - -Thinking of the heroic work of Lieutenant Stone and Duff on Pluto and -the other crewmen who had trusted their lives to his doubtful theory in -the Saturn crisis, Rob had to agree with him. "You're right, Jim," he -murmured. "This trip it's 'thanks to everybody.' And I can't say it too -much." - - - - - MERCY FLIGHT TO LUNA - - -Toby Workman stared out of the window of his room on the rim of the -space station, wondering what he should do. As the countless stars of -black space trooped slowly past in an endless caravan, the boy was still -haunted by the nightmare of last week. That nightmare could yet end -forever his dreams of a space pilot's career. Toby was looking in the -direction of the mist-covered globe, five thousand miles away, which was -Earth. The space station was a celestial lookout, a scientific -laboratory, and a harbor for space-going rockets. - -"What're you thinking, Toby?" asked Lou Penner, his roommate. - -"I'm wondering if I should take Dr. Shepard and Deb to Luna," Toby -answered. - -"Are you crazy?" Lou blurted. "Do you think they'd ride with you after -all that mess that happened last week? Remember, too, you never did get -along with Deb's dad very well." - -Toby turned from the window, his sturdy shoulders slumped in defeat, a -brooding unhappiness on his sensitive face. "You sound just like the -others, Lou," he said bitterly. - -"I'm not saying I believe you were responsible for the accident," Lou -said carefully. "I'm just giving you the cold facts." - -Just then over the wall speaker of their room came another appeal for a -pilot to carry the doctor and his daughter, who was a nurse trainee, on -the desperate mission to Luna to administer antitoxin in the sudden -outbreak of contagious fever. - -"There's no one else, Lou," Toby said. "I'm the only licensed pilot on -the space station right now. You've got fifty hours to go yet on yours, -and the express bringing other pilots from Mars won't be in for a long -time. A delay may let the fever grow into an epidemic." Toby opened his -locker and began pulling out flying gear. "I'm going to try it, Lou." - -"How are you going to get the doctor to ride with you?" Lou wanted to -know. - -"Just keep out of his sight until we've blasted off and are on our way," -Toby said. "Then he'll have to go along." - -Lou grinned at him. "I should have guessed you'd try this, knowing how -daring you are and your mania for helping people." - -The event which had been ruinous for Toby had occurred when he had been -piloting a sight-seeing rocket for vacationists from Earth. It was his -first big job. While they were coming into dock on the giant revolving -wheel which was the space station, something had happened to the braking -rockets, and the ship had collided with the hangar, injuring several -people. When it was discovered that nothing was wrong with the rockets, -Toby was unofficially accused of negligence pending further -investigation, although his license hadn't been taken away. If no -mechanical defect should be found, Toby knew he would be suspended from -space flying indefinitely, possible for life. - -Toby had Lou inform the operations officer of his offer to make the -flight to Luna. Then he dressed and made his way toward the inner hub of -the wheel where the vast hangar was located. He walked along the narrow -corridors in a jerky movement, not yet having gotten used to the -artificial gravity which was created by the continual rotation of the -space station. He and Lou had been on the station only a month. Many -high-school students came here every summer in order to build up a -flying record, thereby hastening the day when they would be full-fledged -rocket pilots. - -As he looked for his ship, Toby saw the investigating crew still -examining the big craft in which he'd had the accident. Their -significant report might come at any time. Toby had the small rocket -flyer, which Lou and he were renting together, towed to the air lock. -Toby wished he had time to have the ship checked, but if he waited for -that, they'd lose their precious time advantage. - -Toby waited, with pounding heart and idling rocket motors, for his -passengers. Presently, through the side port of his pilot's compartment, -he could see the brisk strides of Dr. Shepard and his young daughter. A -steward helped the two inside with their medical equipment, then waved a -farewell to Toby. - -"All set, sir?" Toby called to the doctor. - -"Yes," Dr. Shepard returned. - -Toby clamped shut the airtight door. He revved the motors to launching -thrust, and their roar drowned out the quiet hissing of the oxygen -out-putter. He fastened his safety belt, told the others to do so, and -then was off. - -When the painful effects of blast-off were over and the ship was on a -smooth trajectory, Toby heard a click of metallic soles along the -magnetic floor and braced himself for the unpleasantness he knew was -coming. - -When Dr. Shepard recognized him, he exclaimed angrily, "You!" - -"Yes, it's I, sir," Toby admitted. "I knew you and Deb had to get to -Luna as quickly as possible." - -The doctor's lean, angular face reddened. "But you're incompetent! I -thought your license had been revoked! If you believe you're doing -something heroic, Toby, consider also that you're risking the lives of -us who could be of service to those stricken people on Luna!" He paused -a moment for breath, then went on. "A person your age has no business -flying rocket ships in the first place. It's a job for older men with -mature judgment!" - -With that, Dr. Shepard clattered back to his seat in the back, leaving -Toby with a feeling of being as incompetent as the doctor had said. He -stared glumly out the forward port at the wrinkled witch-face of Luna. -Her gaping craters were like taunting eyes, and her jagged mountains -appeared to wear the twisted grin of a mocking giant. Even nature -herself seemed allied against him. - -Suddenly he had company again. It was Deb this time. He studied her -pretty face closely, wondering if the inscrutable look on it meant that -she was one of that majority of disbelievers or whether perhaps.... - -"Tell me, Deb," he said to her, "do you believe that accident was my -fault?" - -She smiled sympathetically, tossing her titian curls. Her large clear -eyes were sincere and direct. "Would it make any difference to the -examining board if I did believe in you?" she asked. - -"No, they'd still lift my license if they wanted to," he answered, "but -it would make a lot of difference to me." - -"You said it wasn't your fault," she said softly, "and I believe you, -Toby." - -Suddenly Toby didn't feel quite so lonely. "It helps a lot to know that -one person, at least, believes in me," Toby said gratefully. "Thanks, -Deb." - -Dr. Shepard called his daughter back. Toby had half expected Deb to say -what she had. She was a swell person. Even since she had been -transferred to his school class, he had known her as a quiet girl who -couldn't believe the worst in anybody. Like Lou and himself, she was -doing extra summer work in order to earn her space nurse's rating -sooner. Her father was considered one of the best space surgeons. Toby -had never been one of his favorites among the fellows who came to see -Deb. Toby had heard from Deb that her father regarded him as reckless -and too ambitious for his age. The doctor's own education had been a -plodding one, hence his inability to accept the idea of young people -still in high school piloting rockets. - -The flight continued to be a tense one for Toby as the dragging hours -passed. Dr. Shepard kept Deb in the back, leaving Toby with only the -cold remote stars for companionship. When Toby slept, he put the rocket -on automatic pilot, but he could not completely relax. - -On the last leg of the journey, Toby heard a buzz on his radio set and -tuned it in. It was Lieutenant Cameron, operations officer at the space -station, and Toby's heart froze with dread as his sobering message came -through: - -"I've been instructed to tell you that this is your last trip as a -pilot, Workman, at least for a long time. The investigation of the craft -in which you had the accident is nearly completed, and there seems to be -no mechanical defect upon which the disaster can be blamed. I'm afraid -it boils down simply to a serious error of judgment, Workman. I'm sorry, -but the chief says your license will be revoked upon your return to the -space station." - -"Yes, sir," Toby murmured, and signed off numbly. - -Although the message was not exactly a surprise, Toby hadn't known it -was going to be so hard to take. It made him feel all empty and hopeless -inside. He had a strong urge to get up and walk right out of the ship -into the black deeps, there to drift in the weightless vacuum forever. -But the fact that he was responsible for his passengers kept him in his -seat, told him to stick to his job and see it through, to dare hope even -in this grimmest hour. - -At last the forward port revealed the bleak wilderness of Luna down -below. Toby lined up the tiny space harbor in his landing sights. He -placed the rocket flyer on automatic pilot and went back to the rear. - -"We're about to land," he told his passengers. "Fasten your belts -securely." - -He returned to his seat and began sliding shiny floor levers. There was -a rumble of smooth gyroscope bearings as the rocket's outer -torpedo-shaped casing did a complete half turn. This brought the rear -jets facing the moon so that they were in position to act as brakes as -the rocket plunged groundward. The passengers were unaware of this, for -the inner shell in which they sat remained in its original position, but -they could feel the drag of deceleration as the ship began losing its -blazing speed. Toby steeled himself for the agonizing pressure that -would come when the ship reached full deceleration. - -Suddenly something prompted him to look at the speedometer. What he saw -nearly caused his heart to stop beating. The ship was not losing enough -speed. The jets were jammed! - -He thought how ironical it was for the very same thing to happen to him -twice--two cases of jet braking failure--but he might never live to bear -the disgrace of this one. Nor would the Shepards, with their precious -knowledge and serum. Thinking of them brought Toby up out of his seat. - -Toby's fumbling hand found the lift stick. As the rocket angled up from -the frost-bitten ground, he saw a racing blur of Lunar landscape, pumice -drifts, and buildings so near he could almost have reached out and -touched them. It was such a close call that it left Toby shaking. The -rocket scurried off over the barren land like a frightened bird. - -Toby heard a clatter down the aisle. He turned and saw Dr. Shepard being -flung about like a chip on an ocean. Toby staggered down the passageway -after him. Necessarily rough, he shoved the doctor back into the seat -from which he had unbuckled himself, and strapped him tightly. Deb was a -pale ghost still buckled down beside him, her eyes wide in terror, her -body tense as a coiled spring. - -"Make him stay put!" Toby ordered and slipped and slid back to the -front. As the rugged moonscape swept dazzlingly across the port, Toby -headed the rocket's nose upward again. A nauseating giddiness was -threatening to overcome him. Toby shook his head vigorously and hung on. - -When the rocket had lifted high over the planet, he began "purging" the -jet chambers, a procedure sometimes effective in pulling them out of a -state of jamming. The action consisted of alternately giving the tubes a -sudden full thrust, followed by a few moments of total inactivity. At -each burst, Toby felt as if his head would be snapped off his neck. At -last he sensed that the jets were working freely. This was confirmed by -a glance at the instrument panel. - -Once again he headed the ship in for a landing. He felt the rhythmic -jerks of the firestreams in normal braking thrust, and he sighed in -relief. Some minutes later the rocket touched down gently on the soil of -the moon. They were safe. - -Toby helped the bruised and shaken Shepards into space suits and got -them outside. He felt pretty badly mauled himself and thought he'd keel -over at any moment as he saw the eternal stars of the Lunar sky grow dim -before his eyes. Then someone gave him a supporting arm into the waiting -room of the spaceport. - -It was some time before Toby felt like himself. He found that he and the -Shepards, coming to full consciousness themselves, were surrounded by -people. - -"I've been in the space service a long time," Toby heard someone say, -"but that was the slickest landing I've ever seen! That young fellow -must have superman nerves to do what he did!" - -Toby never saw so many grinning faces watching him or so many hands -clapping him on the shoulder. - -"It was certainly a show of calm judgment and expertness, Workman," a -man in uniform said and stuck out a big palm to him. Toby took it, -blinking incredulously, for he faced none other than Commander Jameson, -the chief on Luna. - -"I thought you'd like to know," the commander went on, "that I just now -got a message from Lieutenant Cameron reporting that, upon -re-examination, they found a defective valve that could conceivably have -caused your accident last week. After your showing on this landing, I'm -sure they'll agree it wasn't a case of incompetence." - -"Thank you, sir," Toby mumbled, bewildered by this sudden reversal of -fortune. - -"You've convinced another person, Toby," the boy heard beside him and -saw a haggard, rarely smiling Dr. Shepard. "I guess I've misjudged you -young people. It seems you can handle ships with the best of them!" - -Toby looked past the doctor and saw Deb regarding him with quiet -admiration. Her wordless compliment was the most appreciated of them -all. Who could say but that her lone faith had kept him going in that -dark moment when he had been ready to give up? - - - - - THE PERIL FROM OUTER SPACE - - -Young Lieutenant Rob Allison rode the escalator down the side of the -space ship to the ground. His heartbeat had increased its tempo since he -had been ordered from Earth to report to Space Command headquarters on -Luna. There had been palpable unrest throughout Earth for several weeks -now. No one seemed to know just what it was, but it was frightfully -real--that, everyone would admit. And Rob had an uneasy feeling that his -trip to Luna was somehow connected with the mystery. - -"Have a good ride, sir?" a steward at ground level asked the youth. - -"Well enough," Rob said. - -Rob had not yet gotten used to being called "Sir." It made him feel -older--an experienced spaceman--not his mere nineteen years of age. More -than that, it gave him a false sense of importance. - -The steward saw before him a tall, husky fellow who filled his space -suit well. He saw a young man who carried himself confidently, yet in no -way pretentiously, despite his unofficial nickname of "the Space -Command's youngest hero." - -Rob's eyes roved about looking for the jeep which General Forester had -said would be here to meet him. He glimpsed the distant Lunar panorama -which was the scene of his first interplanetary adventure some years -before. He had visited all the planets or their moons since then. There -had been perils, defeats, triumphs. It amazed him that he was still -alive after it all. Beyond the gaunt stone buildings of the colony, the -serrated tops of the Lunary Appenines pricked the black sky where stars -almost too many to comprehend lay scattered like self-luminous gems. - -"Lieutenant Allison!" came a voice from across the drifts of pumice. -"Over here!" - -Rob approached the jeep, jogging along with the ease of an elf's tread -in Luna's light gravity. Rob recognized a circlet of rockets on the -driver's plastic helmet and was both surprised and flattered. - -"General Forester!" he said over his suit radio. He saw the officer's -grin within the shadows of his headgear. - -"You're just about the most important person in the world now, Rob," -General Forester said, "and so I thought I'd come for you personally." -His narrow brown mustache thinned to a pencil line as he continued to -smile welcomingly. - -Rob felt a disturbing jolt within him as he heard the general's words. -What significance lay behind this remark? - -"I'm flattered, sir," Rob said. - -"You shouldn't be," the general said brusquely, in a strange reversal of -manner. It was odd how quickly his sunny expression became grim. "I'm -afraid we're more interested in you for what you can do for us--and -Earth--than in your personality." - -Rob felt the uneasy tightening of the noose of suspense. He felt -suddenly naked and alone, his confidence shaky. He wanted to ask why he -had been chosen to take on an apparently enormous task. The general -anticipated him. - -"We picked you, Rob, for this biggest of all jobs because you've been -through all the terror and suspense that the project might entail. Your -reputation for courage has caught up with you, Rob, and we're going to -use it for all it's worth!" - -Rob felt his pulse throbbing in his temples as the jeep scurried over -the sand dunes toward Space Command headquarters. While his heart could -scarcely contain his excitement, his mind was equally frantic for facts. -"What is the job, sir?" he asked quietly. - -"You've noticed, of course, the suppressed terror of the people back -home in the past weeks," the general said. "They know something big is -wrong, that their very lives are being menaced. How they found out I -don't know, because the strictest censorship has been held. Maybe it's a -sort of telepathic hysteria that can't be censored. At any rate it's -there, and there's already been trouble from it. The Command at home has -been getting crank letters demanding that we tell the people what is -wrong. This kind of thing can lead to something bad." - -"Then something is wrong?" Rob ventured, watching the officer expertly -avoid a treacherous crack in the frost-riven ground. - -The general's face became haggard, and there was a trace of terror in -his own eyes. "There is. Something even worse than the people must -suspect." - -Rob shuddered. All of a sudden the minus-200-degree temperature outside -his space suit seemed to have penetrated inside. He checked the heater -and found that it was all right. No, this was a mental chill. - -Next came the inevitable question, "What is this--thing?" - -"You and your crew will be sworn to strictest secrecy before you blast -off from Luna," General Forester said. "That pledge of secrecy for you -begins at this instant. If the people back home got even an inkling of -what the trouble is, there would be widespread panic." - -"You have my word, sir," Rob said. - -[Illustration: _That pledge of secrecy for you begins at this instant._] - -There followed an electric silence for several moments. It was as if the -general himself were rallying courage. "There is a giant radioactive -cloud approaching the solar system from outer space at a terrific speed. -The cloud covers an area roughly as big as Jupiter. Scientists have been -plotting its trajectory with electronic instruments for a long time, and -there is no doubt but that it will collide with the system if nothing is -done about it. Life, of course, would be wiped out completely." - -Rob felt the horror of the statement clear to the marrow of his bones. -It left him shaking and numb. The general noticed the effect on him. - -"That's the way it left me when I first heard about it," he admitted. -"If it affects us two, who are reasonably adjusted to the terrors of -space, how do you think it would affect ordinary persons?" - -After the shock had lessened somewhat, Rob was able to speak. "But you -do have a weapon against this cloud?" he said hopefully. - -"We hope we have," General Forester replied. "It's called Operation Big -Boy." - -There was no more time for discussion. The jeep topped a rise, just -below which lay the hub of buildings making up the Space Command. Rob -suffered further agony of suspense as they parked and glided over the -sands to the general's office in the main building. Rob was glad to get -out of his space suit, for he had been in a cold sweat ever since he had -heard the first sobering words about the cosmic terror. Rob and the -general locked themselves in the privacy of the latter's quarters. - -"The appearance of the R-cloud, as we call it, has necessitated using -our topmost military weapon," General Forester resumed. "You and no one -else except the World Security Commission has known that the Space -Command has had for some time a stockpile of cosmic-ray bombs which -could literally blow Earth apart. You and your crew will carry a set of -these bombs and try to scatter the mass so that it won't penetrate the -solar system. But of course there's no assurance that the bombs can do -this." - -Rob heaved a deep sigh. He knew at last what was in store for him, but -this knowledge held little satisfaction. The things spoken between him -and the general in the few minutes they had been together had been -staggering in concept. It was hard for him to realize that he was part -of such a colossal scheme. It was more like a dream. - -"Naturally you and your crew will run considerable risk," General -Forester said. "I've been told to give you the refusal of the job if you -feel that you cannot go through with it. But I pray that you'll give it -considerable thought before you turn it down. I don't know of a better -man in the service to trust with the future of humanity." - -_The future of humanity._ Dependent upon him, an insignificant one of -several billions who populated Earth! The idea nearly bowled Rob over. -Yet he found himself agreeing to take on the task. He spoke quickly lest -he wait too long and find himself withdrawing. - -General Forester led him out of the building through a connecting tunnel -to a plastic-domed hangar. Here Rob saw a little hundred-foot X-500 -Cetus fighter rocket crawling with a ground crew that was obviously -readying it for flight. It was quickly evident to Rob that the Cetus was -a specially adapted make, for it was unusually deep-bodied. - -"This is your ship," the general explained. "It's a model that was built -especially to carry the C-bomb. There's one room for a crew of six. The -rest of the bulk is for shielding against radiation from the bomb." - -Rob could readily appreciate this latter fact, knowing that cosmic-ray -energy was many times more powerful than nuclear fission. - -"Is the crew on Luna now, sir?" Rob asked. - -"They'll arrive on the ferry from the space station later today," the -other replied. "Let's go back." - -As they retraced their way through the tunnel, the general filled in -more facts. "We had hoped to let the R-cloud approach closer before -launching an attack, but the pressure of public suspicion makes it -necessary to get on the job right away. You'll carry the X-500 to Titan -where you'll pick up the bombs from our Command unit there and get your -final instructions. After that, you're on your own." - -Six men battling the greatest pack of energy ever faced by mankind! It -was almost like tempting fate, Rob thought; like facing a mechanized -army with only a club for a weapon. But Rob had confidence in the -scientists of this day and their devastating brain child, the cosmic ray -bomb. - -Rob met his crew in the general's office. He silently studied the young -men, selected as the best in their field, who would be entrusted with -the lives of three billion people. - -General Forester introduced them: Mort Haines, the chubby, burr-headed -mechanic; tall, thin-faced Lieutenant Fox, chief pilot; -navigator-radiation officer Lieutenant Swenson--big, blond and Swedish; -small, prematurely balding Goode, the medic; and lastly the youngest of -them all, the one who made the greatest impression on Rob. His name was -Clay Gerard, a "sputter" or graduated space cadet without a rating, who -would fill in on odd jobs which did not fall under the province of his -more experienced companions. - -Clay extended a big palm to Rob. His grip crushed Rob's hand. Rob looked -into his expressive blue eyes and thought he detected some amusement in -them. Rob marveled at the boy's muscle-padded shoulders, thinking how -well he would fit into somebody's football backfield. Then it came to -him suddenly that Clay had done just that, and exceptionally well. - -"Aren't you last season's triple-threat star at Space Academy?" Rob -asked. - -"That's me," Clay answered. - -"I hear you ran your opponents ragged, Clay," Rob said. "I hope you help -us take care of our present enemy the same way." - -"I'll do my part," Clay said. "I don't like to blow my own horn, but I -was champ in every sport I entered. That ought to qualify me for this -team, shouldn't it?" His lips twisted in a bantering grin. - -General Forester broke in. "Please observe service courtesy, Cadet -Gerard, and address Lieutenant Allison as 'sir.'" - -"Yes, sir," Clay replied. He looked at Rob. "You and I must be about the -same age--sir." - -The subtly prolonged final word did not escape Rob. Something warned him -that he might have a mildly rebellious spirit in his crew. - -"I believe so," Rob returned, "and I'm sure both of us will act our ages -on this project. The future of our planet depends on it." - -"I know, sir," Clay answered with unexpected soberness that made Rob -hope he had misjudged him. - -The crew was briefed in detail on the facts of Operation Big Boy from -the moment they would depart from Luna to the final act of guiding the -last cosmic missile into their antagonist. After this, the crew was -dismissed to attend to their final affairs and get some hours of rest. - -Later, Rob heard that a girl by the name of Gerard was working in the -communications office, and he went over to see if she were any kin to -Clay. Clay had left before he had heard her name spoken, so he couldn't -find out from him. - -He found auburn-topped Dulcie Gerard at the transspace radio switchboard -handling a communication between a lonely doctor on Mars and his wife -back on Earth. When it was over, she switched off and turned to Rob with -tears in her brown eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked. - -"You're crying," Rob said. - -She smiled prettily. "It was that conversation I had on the board. It -touched me, the way they talked." - -Suddenly the girl stared at him so intently that he found himself -blushing. - -"I'm sorry," she said, "but aren't you Lieutenant Allison?" - -"Guilty," he said. - -"I've heard of all the wonderful things you've done," Dulcie went on, -"but I never thought I'd meet you in person." - -Rob shuffled his feet in embarrassment and decided to get down to -business. "The information clerk down the hall told me you're Dulcie -Gerard," he said, "and I wondered if Clay Gerard is your brother?" - -At the mention of the name, her face took on a softened, somewhat tragic -expression. "I don't know whether he's my brother or son, the way I've -been looking after him since our folks died a few years ago." She smiled -wryly. "We're close to the same age, but Clay seems to have a strong -feeling for family ties. He's not home much, but he likes to have a home -to come to when he's tired or just wants to and I've tried to provide it -for him." - -"I just met your brother today, but somehow he didn't impress me as -being that way," Rob said. "He gives me the impression of being, -well--completely independent." - -"Don't be so polite, lieutenant. Clay's attitude is painfully superior, -but of course I love him in spite of his faults. He's such a sweet guy -otherwise." Her eyes then began to glow with a deep fear. "Just the -same, I'm scared to death about him. Clay is like a powder keg, and some -day somebody's going to light his fuse. He's going to blow right up and -he'll be in a lot of trouble." - -Rob couldn't answer because he feared she spoke the truth. Clay Gerard -was heading for a fall. Even in this short time, he had detected it. - -"What am I going to do, lieutenant?" she asked helplessly. - -Rob wished he had an answer for her, because already he had begun to -admire this valiant young person. But once again he had no answer, and -he told her so. - -"Of course you wouldn't know," Dulcie said with a sympathetic smile. "He -told me he was on your crew that's leaving on a special mission today. -Maybe since you've talked to me you'll be able to understand him on the -trip a little better anyway, lieutenant." - -"I'll try to do that, Miss Gerard," Rob promised, "but I'm afraid it'll -be mostly up to Clay himself. I wish you'd talk to him and tell him how -important it is that he make himself a part of the team on this voyage -and not just a triple-threat star. I can't tell you how vital it is for -him to do this." - -"It must be a terribly important flight," the girl said. "The Space -Command has been using its priority wave length more than ever in the -past few days." - -"Sorry, but I can't give out any information," Rob told her. "All Space -Command flights are top secret, you know." - -"I know. But a person can't help wondering. I mean after all that panic -that's going on back on Earth--" - -It would never do for her to find out about Operation Big Boy, Rob -thought worriedly, so he decided to end the conversation completely. - -He looked at his watch and said, "I've got to get back to my quarters -now. I'm grateful for what you told me about your brother. If he -co-operates with us, we'll go halfway with him. Just remind him of -that." - -Dulcie looked at him intently. "Clay and I are the last of the Gerards, -Lieutenant Allison. Our heritage has been a great one, and I guess -that's what's helped to make Clay like he is. It's because Clay is the -last of our family to carry the name that I want so hard for him to make -good." - -"With a sister like you encouraging him, Miss Gerard, I don't see how he -can miss," Rob told her gallantly and with an engaging smile. - -Her thoughtful gaze followed his figure until it disappeared around the -far corner of the hall. - -A few hours afterward, the six-man crew of the Cetus X-500 was in the -Space Command planetarium receiving final briefing from General -Forester. The spacious dark room gleamed with thousands of lights, each -one of them accurately depicting a prominent star in the heavens. -General Forester pointed to a pulsing hazy spot against the starlight. - -"This is the R-cloud," he said. "It's really invisible, of course, but -it's made visible in here to show you its location. Its apparent -direction is a few degrees south of the bright star Procyon in the -constellation Canis Minor, almost on the plane of the ecliptic. Some of -our scientists believe the cloud was an eruption from Procyon about -fifteen years ago. Starting eleven light years away and traveling nearly -at the speed of light, it's just getting here." - -"Am I right, sir," Lieutenant Swenson said, "in assuming that there will -be a colossal explosion when our bombs contact it?" - -"Undoubtedly," the general assured him. "For that reason you will -release the guided missiles when you reach the edge of the solar system. -Unless the cloud changes course, which we have no reason to believe that -it will do, the point of contact will be ten billion miles distant from -the sun. Our scientists believe that is a safe enough distance from us. -The flash will probably be of novalike proportions." - -The general turned over to Rob and Lieutenant Swenson, the navigator, -stacks of charts and tables that had been prepared showing the exact -location of their ship and the cloud every minute of the way. It was a -project requiring infinitely careful calculation, and Rob marveled at -the mathematical ingenuity that had gone into the prodigious task. A -miniature of the much larger electrometer which had first detected the -menacing cloud had been installed in the rocket fighter so that Rob -could continually keep it in his electronic sights, so to speak, at all -times. - -"You will blast off at 1835, seventeen minutes from now," the general -concluded, "and cross planetary orbits under full atomic thrust to -Titan. You will land at our base there, have a final mechanical check, -and load your bombs. General Carmichael, the chief there, will advise -you of any conditions that might have changed since you left here. After -that you will blast off to your rendezvous with the R-cloud. Any -questions?" - -There were none. Like himself, Rob noted that his companions seemed to -be rather numbed by the enormity of their task. It seemed almost -ridiculous that six persons could be expected to accomplish the -incredible job plotted for them. - - -"My sister said she talked to you," Clay Gerard said to Rob when the -Cetus X-500 had blasted off and her crew had unbuckled from acceleration -couches. - -"That's right, Clay," Rob answered. "I'm afraid she was a little -suspicious about our mission. Did she try to get any information out of -you?" - -Rob knew he had touched off a spark as Clay's handsome face colored. -"Sis isn't one to go prying into official business, lieutenant! That's -why she holds such a confidential job. Besides, I know enough about -regulations to know what I can say and what I can't!" - -"Don't get out of line, Clay," Rob reminded him. "I wasn't implying that -either one of you were violating rules." - -"Sis is a swell guy, lieutenant. She's one in a million." - -"I've met her, Clay. I know she is." - -Rob felt Clay's eyes appraising him from head to foot. - -"You must've been quite a star yourself when you were in cadet school, -lieutenant," he said. "I mean, since you've been such a hero on -different space expeditions." - -"As a matter of fact, I couldn't seem to do anything extra well, Clay," -Rob admitted. - -Rob thought Clay looked somewhat pleased to hear this. He wondered then -if Clay had not set him up as his own personal rival who must be -overcome as he had overcome all others he had vied with. - -Rob noticed Mort Haines, the stocky mechanic, watching them both closely -from the other side of the compartment. Was that an expression of -contempt he was directing at the strapping young "sputter"? He had -observed such an expression once before when Clay had spoken of his -accomplishments. - -Rob hoped desperately that there would be no personal conflicts. A clash -of temperaments, even a trivial one, could endanger the operation. Rob -resolved that if he did notice anyone getting out of line he would -replace the offender on Titan with a new crew member. He could not -afford to take any chances. - -Rob was first aware of trouble when he heard a commotion down the -corridor. He sprang from the electroscope, where he had been checking on -the movement of the R-cloud, and clicked rapidly down the aisle. He -caught the scene in a graphic instant. Harry Goode's small form was -wedged courageously between the scrambling figures of Clay and Mort -Haines. There had obviously been some blows thrown, for there was a cut -on Mort's face. - -"Let them go, Harry," Rob said. - -He stepped back and the combatants cooled down. - -"What happened?" Rob asked. - -Mort sponged his cut with a handkerchief. "The big guy was bragging -about the records he had set, sir. I was busy checking a rocket chamber -that was heating up, and I told him to lose himself. He said he had as -much right in here as I did and that I'd have to throw him out. I was -starting to oblige him, sir, when you came in." - -"Better get back to that rocket trouble, Mort," Rob said. - -"Yes, sir," Mort said and went back into the cramped quarters of the -engine compartment. - -"Thanks, Harry," Rob said to the medic, whose sparse fringe of hair had -been disordered in the struggle. - -Rob took Clay into the corridor where they were alone. - -"Was Mort's story true?" Rob asked. - -"I don't like his use of the word 'bragging,'" Clay protested. "We just -happened to get to talking about sports and I told him about the track -meet in 2002 when I set new records in the running broad jump and mile -run. Then suddenly he springs up all red-faced, accusing me of bragging -ever since he has known me. That got me hot then, and I guess one thing -led to another." - -Rob looked at him squarely. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to replace you -on Titan, Clay," he said quietly. - -The color drained out of the big fellow's face. He was shocked. -"Why--why?" he blurted. - -"Because I'm afraid your attitude is a danger to the success of the -project," Rob said. - -"My attitude?" Clay asked in surprise. "What attitude?" - -"Think about it awhile and I believe you'll understand if you're honest -with yourself. If you can't figure it out, my explaining won't do much -good." - -As this sank in, Clay's initial pallidness gave way to a red suffusion -of anger. "I know what it is! You can't stand the competition! You're -afraid the name of Gerard will steal the glory from the Allison -reputation on this flight!" - -Just then there was an unexpected witness on the scene. Lieutenant -Swenson was striding rapidly up the corridor. - -"I couldn't help listening," he said, "and I can't help putting in my -two cents!" - -He planted his stalwart body in front of Clay Gerard. "Lieutenant -Allison is too much of a gentleman to give you the lesson you deserve, -Gerard, so I'll do it myself verbally--and physically too if you -prefer." - -"The idea of your name competing with his in reputation is laughable. -He's set records for unselfish service you'll never touch. You've set -your records for personal glory, but his were an outcome of risking his -life to save his friends. And what Lieutenant Allison meant by your -attitude was a polite way of saying you're a troublemaker and an -unmitigated braggart. Every word you speak is a challenge to someone. -Tell me, have you ever lost a race?" - -"No, sir," Clay returned meekly, under the shock of the officer's blast. - -"Well, you're losing this one. You're not good enough for this team, -Gerard, and you're going to be put ashore on Titan. I can't imagine a -person who calls himself a spaceman and takes the oath of allegiance to -duty letting petty interests take first place in an operation as -important as this. I don't believe you have realized yet that the future -of life itself on Earth depends on the success of this flight." - -For a moment Lieutenant Swenson seemed to have run out of steam as his -big chest gasped for breath. Clay was so overcome he stood with lips -trembling and eyes smarting. Rob suspected this was perhaps the first -real dressing-down he had had in his life, something that probably his -own father had never done. - -Clay Gerard said nothing in defense. - -Lieutenant Swenson turned to Rob. "I'm sorry Rob, but I couldn't help -it. When I heard him blast out at you--" - -Rob remained silent and Lieutenant Swenson walked off with some -embarrassment. - -Just then the rocket fighter angled up and sent Rob and Clay rolling -over against the wall of the corridor. Clay's head thumped against the -metal, and the blow appeared to daze him. Rob helped him up as the ship -continued to rock. - -"Are you hurt?" Rob asked him. - -Clay shook his head vigorously. "I--I don't think so." - -Rob hastened to the engine room, some impulse telling him that the -misbehaving rocket chamber might be behind the trouble. He found Mort in -front of an opening in the floor, a frantic look on his face. - -"The rocket cylinder that was heating up has blown a leak!" he shouted -above a deafening swooshing sound from below. - -"Can you repair it?" Rob asked. "The ship is practically out of -control!" - -"Tell Lieutenant Fox to cut all jets and keep her even," the mechanic -said. "I'll have to go down into the hold to plug the break-through so -it'll last until we reach Titan." - -Rob leaned over the hold and felt hot air rushing up at him. It was dark -and crowded with machinery down there. "I don't see how you can work -down there in all that heat." - -Mort shrugged. "I'll have to, or we may never land. If I'd checked it -when I had that tangle with Cadet Gerard I might have saved the -blowout." - -Rob sensed someone behind him and turned to see Clay, who had followed -him into the engine room. Rob saw a stark look on the cadet's face as -though the grave significance of his clash with Mort were suddenly made -startlingly real to him. - -"Can I help?" Clay asked. - -"If you can, we'll let you know," Rob told him as he hurried from the -room toward the pilot's nest forward. - -After instructing Lieutenant Fox, Rob returned to the engine room. As -though anxious to make himself useful, Clay was leaning over the hold -into which Mort had disappeared, pointing a flashlight for him. The -other crewmen, except for the pilot, were gathered around in a tense -knot. By now, the ship had leveled off somewhat and the unevenness was -less severe. - -"How is Mort coming?" Rob asked them. - -"He's complaining of the heat, sir," Harry said. "He's liable to -collapse down there." - -Rob leaned over the hold. "How are you, Mort?" - -"I'm nearly through!" came a feeble reply. - -"He sounds weak," Lieutenant Swenson said. - -"I wish one of us knew how to repair the damage," Rob said. "We could -give him relief." He turned to Clay. "Let me have the light." - -Rob shone the flashlight around the confining interior of the rocket -hold. He could see the squatting figure of Mort in the far corner -pressed against the huge glittering curve of the jet chamber. - -Minutes later, Mort had just announced that the job was completed when -there was a burst of radiant light that filled the entire hold. An -acrid, burning smell swirled into the room above. - -"Hand me that fire extinguisher!" Rob cried and began lowering himself. -Someone thrust the CO_2 extinguisher from its wall rack into his hand, -and he disappeared into the smoky hold. Through the gray veil that -choked the basement room, Rob could see growing lurid flames. He pointed -the extinguisher full into the fire and saw white clouds of carbon -dioxide suffocating the blaze. When he could see no more redness, Rob -moved forward and tumbled along the floor for Mort. He retched and -coughed from the smoke. He'd be needing help soon. - -His probing hands finally located Mort's inert body and he began -dragging it back toward the opening in the ceiling. A few steps away and -under the hole he found Lieutenant Swenson waiting there to help. The -navigator took the heavy weight from his arms and handed it up through -the circular opening to the others. Then he turned to give help to Rob. - -When Rob had recovered sufficiently several minutes later, with no more -than a tight chest and raw throat, he checked with Harry Goode, who had -put Mort to bed as soon as he came out of the hold. - -"How is he, Harry?" Rob asked. - -The medic shook his head gravely. "He doesn't look too good to me, sir," -he replied. "He's got a lot of burns and he swallowed plenty of smoke. -He'll be a lucky guy if he pulls through." - -"He knew this might happen when he took that welding torch down there," -Rob murmured. "But he knew the job had to be done." He coughed. - -"Better let me check you over too, lieutenant," Harry said. "You -swallowed some smoke yourself." - -"I'll be all right," Rob said. "I'll have the space surgeon look at me -on Titan, though." - -Rob went back to join the others. When he told them the unfavorable news -about Mort, a gloomy silence settled over the compartment. Mort had been -well liked, having quickly become a friend to all except Clay Gerard. - -"I checked the hold when the smoke lifted," Lieutenant Swenson said, -breaking the oppressive stillness. "Mort's torch must have touched off -latent gases in the chamber. There's some charred machinery down there -but no real damage from the explosion. Fox said the ship's moving all -right again." - -Clay seemed ashamed to gather here with the others. He was lingering in -the corridor looking out the port. Rob had begun to feel sorry for the -young fellow whose quarrel with Mort had led to such tragic results. Rob -went out to join him. - -"Nearly time to take to landing couches," Rob remarked as he saw the -curved, mistbound world that was Titan. - -"Yes, sir," Clay answered, without spirit. - -"Did you hear me tell the others about Mort's condition?" Rob asked. - -Clay barely nodded. "If he dies, I will be the one who killed him." - -"It's not your fault that he was hurt," Rob soothed. "He knew what he -was getting into when he went down into the hold with the torch." - -"But if we hadn't fought he could have prevented the blowout," Clay -argued. "I heard him say it." - -"If there's to be any blame for the accident, it'll rest with the -inspection team back on Luna which should have found the weakened temper -of the chamber. They have stress gauges to detect such things, and they -should have found it, particularly on a ship whose mission is so -important." - -Clay smiled wanly. "I know you're just trying to make me feel better, -lieutenant. The truth of the matter is that I'm everything Lieutenant -Swenson said I am. I know now what sort of unselfish records he said -you'd made. It was just like the one Mort made when he went down into -the hold, knowing the risk he was taking." - -"I think, given time, you'll make a good spaceman," Rob said. - -Clay's unhappy face studied the approaching world outside for several -moments in silence until there came the pilot's report of altitude and -Rob knew it was time to strap down. Lieutenant Fox switched in the robot -pilot that would make the landing and joined his companions on the row -of degravity couches in another compartment. All buckled the plastic -belts across their bodies and yielded themselves to the discomfort of -swiftly cutting speed. - -As soon as the ship landed, Rob unbuckled and, with Harry Goode, hurried -to the compartment where Mort had been placed. Harry took the injured -man's pulse and told Rob that it was weak. - -"We'll get him to the infirmary immediately," Rob said and went to the -radio nook just off the pilot's nest. He put through a call to the Space -Command headquarters. - -"General Carmichael speaking," came a firm, booming voice over the -amplifier. "Come in, X-500." - -"This is Lieutenant Allison, sir," Rob spoke. "We've had an accident -aboard and a man has been badly hurt. Will you send out a stretcher for -him?" - -"Certainly," came the reply. "What was the man's duty?" - -"Mechanic 101, sir," Rob answered. - -"We've got a replacement for him," the general said. "While we're on the -subject of bad news, Allison, I'll give you mine." - -"What's that, sir?" Rob asked anxiously. - -"Just that the people of Earth are closer than ever to panic stage," -said General Carmichael. "A switchboard operator on Luna half guessed -our secret and when she telephoned someone on Earth the operators back -there picked up the message. You won't have much time for layover here, -Allison. You'll have to be off almost immediately so that we can report -success of Operation Big Boy as soon as possible." - -Rob suddenly went cold with dread and disappointment. Dulcie Gerard, -whom he had considered one of the squarest persons he had ever met, had -suddenly destroyed his faith in her completely. It made Rob wonder if -making themselves unpopular wasn't a confirmed Gerard trait. - -Some minutes later, Rob and his crewmates solemnly followed the -stretcher bearers out of the ship. Through the plastic airtight case Rob -could see the still-as-death figure of the burr-headed mechanic who had -risked his life for his friends. The party trooped across the ice slick -that lay between the X-500 and Space Command headquarters on Titan. - -General Carmichael met the group inside the air lock of the -headquarters. His small, sharp eyes looked out from under thick gray -brows at the identically dressed men before him, streams of condensed -vapor rolling off their glossy suits. - -Rob pulled off his helmet and advanced. "I'm Allison, sir," he said, -offering his hand. - -The wiry general shook hands briskly. "Glad to meet you, Allison." He -frowned. "We've got a lot to do, so we may as well get started." - -General Carmichael led them into his private office. - -"Your mechanic replacement will be over shortly," the officer told them -when they were seated. "His name is Olney. A good man. You're lucky he -was available. We're kind of shorthanded here and really can't spare -anyone. None of us on the project thought your crew would have to be -replaced at this final stage, but of course accidents can't be avoided." - -Rob glanced over at Clay Gerard. Rob thought he detected a flicker of -hope in the youth's eyes. Rob pondered deeply, wondering if he should go -ahead with the replacement of Clay as he had said he would do. But it -wouldn't be easy to explain Clay to General Carmichael. Giving the -appearance to Rob of being a strict old-timer, the chief officer did not -look to be too understanding a person on a matter such as this. Then -too, he had said he simply had no other men to spare. - -And yet Rob knew he must consider his other crewmen. If Clay were -unreliable, what right had he to risk their lives just to give a -mixed-up young fellow another chance? Rob didn't know what to do, so he -looked to his friends for advice. He resolved to act on their judgment, -since they were older men. Rob caught Lieutenant Swenson's eye. To his -wordless inquiry, the navigator-radiation officer nodded. Lieutenant Fox -did the same. The silent vote had given the impetuous Clay Gerard -another chance, and for some reason Rob was glad that it had come out -this way. Clay, who had been watching the other raptly, knew he had been -reinstated, and he smiled his gratitude. - -General Carmichael handed each of them pencil-like tubes which he told -them they would wear in their upper blouse pockets at all times during -the flight. - -"These instruments record cosmic-ray radiation," the general said. "As -you know, a concentration of these rays will cause agonizing death. You -will be the first crew ever to carry C-bombs on a mission because -fortunately we've never had to use them before." - -Less than an hour and a half later, the Cetus X-500 was ready to go. -General Carmichael replaced the charts given Rob by General Forester -with ones carrying figures for the accelerated moment of departure. - -Rob considered Bruce Olney a capable fill-in for the valiant Mort -Haines, if looks were any criterion. He was a slender, straw blond, with -intelligent eyes. He wore a miniature good-luck horse-shoe charm around -his neck. - -A report from the infirmary showed that Mort Haines was still in serious -condition. Rob saw Clay Gerard wince as he heard the news. Clay had been -an exceedingly quiet individual since the accident to the mechanic, a -different person entirely. His blatant self-confidence had been whittled -down strikingly to a brooding reserve. - -When the crew of the X-500 was already in the ship and about to blast -off, General Carmichael spoke his final disturbing speech over their -radio, "I've just had another report from General Forester. The people -are mobbing the White House demanding to know what it is that threatens -their lives. The President doesn't believe he can hold them off much -longer." The general's tone became grimmer and more emotional as he -concluded. "Operation Big Boy has got to be a success, Allison. There's -no two ways about it. I want the next message you send to give the good -news that we will immediately broadcast throughout the system. Good luck -and God be with you." - -The six of them stared at one another soberly as the final words were -spoken. The full enormity of their duty seemed to have struck them just -now for the first time. Rob choked down the lump that pressed up into -his throat. He took a full breath, readying himself, then gave his first -command. - -"Blast-off couches," he spoke quietly. "Prepare for launching." - -When the roaring thunder of the blast-off was behind them and the rocket -ship was grasping for the stars, Clay unbuckled his straps and turned to -Rob. - -"I don't believe Dulcie spread that report about our project, -lieutenant," he said. "She wouldn't lose her head. Not her. She's the -calmest one in the family. Besides, she's a--a--" - -"A Gerard?" Rob supplied, smiling faintly. - -Clay flushed. "I guess I haven't really changed, have I?" he said -bleakly. - -Rob's brows furrowed. "I'd like to believe she didn't do it too. But -she's the switchboard operator on Luna. She was on when we left. Who -else could it have been?" - -"There still must have been someone else," Clay persisted. "I know my -sister too well. She would have known what would happen if she had -spoken openly." - -After setting the ship on course and under full rocket thrust, Rob and -Lieutenant Swenson took time to study the elaborate firing mechanism in -the navigator's compartment that would send the bombs on their way a few -hours from now. The electroscope which gave the reading on the R-cloud -was located nearby. The gauge had shown consistent increase ever since -the blast-off from Titan, indicating that they were drawing closer to -the cosmic menace all the time. - -Within the next half hour tension had grown nearly to fever pitch, and -yet there was still some time before the crucial zero hour. Rob found -himself pacing restlessly about the navigation compartment. Lieutenant -Swenson was rattling keys in his pocket, and Rob guessed that the others -must also be similarly tightened up. - -Clay's grinning face appeared at the door of the navigator's cabin. The -young cadet looked as calm as if he were on nothing more than a -sight-seeing tour. He carried a tray on which sealed containers filled -with lavender drinks were held by magnetism. - -"How about some palm-berry tea, gentlemen?" he said, setting the tray -down on a magnetic table. - -Lieutenant Swenson smiled at the youth whom he had tongue-lashed on the -previous flight. "You're a lifesaver, Clay," he said, picking up a -container and beginning to suck on the connected straw. - -Palm-berry tea was a tasty beverage made from a dwarf Venusian swamp -plant. It was a splendid sedative for "space nerves" and was always -carried on long voyages. Under the harried circumstances of their -blast-off, Rob had forgotten to have a supply of the tea put aboard. - -"Where did you get this?" Rob asked, taking a glass. - -"I knew it would come in handy, sir, when our stomachs got to knotting -up," Clay replied, "and so I got a box from the commissary just before -coming aboard. Every crew has to have a cook, so I elected myself." - -What a change from the self-centered young fellow he had first met, Rob -thought. It was amazing that Clay Gerard, who before must be first in -everything, was now satisfied at being what he called a "cook." - -Clay distributed drinks to the rest of the crew. In a little while the -epidemic of jitters had subsided almost completely. - -The minutes dragged on as the Cetus X-500 sped toward the bright star -Procyon and the malignancy it was believed to have cast into space. When -the crew spotted little Pluto plodding his lonely way through the empty -deeps, they knew they were at the edge of the solar system. - -Another hour slipped by, and Lieutenant Swenson began lining up the -target on the ground glass of his visi-screen table. The electroscope -showed a high count, and the meters Rob and the radiation officer wore -were also showing the mounting ray penetration from the "hot" weapons -below the insulated flooring. - -"Only a few minutes to go, Rob," Lieutenant Swenson said, studying his -screen. "Better check your bomb release." - -Rob checked and found it ready to go. His fingers itched to pull the -lever. Sensing the approach of zero moment, the others drifted into the -compartment. The robot pilot was driving the ship, and even Lieutenant -Fox had come in. A dozen eyes pored silently over the screen table. - -Rob could count every tick of his watch. As the final minutes slipped -away, he withdrew from the circle and went over to the bomb release. His -hand was clammy as it palmed the smooth metal lever. - -"Steady, Rob," Lieutenant Swenson spoke in a dramatic whisper. "A few -minutes more--twelve--nine--" - -The compartment was silent as a tomb except for the soft throb of the -ship's power plant. Rob's eyes drifted out the side port, and the stars -out there dazzled him. - -"Three--two--one--_fire_!" - -Rob's hand shoved forward. A muted rumble came from the floor. The noise -swelled to a full-bodied roar. Then there was a banshee-like scream, and -Rob knew the first bomb had flung itself into space. - -Lieutenant Swenson counted off five more seconds, and then Rob sent the -second bomb on its way. This happened four more times, and each time Rob -heard the final shriek as the missile cast itself into the vacuum. Rob -didn't hear the last bomb scream. His ears were ringing too much from -the clamor of the previous ones. - -When it was all over, the purr of the power plant began dissipating the -throbbing ring in Rob's ears. He felt a tremendous relief now that the -job was done. - -"How long before we'll see the bursts?" he asked Lieutenant Swenson. - -"Not for hours," was the reply. "Don't forget, the missiles have a long -way to go even though they're speeding fast as blazes." - -"Then we won't know until then whether we're successful?" Harry asked. - -"That's right," the navigator said. - -Rob checked the compartment cosmic-ray counter and his own pencil meter. -"The radiation ought to start diminishing now that the load is gone," he -said. - -He was mistaken, he discovered later, when the ship had been swung about -on its gyros and was heading homeward. The radiation had begun -increasing, in fact. - -"I don't understand it," Rob said worriedly. "There's nothing down below -to make the radiation concentration rise. If this keeps up, we won't -last out the trip back." - -Minutes later, as the concentration continued to build up, Rob knew -there had to be something down there that was giving off the dangerous -emanations. There was no other explanation that he could think of. - -"Bruce," Rob said to the new mechanic, "can you check the bomb chamber -without direct exposure?" - -The mechanic nodded. "There's an antiradiation compartment up forward -with an insulated window where I can take a look at it." - -As Bruce left the room to check, Rob thought of something. "Did any of -you hear the scream of that last bomb leaving the chamber?" he asked. - -When no one said anything, he continued, "I think I've got the answer. -That last bomb must have jammed and didn't come out." - -His guess proved substantially correct. When Bruce returned, he reported -that the heat of the bomb racing along its launching track had fused -with part of the track so that both hung out of the bomb hatch and were -being carried along with the ship. - -"We're lucky those bombs were made to go off only on contact with the -powerful omega rays in the R-cloud," Rob spoke grimly, "or we'd be -somewhere up in the Milky Way by now! We've got to get that bomb away -from the ship before its radiation kills us." - -"Dropping that bomb off isn't going to be any sweet job," Bruce -commented. "But being the mechanic, it ought to fall to me." - -"Hold on," Rob cut in. "It's a job any of us can do. It'll take more -courage than skill to cut the track off with an oxygen torch. By -fastening the torch on the end of one of our emergency insulated rods, -the operator can work at a distance with less chance of radiation -exposure." - -Lieutenant Swenson volunteered for the job, then Clay. Rob knew they had -no time to wrangle over who was going to do it. Lieutenant Fox suggested -drawing straws, and everyone agreed this was the fair method of -deciding. Rob got six matches and broke one off shorter than the rest. -Then he held them out for drawing. Bruce drew first and revealed a long -one. Clay drew the next one and said simply, "You can stop drawing." - -Rob was confident Clay could handle the job all right, for use of the -acetylene torch was emphasized in cadet training. - -The youth was assisted into space gear, and the cutting torch was -fastened to the end of the insulated rod. A crude shield was also -fashioned from some of the insulation of the ship so as to further -protect Clay from the bomb's radiation. Even with all this, however, -there was no small amount of risk. But Clay seemed happy to have drawn -the job and went about his preparations lightheartedly. - -"Whatever you do," was Rob's final warning, "don't get the fire from -your torch onto the bomb or none of us will live to tell about it." - -Clay left the ship through a side air lock, carrying his odd equipment -and secured to the ship by a length of space chain so that he could not -drift off into space. The eyes of the crew followed him through the port -near the door as he crawled along the hull and downward toward the bomb -rack. Then they lost sight of him. - -As they turned from the port, Harry Goode stooped and picked up a match -from the floor. "This is Clay's match," he said, holding it up. "I saw -him drop it." - -It was a _long_ match. - -"That tricky guy!" Rob muttered, with a wry grin. But what he really -said in his mind was, "That _great_ guy!" - -"He sure is anxious to make good," Lieutenant Swenson said with -admiration. - -Bruce led them toward the bow of the ship where they could see Clay work -on the damaged bomb hatch. They moved along a narrow aisle lined with -throbbing turbines and finally down an aluminum catwalk, at the bottom -of which was the doubly insulated inspection chamber containing a large -observation window that looked out onto the skin of the craft. - -The men crowded around the quartz port and watched Clay make his -circuitous approach to the bomb hatch. Rob admired his skill in staying -at the full taut length of his space chain so as to keep the maximum -distance between himself and the "hot" chamber. Clay drifted like a -feather in the weightless void, handling his equally light equipment -with ease as he brought it into position. - -Rob imagined the vacuum out there to be fairly crackling with -radioactivity and potential death rays. Clay had known they were there -too. Yet he had gone out willingly, risking his life. - -[Illustration: _Clay's hand guided the burning instrument to within -inches of the top of the bomb._] - -Keeping his shield deftly in front of him, Clay lit his torch with his -free hand, and the brilliant arc light burst like a nova on the eyes of -the watchers. Clay next shoved the insulated rod, to which the torch was -attached, toward the hatch. Slowly, cautiously, he moved the tool in -closer. Only a short way below hung the gray cartridge that was the -C-bomb, and the warped track that dipped out of the hatch and downward. - -Without a tremor, Clay's hand guided the burning instrument to within -inches of the top of the bomb. Rob shuddered to think what fury could be -unleashed should the torch drift too close to the bomb. - -"That boy's got what it takes," Lieutenant Swenson murmured, his subdued -voice sounding strangely loud in the deathly quiet. "He knows what's at -stake, but he's not excited." - -Clay got the flame against the track which was the only thing holding -the C-bomb to the ship. Then he began the slow, labored process of -severing the tough titanium alloy. The intense heat of the oxygen-fed -torch turned the metal red hot. Then another danger came into the -picture. - -"Can the heat from the track set off the bomb?" Harry put the danger -into words. - -"It could," Rob replied grimly. "It probably won't, but it could." - -During the suspenseful minutes that followed, Rob heard one sucking -sound after another as those around him breathed irregularly. The hot -touch of the men's bodies against him betrayed their tension, their -prayerful hopes. - -"Easy does it, Clay," Rob thought. "Just a little more, and the track -will be cut through." - -The scarlet track and the blazing spot of the torch seemed to sear a -hole right into Rob's eyeballs. "How can Clay stand it this long -himself?" he wondered. "His nerves must be of steel wire, his pupils of -quartz lenses." - -"The track is cut through!" someone finally exclaimed exultantly. - -Yet even with the worst part behind him, Clay didn't get overconfident. -As the bomb hung there weightless in space, Clay carefully withdrew the -rod and the torch from its dangerous proximity to the bomb. Then he -shook off the torch until it began drifting away from him, whence it -would travel unchecked until it passed into the gravitation field of -some celestial body. Next Clay gently brought the rod end against the -bomb and shoved ever so lightly against it. Then it too began creeping -away slowly into the black deeps, never to be seen again. - -"Whew!" Bruce gasped, and Rob could sense the relief of tension in those -around him. - -Clay discarded the rod then but kept his shield in position as he made -his way around the radioactive bomb hatch and back toward the air lock -where he had left the ship. - -"He has discarded his hot equipment," Lieutenant Swenson said as Clay -moved out of their field of vision. "Just like a natural-born -spaceman--he didn't forget a thing." - -When Clay had been helped into the ship with unnecessary care, each of -his shipmates gave him an exuberant slap on the back and covered him -with words of praise that fairly inundated him. Rob could see a grin a -light year wide on the boy's face and the trace of tears too as he -realized he had been accepted as one of them again. - -Lieutenant Swenson summed it all up when he said, "You're an all right -guy, Clay." - -Harry tore off Clay's space suit, which was discarded, and began giving -him all sorts of tests for radiation exposure. But Clay had protected -himself well and was "clean." - -The invisible peril within the ship began slacking off steadily, and -later Lieutenant Swenson announced that the moment of the first bomb's -strike was at hand. The six gathered about the lookout refractor -telescope in the ship's stern which had carefully been directed upon the -determined spot of impact at their rear. - -Rob was the first to see it through the prism eyepiece. Against the -unchanging star patterns there was suddenly a brilliant flare like a ton -of magnesium bursting into flame before his eyes. It blinded him for a -moment with its radiance, even though there was a filter over the field -lens. - -"We hit it!" he breathed thankfully and turned away so that the others -might see the succeeding strikes. - -To make sure the destruction was complete, Lieutenant Swenson pored over -the electroscope for a long time afterward and finally made a -significant announcement. "Operation Big Boy is a success," he said -softly. "Not only has the cloud been broken up, but its remnants will -pass far out of range of the solar system. Rob, you can radio the folk -back home and give them the good news." - -Rob lost no time in getting to the set and pouring out the happy tidings -to General Forester on Luna. - - -Later Rob learned of the repercussions: "The people in most quarters are -stunned to know what could have happened to them," the Space Command -officer told him. "But all danger of panic is over. People are leaving -the streets and going back to their homes and loved ones--and to church. -It's a grand victory, Rob, your greatest of all!" - -"It's not my victory, general," Rob replied. "It belongs equally to the -men with me--Fox, Swenson, Olney, Goode, and Gerard. They're great guys, -sir, all of them." Rob had started to mention Mort among the names and -inquired how he was. - -"General Carmichael radioed that he has passed his crisis and is -conscious," was the gratifying answer. "The doctor says he'll make it -all right. Rob, Miss Gerard is anxious to talk to you and her brother." - -Rob couldn't understand how Dulcie could still be on the job if she had -committed the serious indiscretion of exposing the secret flight. This -prompted Rob to ask the general about it. The chief officer replied that -it hadn't been Dulcie Gerard but a temporary substitute who had taken -over for her. As a matter of fact, Dulcie had been very angry at her -friend for what she had done. - -Dulcie was allowed to talk to Rob, and the first thing she said was, -"Can I speak to Clay?" - -"He's coming down the hall," Rob told her. - -"Tell me," she said, "how did Clay do on his first assignment?" - -Rob paused a moment, then replied, "Somebody lit the fuse under him like -you said, Dulcie. He didn't blow into little pieces, though. The -explosion knocked the worst out of him but left behind something fine -and unselfish." - -"I'm so glad I could cry!" the girl blurted. - -"Here he is now," Rob said. "I'll let him tell you himself." - -Clay took the mike from Rob. Rob watched in admiration as Clay modestly -told her the whole story, minimizing his own glory. Clay might be the -last of the male Gerards, he thought, but he would certainly not be -forgotten. As long as men had breath to speak, they would talk about the -real hero of Operation Big Boy--and how he almost came to miss the trip -altogether. - - - - - THE GHOST SHIP OF SPACE - - -Rock Merrill looked interestedly at the man who had introduced himself -as Tony Kalmus. He had told the young former cadet that he had come all -the way from Earth to see him. - -"You flatter me," Rock said. - -"There's more to it than that," the man assured him. He was still fairly -young, although his blond hair was balding on top. He shifted his -heavyweight frame, that filled the chair snugly, but with deliberate -slowness dug through the inner pockets of his blue jacket and brought -out a folded piece of paper. - -At that moment Shep Dubois came into the dormitory aboard the space -service station that was 25,000 miles above Earth. Centrifugal force, -provided by the rotation of the station, gave an artificial gravity so -that its occupants could walk about normally. - -"What's up, Rock?" Shep asked. - -"I don't know," Rock answered. "I just got a message over the wall -speaker that this Mr. Kalmus had come to the station to see me." - -Rock introduced the two formally. Then Kalmus gave Rock the piece of -folded paper. Rock opened it up. It was a photostatic copy of a torn -blank scrap of paper. Rock studied it for a moment, his heart gradually -increasing its beat as he unconsciously felt that he was on the verge of -a big discovery. The ragged edges of the photographed scraps looked -strangely familiar. Then suddenly the answer came to him in a rush that -sent his blood throbbing hard through his temples. - -"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "It's the missing scrap from the -_Sagittarius_!" - -"You mean that after twenty years it's turned up?" Shep said in -amazement. "Now you may be able to find the _Northern Cross_, Rock!" - -"That's the reason I'm here," Kalmus said. "I'll leave you the photostat -to compare with your own scraps, Merrill, and then you'll know I have -the missing piece for certain." - -"If you do have it, Mr. Kalmus, I'll be indebted to you forever," Rock -said enthusiastically. "Ever since I first wanted to be a spaceman it's -been my ambition to look for my dad's lost ship. But how did you know -where to find me?" - -"I asked around. Your mother told me over the phone back on Earth that -she was pretty sure you had the scraps with you and that you treasured -them as if they were gold." - -"I do," Rock admitted, staring out one of the oblong ports of the dorm -at the salt-and-pepper background of interstellar space. "They're the -last link I have with my father. I never saw him." - -Kalmus got up. "When you're convinced I've got what you want and you're -ready to listen to a proposition about locating your dad's lost ship, -just let me know. I'm in Room 38, Deck B, overhead." - -When Kalmus had gone, Rock went to his dresser and began searching a -drawer. "The box with the scraps is in one of these." - -"I still find all this hard to believe!" Shep said. "And I don't see how -Kalmus could have gotten hold of the missing scraps. They were supposed -to have been destroyed with the _Sagittarius_ except for the ones they -salvaged for you." - -"I'm not worried about that now, Shep!" Rock told him. "The main thing -is to fit the puzzle together and find the answer that I've wanted to -know all my life--the location of the _Northern Cross_ and its treasure -ore." - -Rock's father, Victor Merrill, had been a space surgeon accompanying a -research expedition to Venus before Rock was born. Mineralogy was Dr. -Merrill's hobby, and while on the planet he had come across a curious -mineral in a cave. Returning to Earth, he'd had the sample analyzed. The -mineral was alconite, a very scarce and valuable component of an alloy -used in the construction of radioactivity shields. Told that a -space-ship load of the light mineral could bring him a fortune, Dr. -Merrill set out again for Venus with his own expedition, financed from -his life savings, planning to build a satellite hospital with the -proceeds of the venture. - -Dr. Merrill's ship, the _Northern Cross_, had landed on Venus, and a -load of the mineral was stocked aboard the ship. But then disaster -overtook the party, the first of many tragic events that were to follow. -A landslide sealed off the mine, burying most of Dr. Merrill's crew. The -four remaining, including Dr. Merrill himself, blasted off for Earth, -but not having enough experienced men to adequately run the vessel, the -ship was wrecked by an explosion. An SOS was radioed to a freighter -bound for Venus, the _Sagittarius_. The radio operator made a note of -the _Northern Cross_'s position, but shortly afterward, the -_Sagittarius_ itself, in a hurry to reach the stricken _Northern Cross_ -and with a faulty radar set, collided with an emergency fuel buoy -floating in space. - -When later ships salvaged the wreck of the _Sagittarius_, scraps of the -radio operator's note were found, but not enough of it to establish the -"fix" of the still missing _Northern Cross_. These scraps had later been -turned over to Rock and held by him ever since. He had stubbornly clung -to the fragments in the wild hope that some day he might obtain some -other clue to the location of his father's ship. - -The last message from the radio operator of the _Northern Cross_ had -reported that the ship had lost its power of navigation after falling -into a perpetual orbit about Venus. Therefore Rock and his mother had -known for years that Victor Merrill's ghost ship had become a satellite -of the planet Venus. - -"Here it is, Shep!" Rock exclaimed, pulling a flat tin box out of his -dresser drawer. - -They eagerly took the box and the photostat over to a table. Rock -unlocked the container and gently removed the scorched and yellowed -fragment that had been pieced together with transparent tape. He fitted -the section against the ragged edges of the full-size pattern. - -"It fits!" Rock said. - -Swiftly the coming events passed hopefully before his mind's eye. He -visualized a search for the _Northern Cross_, a search that might yet -bring a fulfillment of Dr. Merrill's unselfish dream. - -"I wonder what Mr. Kalmus wants out of this?" Rock mused. - -"A share of the treasure, I'd guess," Shep replied. - -"Of course we can't be absolutely sure of finding the _Northern Cross_, -even with the exact 'fix,'" Rock said. "If it changed its flight path -after sending the SOS, there's not much hope. But if it held its same -orbit, as Dad's radio operator reported, we should be able to locate -it." - -"What do you say we listen to Kalmus' proposition?" Shep suggested. - -"The sooner the better!" Rock agreed. - -As they went down the corridor, they met Johnny Colfax. - -"One of these days I'm going to tell those guys what they can do with -their old job, especially that little worm, Mugger!" Johnny complained. -"I'm tired of all this backbreaking stuff and his fussing at us all the -time!" - -"I think we're all tired of it, Johnny," Rock sympathized. - -Johnny was one of seven of them who had accepted work on the servicing -station after their washout from school. Since they knew they could -never go into space in the smart livery of the Space Command, this -seemed to be the next best thing. But the boys had soon tired of the -glamour of being out in the deeps and the hard work, and most of them -were ready to go meekly back home to Earth. - -"Maybe before long," Rock told his discouraged friend, "all of us will -be able to tell the big boys where to head in." - -"What do you mean?" Johnny asked. - -"Come along and see," Shep invited. - -Johnny made a wry face. "I'm not in the mood to see anything now. It's -the sack for me and ten solid hours of sleep!" - -Rock and Shep looked for Kalmus' room on Deck B. As they passed a long -corridor port, they saw the busy outside activity of the servicing -station. They saw big clumsy-looking astroliners and streamlined, -needle-prowed "atmosphere" ships approaching and leaving the docks of -the octagon satellite after repairs or refueling. Smaller ferry craft -darted back and forth between the vessels like pilot fish in the company -of great sharks. - -The boys located Kalmus' room and found him waiting for them as though -he had known they would be along. There was another man present. He -looked like a walking skeleton, with thick black brows and hands like -hairy tarantulas. Kalmus said his name was Jack Judas and that he was a -close friend. - -"My scraps match your photostat, Mr. Kalmus," Rock said. "What is your -proposition?" - -"I'll get right to the point. We go on an expedition to look for the -_Northern Cross_ and split the value of the cargo if we find it." - -Rock nodded. "That's reasonable enough." - -"I can rent an old ship cheaply," Kalmus went on. "Got a friend in the -business over on Satellite 7, a space supply moon. He showed me just the -thing for us, atomic drive and all, equipped to carry eleven men. I can -dig up a crew too. How much money can you get to pay for your share?" - -"That will take some figuring," Rock said, "and I'll have to talk over -the proposition with the other fellows." - -"I told you I'd furnish the crew," Kalmus said, with a trace of -annoyance. "However, if you want to bring some of your buddies along, I -guess that's your business." - -"We've been together all through Academy training," Rock told him, "and -that's too long a time to split up now." - -Rock was able to get all his six friends together to talk over the plan, -even rousing a complaining Johnny Colfax out of his brief sleep. All -were in favor of making the voyage. - -"I'll split my share equally among us," Rock said. - -"Nix on that, Rock," tall, wiry Hugh Blankenship objected. "It's your -dad's ship and we know about his dream to build a satellite hospital. -Besides, you're the one who's been holding the clue to its location all -these years." - -All of them nodded. - -"We can talk that over later," Rock answered. "Now we've got to decide -how we're going to split expenses with Kalmus." - -The boys had accumulated tidy sums while working at the space station. -Even Rock had a fair amount of savings despite the fact that he sent -much of his monthly check home to his mother. Space pay was high, and -the boys had had no place to spend their money. But of course it cost a -lot of money to take a ship out into space. The boys figured that the -best they could do would not be quite enough. Rock told them that he had -an idea Kalmus would advance them some on their share. It was likely -that he wouldn't have come this far without being sure the trip could be -financed. - -Rock next told them about Kalmus wanting to furnish most of the crew. - -"If all of us go," said little Sparky Finn, with the bristly hair, "then -Kalmus will have to limit the men he wants to take. It's a simple matter -of arithmetic--seven of us and four of them." - -"I'll tell him that," Rock agreed. "We all go or none of us goes. I'll -insist on it." - -"Do you reckon we can trust Kalmus?" Ed Somerton asked. - -"He looks all right to me," Shep said, "although of course you can't -trust first impressions sometimes." - -"He looks all right to me too," Rock agreed. "But just the same, while -we're waiting to get the ship outfitted, I think I'll check his -references at central identification headquarters on Earth." - -Just as they were going to break up, there came a sharp rap on the -dormitory door. Before the visitor could be invited in, he flung the -door open and strode inside. - -Rock flared at this invasion of their privacy, especially when the -newcomer proved to be a person disliked by all of them. He was Carl -Mugger, their immediate supervisor. Behind his back he was known as -"Yap" because of his shrewish tongue. - -"What have we got here--a tea party?" he blurted. - -"No, a private discussion," Rock answered evenly, trying to control his -temper. - -"Three of you are supposed to be on duty," Mugger went on. "You fellows -think you're on a vacation or something?" - -"We were only doing routine work in the solar mirror relay." Hugh spoke -for Ed, Leo Avery, and himself, who were the three Mugger had been -talking about. "We've only been here a few minutes." - -"What do you think would happen to the station if I took off any time I -wanted to?" he demanded, drawing his short body up to its full height. - -Getting no reply, Mugger ranted on. "I've stood just about all I'm going -to from you guys! The next time one of you goofs off I'm going to have -you sent back so fast Earthward your heads will buzz!" - -He glared at each of them in turn. - -Shep stepped forward, a full half head taller than the little man, his -face reddening from the fury mounting in him. "I don't know about the -others, Mr. Mugger, but I'm fed up with this station and you too!" - -Mugger's jaw muscles twitched and his eyes flashed. "Do all of you feel -this way?" he snapped. - -The others hesitated. It wouldn't be the smartest thing to cut oneself -off from his job 25,000 miles above Earth and with no other work in -sight, but neither could a fellow let his buddy stand alone in something -on which all of them were in sympathy. Rock made the first move. - -"I feel that way," he said boldly, and the others backed him up. - -"You fellows are through!" Mugger said coldly. "You may as well get your -things together and be ready to take the next ferry ship going -Earthward!" He turned and went out. - -Shep's natural color was beginning to return. A look of penitence came -over his thoughtful face. "I'm sorry, fellows. I--I just couldn't help -it." - -"It was bound to happen, Shep," Rock consoled him. "But it does sort of -throw us in with Kalmus in a hurry, and it means we can't afford to talk -up to him quite as strongly as we might have otherwise." - -"He doesn't have to know we've been fired," Leo said. - -"Let's hope he doesn't," Rock answered with some concern. "Otherwise -he'll set his own terms, and we'll just have to take them. Remember, we -don't even have enough money to pay our share of the expenses, either." - -Rock and Shep went to see Kalmus immediately. Jack Judas was present, as -well as another man. He was squatty and sturdily built, with hair as -black as the Coalsack. Kalmus introduced him as Ben Spooner. - -Rock outlined the terms he and his friends had drawn up. Kalmus listened -to them thoughtfully and impassively. - -"I could bring some experienced men if you'd let me have my way," Kalmus -said when Rock was through. "You fellows are pretty young, and on top of -that you are washouts." - -"We didn't wash out until the finals," Ed told him. "We still learned a -lot about piloting and navigation in our training." - -"Yeah," Leo agreed, "you don't have to worry about us getting the ship -there and back." - -When Kalmus saw how determined all the fellows were to go, he shrugged. -"I guess you know what you can do," he said. "You'll have to take care -of most of the running of the ship. I'll have with me Ben, Jack, and -Mumbly. That will make a crew of eleven, the ship's capacity." - -"Then we're agreed on that," Rock said. - -"Judas knows a little about piloting and can help out if necessary," -Kalmus went on. "He's got a brother who's first mate on a space -freighter and has flighted with him a few times. Pegg and Spooner and I -were steward's helpers on a few space flights some years back. When can -you fellows be ready to go?" - -"The sooner the better," Rock answered. - -"In a few hours?" - -Rock straightened in surprise. They could hardly make their plans in -that short time. - -"I'm in a hurry to get started," Kalmus said. "You fellows turn over to -me all the money you can get together, and we can settle for the rest -when we get back. I wouldn't even hold you up for this but the dock fee -and license have to be paid in cash before we leave." - -"Hey, wait a minute!" Rock protested, with a laugh. "I think you're -underestimating the work we've got to do. We'll have to make a trip back -to Earth and get the ship and supplies lined up first. That alone will -take much more than a few hours! It's twenty-five million miles to Venus -at the closest approach." - -"I've checked on Venus with the chief astronomer on the observatory -satellite," Kalmus declared, "and we're in the best position if we start -as soon as possible. I've also taken care of everything else, and I'm -still ready to leave in a few hours." - -Rock shook his head as if he still could not believe this. "You realize -there's a chance we might not find the _Northern Cross_, don't you?" -Rock warned. - -Kalmus' face grew taut. "I guess that's the chance that all of us will -have to take." - -He headed for the door. "Come with me, please." - -He led them down the long companionways to Hangar 7 on the outer rim of -the station. Supplies were being loaded here through the station air -lock into a globular nonatmospheric ship that was anchored by its -magnetic grapples to the side of the station. - -Tony Kalmus waved his hand at the activity and smiled at the surprised -faces of Rock and Shep. "There's our ship," he told them. "Meet the _Dog -Star_, fellows. She's all ready to go treasure hunting!" - - -The little space ship _Dog Star_ was on its way into deep space with its -crew of eleven. The ex-cadets had sent messages home telling of their -departure. But Kalmus had been in such a hurry to leave that they did -not even have time to wait for replies. Nor had Rock had time to check -on Kalmus' references back on Earth. - -Rock could appreciate the need for haste, however. Unless they left when -they did, Venus would have moved out of its most favorable position, and -it would have required much more expenditure of fuel to overtake her -later. - -It would be several weeks before the _Dog Star_ approached the misty -planet and--it was hoped--the twenty-year orbit of the ghost ship -_Northern Cross_. - -"Well, we're on our way, fellows," Rock remarked to his young friends -who were gathered with him in the navigation room looking out one of the -ports. "I wonder what the stars have in store for us?" - -"Maybe we should have brought along an astrologer," Hugh said with a -chuckle. - -"I have more faith in our own abilities, Hugh," Rock said. "The Cadet -Board doesn't think we've got what it takes to be spacemen. We can prove -them either right or wrong. It's strictly up to us." - -Now that the detailed task of getting the ship underway was over, the -time seemed ripe for the pooling of information that would give the -travelers the exact location of the _Northern Cross_. - -Kalmus and his three companions joined Rock's party in the navigation -room, Kalmus having brought along his own precious scrap from the record -of the _Sagittarius_. - -With the ship on autopilot, its course having been computed on the -electronic brain, the eleven gathered around the navigator's table on -which were laid out sky charts and the important bits of paper. - -The men and youths were able to stand about in this manner because of -magnetically charged shoes which clung to the floor. Without them, the -travelers would have hung weightless in the zero-gravity. The atomic -power rockets had already cut their thrust after reaching required -velocity, and the ship was now in free flight. - -Rock fitted the torn fragments together on a white sheet of paper as -Kalmus, breathing hard, leaned over his shoulder. Rock tore off some -transparent tape and carefully stuck the whole together. - -The radio operator's record listed certain numbers and letters that had -their counterpart on the sky map. Rock traced the "fix" on a large -detailed map of Venus and its environs, his finger finally stopping on -one significant spot. - -"This is where the _Sagittarius_ had last contact with the _Northern -Cross_," Rock said with suppressed excitement. "The radio man said the -_N.C._ was already in free fall around Venus." He traced an imaginary -path around the planet with his finger. "This orbit is our destination." - -"The ship will be somewhere along there, providing it didn't slow down -afterward and fall into Venus," Shep pointed out. - -"True enough," Rock agreed. "We'll know the answer in a few weeks." - -Kalmus told the boys how he had come into possession of his scrap with -the priceless information. He said that his friend in the space salvage -business who had rented them the _Dog Star_ had had on hand some of the -things from the destroyed _Sagittarius_. One day he had found the -yellowed bits in with some bulkhead parts. He mentioned this to Kalmus, -who looked up the old newspaper accounts of the double disaster and -prevailed upon his friend to give him the valuable scraps. Then he had -made his plans for recovering the _Northern Cross_. - -Rock was elected chief navigator and leader of his group. Kalmus, of -course, was already head of his own group. - -The _Dog Star_'s direction known now, Rock sat at the keyboard of the -electronic brain and "typed" out the corrected ship's path. The -complicated math problem was solved quickly, and the answer tape was -then fed into the automatic pilot. Only minor corrections of the -controls for direction would have to be made by hand until the ship -reached its destination. - -In the space days that followed, the two groups kept pretty much to -themselves. Even eating and sleeping were carried on in separate -quarters. Since this was a voyage for mutual gain only, all preferred -such an arrangement. Kalmus and his friends prepared their meals in the -galley at a set time, and the boys took a later meal hour. - -One day when the boys were reading and playing quiet games in the lounge -to pass the long hours, they heard a commotion from Kalmus' part of the -ship. Rock got up from the game of chess he was playing with Shep and -went to the door. Kalmus was approaching briskly down the corridor, his -big frame making his hard-soled shoes thump loudly against the floor. - -"What's wrong?" Rock asked him. - -"A meteor tore through the ship just a few feet from Mumbly," Kalmus -replied. "Mumbly was so scared when he heard it that he nearly jumped -out of his skin! He left the floor and floated clear up to the ceiling! -We had to pull him down!" - -Rock and some of the other fellows went to investigate. - -The room pressure was still up, but Mumbly Pegg, the near-victim, was -pale clear up to his disordered shock of red hair. Kalmus' -stoop-shouldered friend kept mumbling how close he had come to being -killed, a mannerism that had gained him his nickname. He talked -incessantly to himself, neither getting a reply from anyone nor -expecting any. - -Rock found holes in opposite sides of the room where the meteorite had -hurtled through. The holes were only about pea-sized and were scorched -around the edges. The automatic sealing compound would keep the air in -the ship from leaking out temporarily, but a permanent repair would have -to be made. - -"The hull's got to be soldered from the outside," Rock told Kalmus. -"Some of the boys and I will go outside and take care of it." - -Shep and Johnny offered to go with Rock, and the three put on pressure -suits. Then they took up their firing equipment and prepared to enter -the air-lock tunnel leading outside. - -Before unscrewing the hatch, Rock took in hand one of the safety mooring -lines that was fastened to the edge of the hatch. - -"These safety lines aren't the best I've ever seen," Rock commented, as -he observed some worn places in the nylon. "Kalmus must have had these -given to him." - -"Maybe he wants to get rid of us," Shep said, half-seriously. - -The boys hooked the safety lines to their suits, then climbed out the -circular hatch into raw space itself. They still wore magnetic shoes to -counteract their weightlessness and enable them to walk. - -The boys took one moment to feast their eyes on the brilliant fields of -star dust that surrounded them like a great dome. - -Spellbound by all the vastness, Rock was comforted by the solid feel of -the big round globe beneath their feet. He looked at the long narrow -stem that jutted out the back of the sphere and held the smaller -shielded ball of the screened-off atomic power plant. The engines were -still idle; they would be until it was time to spin the ship around and -blast away forward to slow the ship down a few weeks from now. - -"Look at Earth over there at '7 o'clock,'" Shep said. "It's just like a -fuzzy, unripe peach!" - -"Kind of makes you homesick, doesn't it?" Rock said a little wistfully. - -They went over to one of the meteorite holes and knelt down. - -The bright fire leaped like a hot bar from Rock's cutting torch, -reddening the metal of the hull almost immediately. - -"How long is this going to take?" Johnny asked worriedly. "I want to get -back inside. I don't trust these dilapidated safety lines!" - -"I'm beginning to regret I brought you fellows along on this thing," -Rock said thoughtfully. "Kalmus got me so excited about the expedition -that I guess I didn't really consider the risk we were taking by -venturing into space on our own. There are so many things that could go -wrong." - -"We didn't have to come," Shep encouraged him. "Frankly, I'd have gone -anywhere just to get away from the station. I've been miserable ever -since we flunked out. Just a few trick questions and--WHAM--there were -three years gone to waste!" - -"Maybe they won't be wasted if our reward is the finding of the -_Northern Cross_," Rock pointed out. - -He found that he could work better by taking his feet off the hull and -"hanging" face down over it, with Shep holding on to his safety line to -prevent the blast of the torch from driving him outward. Johnny was busy -holding the flux in position. - -Suddenly the force of the blast caused Rock's worn safety line to snap -and sent him hurtling outward from the hull of the _Dog Star_! - -Rock heard his own name blasting into his ears as the anguished voice of -Shep called to him. Then he saw his friend leap upward with clutching -futile hands. Shep's body jerked to the end of his own line, and then -the reaction sent him slamming back onto the hull. - -As Rock, still numb with shock, sped farther outward, he heard the -frantic calls of Shep and Johnny trail off as their radio power faded. -Finally no sound reached his ears, and the oppressive silence of lonely -space closed in on him. It had all happened with such suddenness that he -could scarcely realize it had happened at all. - -Hopelessness had already begun to get a hold on him before he began to -think of how he might save himself. Perhaps it was something he had -learned in cadet training that made him calm himself and think -reasonably. - -His stiff fingers still clutched the cutting torch that had rocketed him -from the _Dog Star_. Why not use it the same way to get back? Although -still streaking out laterally from the ship, he was under influence of -the ship's motion and was traveling just as fast beside it. - -Rock carefully judged his direction and blasted with the tool in the -opposite direction. He felt the deceleration of his outbound speed as -the firestream braked him. Presently the rocket reaction stopped him and -he began going back toward the ship. - -Rock used the cutting torch for a brake to slow his return onto the skin -of the hull. Shep and Johnny clattered over to him and pulled him in to -safety. Rock could see relief spreading over their faces. - -"Thank goodness you're safe, Rock!" Shep said. "You nearly gave us heart -failure! You sure kept your head!" - -If he hadn't, Rock told himself grimly, he would not be here this -minute. A spaceman had to keep his head at all times. His cadet training -had impressed that on him. - - -The days and weeks that followed passed uneventfully, if not exactly -excitingly. There was so little to do, such a monotony of scene. - -A few thousand miles from the Venus orbit, Rock fed directions for a -gyroscope turn into the automatic pilot, and the rockets began spouting -bursts of flame to check the _Dog Star_'s headlong rush. All aboard were -forced to take to shock couches for the first time to lessen the pain on -their bodies. - -Had time not been a factor, Rock could have decelerated slowly with no -strain. This had been the manner of their acceleration from the station. -But Rock had realized that Kalmus would become impatient later and so -had figured the flight for rapid deceleration and consequently much -saving of time. - -Kalmus and his men took the deceleration shock in different ways. Since -all the couches were in the same room, Rock could study their reactions. -Jack Judas and Kalmus made no outward signs of discomfort, but Spooner -and Pegg groaned continually. - -Although not exactly enjoying himself either, Rock, like his young -friends, had been taught to take this, and through a certain pride would -give no outcries. The lessening speed constricted the blood vessels in -his eyes, blurring his vision, but Rock kept studying the reflecting -prism over his cot to take his mind off the strain. And his hand did not -drift far from the emergency controls should something go wrong. - -The prism brought the outside view right into the ship. Venus dominated -the scene, like a giant snowball glittering with a light of its own. -Rock could see the impenetrable clouds, chiefly of carbon dioxide, -swirling and crawling over the surface of the planet like a tide. The -invisible lands below were a hothouse of wind-swept desert and barren -stretches. There were only a few isolated research settlements down -there where brave scientists probed the hot soil for strange new things. - -When the _Dog Star_ slowed, the travelers were able to leave their -couches. - -Rock consulted the charts and got a reading of their position from Ed, -who was at the navigation instruments. - -"Here we are," Rock said, indicating a spot on one of the maps. "At -Point X we'll match orbits with the _Northern Cross_, then we'll -accelerate a little so that we're bound to overtake her eventually--that -is, if she's still in her original flight orbit." - -"She's _got_ to be there!" Kalmus cried a little frantically. "I've -poured a fortune into this thing." - -"I've got as much interest in this as you have, Tony," Rock told him -evenly. "We're no expert Spacemen, but I'm pretty sure we're going right -so far." - -The travelers began watching the radarscope for first signs of the ghost -ship. But no "blips" showed on the screen. Later, every crewman was -assigned a watch at the 'scope. This was intended to keep a man -continually on duty. - -When the ship moved in exposure to the sun, the ports had to be shielded -with filter screens. An outside movable reflector blind, highly polished -and operated automatically by a thermostat, reflected away much of the -heat and light. - -Despite its dangerous aspects, the sun was a magnificent object. Its -white-hot surface was eye-searing bright and showed dark islands of -sunspot activity, any one of which could swallow Earth. Its edges threw -out mountainous red tides that lapped outward many thousands of miles -into the black deeps. It was a sight that brought a lump of awe into -one's throat. - -When he was on duty at the 'scope, Rock used the ship's small refracting -telescope to see the little yellow disc of Mercury, dwarfed like a -pinhead beside a grapefruit, against the sun. It reminded Rock of a -small dog taunting a larger one, daring it to attack, yet forever -skipping nimbly out of the way with its agile speed. - -The hours of search drew into a full space day, then another, with no -sign of the ghost ship. Even if the _Dog Star_ had been off course a few -hundred miles, a ship as large as the _Northern Cross_ could not have -slipped by unnoticed. - -Finally Rock had to make a gloomy announcement. "In another hour we'll -have made a complete revolution of Venus," he told all ten of them who -were gathered around. "If we don't come across the _Northern Cross_ by -then, it means she's not in her orbit. She's either crashed on Venus or -has gone out into space. We've been accelerating faster than an object -in free fall around Venus. She couldn't have outrun us." - -Kalmus' big palm slapped the table. "I won't stand for being licked, -Rock! I've built my hopes so high on this thing!" His pale eyes glared -restlessly and there was a red suffusion over his face. - -Rock reminded him, "The matter isn't in our hands. We've done all we can -do." - -Kalmus lapsed into nervous silence as the minutes ticked off. He haunted -the radarscope most of the time and even tried to look for the ship with -the refractor, a tedious job. He was in a constant fidget, alternately -pacing and putting his eye to the instrument. - -Now only fifteen minutes remained. There was still no sign of the ghost -ship. Rock also was beginning to feel a growing despondency. Up until -now he had not considered the consequences of failure. Now it shocked -him to do so. He and his friends would be indebted to Kalmus for years -to come for their share in the venture. They would either have to slave -at the space station again, and eat humble crow, or try to find other -jobs back on Earth. - -But this wasn't all of the story. A failure would close off for all time -the hope that had lived in him ever since he had known of his father's -disappearance. He would have to resign himself to the thought that his -father and his ship would speed along with its lifeless cargo to the -ends of the universe seemingly, never to be recovered. And worse, -Merrill Memorial Hospital would remain only a shattered dream that might -have been. - -Then there was the reaction of the unpredictable Kalmus to be -considered. Would he turn on them? - -Five minutes to go. No ship in sight. Nothing but star dust and more -star dust and the smoldering light of Sol, like a mocking beacon. - -Finally Rock had to say bitterly, "Time's up. I'm afraid we're licked. -There's no sign of the _Northern Cross_." - -"We've got to find that ship!" Kalmus cried. "I'll search for it if it -takes a hundred years!" - -"It won't do any good to search without knowing where to look," Rock -reminded him. - -"It won't hurt to try anyhow," Kalmus proposed. "We might be lucky. I've -sunk too much in this expedition to turn back now!" - -"We still intend to pay up our share of the costs, Tony," Rock assured -him. "You needn't worry about that part of it." - -"Finding the ship means as much to you as it does to me--or so you said, -Rock," Kalmus went on stubbornly. "Why are you giving up so easily?" - -"Of course it means a lot to me, but I'm not going against terrific -odds. It would be crazy." Suddenly Rock thought of something and turned -to Sparky Finn. "Sparky, are you absolutely certain you figured out that -navigational problem correctly? Yours was the trickiest of all." - -"I went over it twice, Rock," Sparky replied solemnly. - -"Better look at it again," Rock proposed. "There's a possibility we -might have botched up our figures somehow. If your calculation is right, -we'll all recheck ours." - -Sparky's math proved to be correct. Then each of the boys went over his -own figures again. Halfway through his, Hugh caught an error in his -work. - -"Take me for a numbskull!" he burst out. "Look what I did! No wonder I -flunked out in cadet school!" - -"We are too far out from Venus," Rock told Kalmus. "We've got to go in -closer to the planet." - -The _Dog Star_ swung into its new orbit. Kalmus became enthusiastic -again, and Rock felt that they would meet with success this time, but if -they didn't, there was nothing more to do but admit defeat. - -It was Johnny Colfax who first spotted an interesting "blip" on the -radarscope screen two space days later. Half the eleven-man crew was -asleep, but Johnny's shouts brought everyone running into the main -control room. - -"Look, Rock, I think I've found it!" - -Rock set the telescope in synchronization with the radar set. Then he -put his eye to the telescope eyepiece and turned the hairline focus -adjustment. Yes, it was really a cigar-shaped craft, man-made, just -about the general shape the _Northern Cross_ was supposed to be. It was -a streamlined ship built to slide through the atmosphere of Venus. - -Rock judged it to be a few hundred miles away. "It seems to be the -_Northern Cross_," he announced. - -"Let me see that thing!" Kalmus blurted and pushed up to the telescope. -"There's our dream ship!" he purred, like a miser over his gold sacks. -"I can almost see a dollar sign on that baby!" - -A few gentle manual corrections later brought the _Dog Star_ alongside -the ghost ship. The smaller ship's crew clustered at the broad port. -Only a few thousand yards away, the ship was a giant thing, gray and -meteor-scarred from the years that it had wheeled about in space, -alternately feeling the torrid heat of the naked sun and the bitter cold -when the sun was eclipsed behind the big planet. - -As Rock stared, his heart beat faster. Here was the graveyard of his -valiant father and his crew who had battled nature for a share of her -wealth and had lost. Rock felt a mixture of feelings--of repulsion and -of being drawn to the scene. He was attracted by thoughts of the -treasure ore that might fulfill his father's dream of a satellite -hospital, but he was repelled by thoughts of what he might find in that -space tomb. - -Although circling the planet Venus at high velocity, both ships were as -if stationary in space and in relation to each other. Rock, Shep, Hugh, -Kalmus, and Judas suited up in preparation to going outside and across -to the other ship. - -With an extended safety line securing himself to the exit door of the -_Dog Star_, Rock was the first to launch himself into the gulf between -the ships. He carried a length of electrical cable which he would attach -by magnetic force to the side of the _Northern Cross_. Then his -companions could hook onto the cable with their own safety lines and -cross the gulf without risk of drifting off. They had done some repair -work on the unsafe lines that had given them trouble before. They felt -more secure with them now. - -After the cable was set up, Shep pushed off from the doorstep of the -_Dog Star_, and his momentum carried him through the vacuum toward Rock -on the other side, his safety line slipping along the cable for -security. Behind Shep, the others followed. - -Shep had brought two cutting torches for opening the door seams of the -_Northern Cross_. He handed one to Rock and they both set to work, the -brilliant flare of their tools lighting the blackness like twin novae. -The sun was on the other side of the space ship, leaving this shadow -side in absolute darkness. - -Finally the door was cut all around. All that it appeared to need now -was a good strong push. Rock and Shep tried it together, a little -gingerly perhaps as they realized their weightlessness, and hence, -helplessness. The door hung stubbornly in place. When Kalmus saw their -ineffective efforts, he lifted his big booted feet and boldly slammed -them hard against the door. The door section caved inward, but the -reaction sent Kalmus scooting backward. - -Kalmus gave a terrified yell as he went drifting all the way back to the -other ship. Not knowing how to navigate in weightlessness, he barged -into the wall of the _Dog Star_ with such force that it caused him to -bounce back across the gulf again. His safety line kept him from being -in any danger of caroming off into space. - -Hugh, holding on to the ship, caught Kalmus' body as it came back to -them. The big fellow was moaning from fright, and the boys got secret -enjoyment out of Kalmus' comical and harmless experience. - -Then Rock sobered quickly as he faced the grim task that was to follow. -He sighed heavily and stepped through the opening into the air-lock -tunnel of the ghost ship, followed by the others. His shoes clung to the -floor, indicating that the magnetic floor current was still going after -twenty years. Leaving the air lock, Rock and his companions found -themselves in a lounge. Everything was in neat order, just as if it had -been set to rights only today. - -"It's in excellent preservation!" Rock marveled. "The reflector blinds -must have kept the temperature in here pretty even through all the -years." - -They found other parts of the ship also in neat order. Rock had been -told by his mother that his father had been a very orderly man. As yet -there was no sign of what had made the vessel a ghost ship. - -Rock dreaded every new room they entered. Which one would reveal to him -the skeletons of the ghost crew--one of them his father's, a father he -had never seen? - -The searchers carried Geiger counters as a check on stray radioactivity -from the atomic engines. But so far the only clicks the meters gave off -were apparently from the ever-present cosmic rays out in space. - -Since no bodies had yet been found, it was supposed that the four -crewmen were together in one place. The searchers had entered the -_Northern Cross_ near the rear and had been working their way forward. -Rock guessed that the bodies must be in the main control room. - -In the galley, remains of a meal were still inside sealed plates. The -bits were rock hard. An examination of wall pressure gauges showed that -the entire ship was open to the vacuum of space. - -"Where is the ore?" Kalmus growled. "I don't like the looks of this!" - -The search party moved down ghostly corridors that hadn't felt the thump -of space boots for two decades. Just before reaching the main control -room, Rock came to a door-marked, "Stores." - -"This may be it!" he said hopefully and opened the door. - -No one needed to tell anyone else that this was the goal they had been -looking for. It was a vast, oblong cell, its metal bins piled nearly to -the ceiling with gray lumps of rock. The rest of the room was crowded -with mining equipment. However, the bigger stuff had evidently been left -on Venus. - -Kalmus gave a shout and flung himself into one of the bins. He fondled -the stones, bathing himself in the wealth. "I'm rich! I'm rich!" he kept -saying. - -Rock turned away disgustedly, his young friends following. For some -reason he almost wished their mission had been a failure. Sharing this -treasure that his father had died to accumulate for unselfish motives -made Rock feel sick for a moment. - -"Want to go into the pilot's room, Rock," Shep asked in gentle -consideration, "or shall we just pass it up?" - -"No, Shep, I've got to see if Dad is in there," Rock answered. - -Leaving Kalmus and Judas to play in their wealth, the three youths left -the room and moved farther down the corridor to the main control room, -the door to which bulged outward. It took considerable ramming to force -it open. - -The disorder of the compartment was in shocking contrast to the neatness -of the rest of the _Northern Cross_. Plastic seats were warped, and it -looked as if a giant with a padded sledge hammer had gone about -recklessly putting dents in the lightweight metal of the walls. An -emergency air lock stood wide open, revealing the stars, its door -hanging by one hinge. It was on the side away from the _Dog Star_. The -huge console that housed the instruments and gauges also showed great -depressions, and nearly all the glass dial covers were shattered. - -"What do you think happened in here, Rock?" Shep asked. - -"It looks like a high-pressure build-up of gas," Rock answered. -"Probably in the ventilating system. When the pressure got too high, -either the air lock was the first to give way or somebody opened it in -desperation. I imagine all the men were trapped in here and couldn't get -the door open." - -There were no bodies in the room. All four had evidently been swept -through the air lock by the rapidly escaping gas. Rock's companions -could read the truth as easily as he had done himself, and they were -considerate enough to remain silent. Rock stared about him for several -moments. This was so unexpected, not finding his father. He didn't quite -know how to take it. - -The boys went out to join the others. Kalmus and Judas were chattering -over their success, already making plans for the future. - -Kalmus was not concerned whether Rock had found his father or not. -"Let's hurry up and get this stuff loaded on the _Dog Star_," was the -first thing he said. - -"Sure," Rock said absently. - -As they went aft again, Rock's mind was full of what they had seen. He -was rather disappointed in the way he felt. He had thought he would be -jumping in elation when they found the alconite ore. Instead, he was -almost sorry. It seemed like a violation of his father's honor to share -his property with these men of greed. - -The shock of not finding his father's body continued to disturb him. He -had hoped to take it back and give it a decent burial. Yet, as he -thought further, perhaps this was the way his dad would have wanted it, -because he was first and last a spaceman. Also, his widow would not have -to relive the pain of his loss again. Yes, it probably was best this -way. - -The five of them crossed over on the cable again and made preparations -for transferring the ore to the _Dog Star_. They would carry it over in -regular space transfer crates secured to the cable. An empty crate would -be shoved across the gulf, filled up in the _Northern Cross_, and then -sent back over to be emptied of its contents. - -The crew was split into two parties, five remaining aboard the _Dog -Star_ to unload and the other six going over to the _Northern Cross_ to -load the treasure aboard the crates. - -The work began and moved along smoothly, but it was going to be a -drawn-out operation, if not a rigorous one. Carrying the containers of -ore down the corridors of the _Northern Cross_ was a simple matter since -they were perfectly weightless and so had only to be guided along by the -touch of a hand. - -The hours dragged along slowly as load after load was drifted down the -corridors of the ghost ship and pushed across the vacuum to the _Dog -Star_. The storage bins of the smaller ship bulged higher and higher -with the valuable mineral. - -As the transference neared completion, Rock took Shep aside, near one of -the ports of the _Northern Cross_. Then he began speaking very softly so -that none of Kalmus' men working in the ship could pick up the -conversation by helmet radio. - -"We're nearly through, Shep," he whispered, "and you know what that -means for Kalmus." - -"It means he's got what he came for and that he should be satisfied," -Shep finished. - -"To me it's more than that," Rock continued. "It means that he doesn't -need any ex-cadets anymore. You heard him say that Judas could run the -ship." - -Rock could barely see the frown on Shep's face through the filtered -facepiece of his helmet. "What are you getting at, Rock?" - -"The fewer men who return to port with the treasure ore, the fewer there -will be to share the profits," Rock said, his radio-altered voice -carrying a sinister inflection. - -"You mean you think that Kalmus is going to ditch us?" Shep asked in a -fierce whisper. "Right out here in the middle of space?" - -"I'm not saying I believe that definitely," Rock corrected, "but I do -think we should start being on our guard for any funny moves Kalmus -might make. You've seen yourself how greedy he is." - -"What, exactly, do you think we should do?" Shep asked. - -"I think that you, Johnny, Hugh, and myself should go on over to the -_Dog Star_ right now and tell Kalmus that we believe the ship has got as -much ore as she should carry. That will prevent his stranding us over -here. If he wants to, let him come over and get the rest of the ore -himself." - -"Since we're making wild guesses," Shep said, "maybe Kalmus has other -plans for dealing with us, such as making us prisoners on the _Dog Star_ -as we head back." - -"That's possible too," Rock agreed, "but he would need weapons for that, -since we outnumber them. I took a quick look through their things before -we left port to make sure he and his men had no weapons, and I don't -think they brought any along." - -"Maybe we're being unfair with the guy, suspecting him at all," Shep -said. - -As the words left his lips, he happened to glance out the port and saw -Ben Spooner, who had been working on the _Northern Cross_, thrust out -across the gulf empty-handed. - -"Hey, look!" Shep cried. "Ben's in a big hurry and he's not carrying a -crate across!" He seized Rock's space suit. "Now there goes Judas right -behind him and he's empty-handed too!" - -Rock felt his heart take a dive. "Shep, they must be going to do exactly -what I feared!" He sprang into action. "Come on, we've got to get Hugh -and Johnny!" - -"They can't maroon us in space!" Shep said, furious, as he tagged along -behind Rock down the corridor. "It's the same as murder!" - -"They're not even waiting to carry the rest of the ore across!" Rock -said. "As soon as we find the fellows, we'll get over to the _Dog Star_ -right away!" - -Sparky, Ed, and Leo were already in the other ship. Rock and Shep -quickly rounded up Johnny and Hugh and the four of them hustled toward -the air lock, bumping into crates in their hurry. As they reached it, -Johnny pointed out the open doorway. - -"Look, Sparky's coming over!" he said. - -"Maybe he's found out what's going on," Hugh spoke. - -They gave Sparky a hand into the ship. - -"What's up, Sparky?" Rock asked. - -"Jack Judas told me you wanted help in finishing up over here and for me -to come over," Sparky replied. - -"We didn't send for you," Rock told Sparky. "It must be a trick to get -the most of us over here. Come on, you guys! We'll go over and have a -show-down with Kalmus right away!" - -But before they could launch themselves, Kalmus had already begun his -act of treachery. - -"Look what those crooks are doing!" Shep exclaimed. - -The boys could hardly believe what they saw. It was more like a bad -dream. The cable had jerked away from the side of the _Northern Cross_ -as its magnetic attraction was broken. Then the five saw Kalmus lean out -and pull it into the _Dog Star_. - -"We're too late!" Rock groaned. - -The ex-cadets shouted in frustration and anger at the cold-blooded act. -Over their suit radios, they warned their former partners of the -consequences of abandoning men in space. But even as they yelled -themselves hoarse, Rock knew it wasn't going to do any good. Kalmus had -simply gotten the jump on them, something that had probably been planned -at the very beginning of the voyage. - -The outer door of the _Dog Star_ closed. A feeling of utter desperation -took possession of Rock. Here they were, five of them, marooned on a -ghost ship in space, without any foreseeable chance of returning alive -to Earth. - - -An hour had passed since the five ex-cadets had been cut off from the -mother ship. The _Dog Star_ had blasted off and was now out of sight. -Rock guessed that Kalmus and his rebel crew had compelled Leo and Ed to -assist Jack Judas in running the ship. - -During this time, the castaways had been taking stock of their -situation. Any hopes of sending an SOS were virtually gone. The radio -antenna had been badly damaged at its base when loosened by the bulging -wall. The radio's present range could not be over a few thousand miles. - -However, things did not look nearly so dark now as they had earlier. The -boys found air tanks that would sustain them for quite a while, if not -indefinitely. Upon refilling their suits with the aged gas, they found -it breathable but carrying a metallic odor. - -There was a fair abundance of irradiated food such as all space craft -carried. By receiving special treatment in an electronic oven, such food -could be preserved for years. Although hard and rather tasteless, the -present supply would at least keep them alive. The water-making machine -was still in good order, and a drink from it was as fresh as if just -drawn from a spring. - -However satisfactory these three main essentials were, though, they -would all run out some day. That meant that the _Northern Cross_ would -have to move out of her stagnant orbit if there was any chance for -survival. - -Rock was hopefully expectant that the ship would run again. Save for -temperature changes, there had been no weather erosion to damage the -craft and its fittings. Since the ship's electrical power came from -sunlight and the big solar mirror had continued to gather light over all -these years, the electric system worked, and the batteries were still -charged. A long-range inspection of the atomic-engine unit showed no -radiation leakage. The unit had been shut down ever since the accident -to the _Northern Cross_; the boys found the hafnium safety rods plunged -well home into the atomic pile to prevent chain reaction. The automatic -oil and grease feeds in the ship's motors had given out by now, and many -bearings were squeaky dry, so they replenished these. - -The boys were now in the pilot's room ready to try out the ship under -its own power. The console had pretty well resisted the crush of air -pressure that had caused the explosion, for the gauges were working. But -of course working gauges did not necessarily mean working jets. The boys -had made minor repairs in the main control room. They had reconciled -themselves to living inside space suits for the rest of the way home -since the _Northern Cross_ was open to the vacuum of space, and the air -lock was too badly damaged to close again. - -When everything was in readiness for a test blast, Rock sat at the -console with the others crowding around him to keep their eyes on the -many dials. The electronic brain and autopilot were in satisfactory -order and would be called upon later if the ship were able to move under -its own thrust. - -Rock pressed colored buttons and shoved knife switches and floor levers. - -"Jet chamber pressures are up!" Johnny said happily. - -"The fuel flow gauge is right!" Sparky called. - -"The coolant is circulating!" Hugh reported. - -The boys felt a vibration and heard a muted hum. Then they felt a slight -tug. They had already been traveling at substantial speed under orbital -velocity, but the slight increase was unmistakable. A check of the -dynamometer, that recorded thrust, indicated that the jets were -operating properly. Rock cut off so that they could make plans. - -"We could reduce speed and try for landing on Venus," Rock proposed, -looking out the port at the big planet that was buried within its dense -veil, "but we'd have to be awfully lucky to land within radio range of -any of the research settlements. Besides our radio being weak, there's a -lot of static on Venus from sunspots." - -"I'm in favor of trying to get back home," Shep declared. "Even if we -get off course we may be close enough to radio Luna or some of the space -stations for help." - -"As a matter of fact, Luna will be right in our path on the way back," -Rock said. - -Shep's suggestion seemed to be the best idea and was voted for -unanimously. After all had helped in figuring out the mathematics of -their course, Rock fed the tape into the autopilot. Next everyone took -to shock couches. - -The _Northern Cross_ was in the fortunate position of being headed -Earthward, meaning that its orbital speed could be added to their -required velocity. In a manner of speaking, it was as if Venus were a -slingshot hurling the pebble of the _Northern Cross_ into space. - -Under the crushing pressure of their mounting acceleration, Rock watched -the rising space speed in his overhead prism with concern. Would the -engines of the ship, inactive for so long, respond at maximum -efficiency? If they did, would the old vessel hold together under the -strain? - -The jets responded, at any rate. Rock's body seemed to be squeezed flat, -his eyeballs pressed deeply into their sockets, his vision blurred. - -Then the ship began leveling off, and the pressure lifted from Rock's -body. Before long it was gone entirely, and he knew they could unstrap. -The first thing the boys did when they were up was to check the dials on -the console. Everything appeared to be satisfactory enough; the -_Northern Cross_ should be able to carry them all the way. The radio was -set on automatic SOS. Although extremely remote, there was the distant -possibility that some ship might be within range. - -Later the same day, when Rock had a moment of relaxation, he located his -father's private cabin. Being among his father's things was almost like -being in his presence and seeing him for the first time. There were the -few neat clothes still hanging in the closet and the polished black -boots in an orderly row. - -On a wall desk he saw a picture of his mother and a fountain pen lying -with the cap off. On the floor he found a sheet of radiogram paper on -which his father had evidently been writing before the disaster. - -Rock read the letter that his father had intended to radio to his wife -on Earth. The boy's eyes grew misty and there was a thickening in his -throat. - -The twenty-year-old message carried a tone of foreboding. It was as -though Dr. Merrill felt that the four remaining less-experienced men of -his original crew of nineteen could not successfully bring the ship back -to port. "So close to my dream of a satellite hospital and yet so far," -were his unhappy words. "And yet we shall try with all our might, my -dear, to come home. This treasure of ours _must_ not go to waste. There -is so much good that it can do." - -The letter ended abruptly as Dr. Merrill wrote, "Fox has just called me -forward. I think they may be having trouble. I'll tell you all about it -when I get back." - -But of course neither Dr. Merrill nor anyone else ever told what had -happened. - -Rock tenderly folded the brittle paper and tucked it away safely. His -mother would cherish this last word from her husband. - -Rock knew now why his mother had scrimped and saved, working at the -algae canning plant, to make him eligible for cadet school. But he -didn't know how hurt she must have been when he washed out. She hadn't -told him that. - -The days dragged by slowly. With only a backdrop of star smudges to look -at and unpalatable meals of hard, ancient food to eat, it was not -exactly an enjoyable trip. Added to this of course were the youths' -additional worries about the welfare of their two buddies and whether -the _Northern Cross_ would hold together until the beloved sphere of -Earth swam into view. - -When the ship moved into the environs of Luna, the weary five knew that -Earth could not be far off. Ninety-nine per cent of their journey was -already over. - -Rock studied the enlarging globe of Earth's satellite. Its wrinkled, -gray face shone dazzlingly bright under the full glare of the sun. The -filtering glass was lowered over the forward port to cut down the -brilliance. - -It was on the space day following that there occurred an incident that -filled the boys with exuberant hope. They were almost at their closest -approach to Luna. The gray desolate lands were right "below." - -A crackling was heard over the automatically set radio. - -"Somebody must have picked up our signal and is trying to make contact!" -Shep cried out. - -Rock moved to the console to begin cutting speed. Then all gathered -around the radio. - -Hugh was the radio expert. He scooped up the mike and slid into the -chair in front of the bank of knobs. - -"_SS Northern Cross_," he said eagerly. "_SS Northern Cross._ Come in, -whoever you are! Please come in!" - -The crackling continued. Then there was a fragment of voice that was -quickly lost in a babble of sound. - -Hugh kept talking into the mike. - -"It's that faulty antenna!" Rock groaned. - -The crackling continued. Just as Hugh was about to give up, a voice came -in weakly again. It was a voice the boys had to strain to hear, but they -caught the vital message: "Hugh--Rock!" it said. "We picked up your SOS. -We've had to make an emergency landing on Luna." - -"Leo!" Shep said. "It's Leo!" - -"Ask him quickly if Ed is all right and what their position is," Rock -said to Hugh. - -"Yeah, we're both all right," came Leo's reply. "Our position--" - -A rattle of static cut him off. The boys groaned. It would be impossible -to search the moon for a space ship. They had to get the exact location -from Leo. - -They listened hopefully. Hugh kept talking, saying that they weren't -getting clear reception. - -Then Leo's distorted voice came through again briefly. This time he got -out the latitude and longitude of the _Dog Star_. Rock eagerly wrote it -down. - -"Here comes Kalmus!" they heard Leo say next in a frenzied voice. - -That was the last they heard. There followed a garbled sound and then -complete silence. - -"Kalmus must have destroyed the set," Rock said gravely. - -"We know where to find them now, though," Shep said with satisfaction. - -Rock went to the chart files and dug through the celestial maps for one -of Luna. He checked the position as given them by Leo. - -"The place is near Archimedes in Mare Nubium," Rock pointed out. "Get -out your pencils and take a seat at the calculators, boys; we've got -some navigation figuring to do!" - -The velocity and orbital figures were worked out. Then the directions -were computed in the mechanical brain and fed into the autopilot. The -chemical braking rockets were switched in after the ship had turned -about-face. No terrestrial landing was ever made with atomic rockets -because of radioactive contamination of the ground. - -The boys strapped down and braced for the agony of deceleration. It was -a cumbersome job, clad as they were in space gear. - -As the ship decelerated, Rock focused his hurting eyes on the prism -overhead. The filter cut out the over-all glare of reflected sunlight -from Luna's boiling-hot surface, but the harsh blacks of dead shadow and -the whites of naked sunlight were still painfully vivid. He watched the -shimmering heat vapors, the miles and miles of gray pumice, heaped in -waves in some places so that it resembled a gigantic sea whose motion -has been suddenly stilled. Finally the great curving mouth of Archimedes -began to enlarge and grow in prominence. The crater's high, rugged walls -filled the square of Rock's prism. - -Later he felt that easy, reassuring bump of the tripod fins that told -him they had landed safely. - -"Everybody O.K.?" Rock asked, looking around. - -Johnny was pale and the others were a little groggy (they'd had to hit a -deceleration of 7 G's in order to stop the ship in time), but all -attested to being alive, if shaky. Rock went over to the port to study -their surroundings. - -"We didn't get off course very much," he announced. "I can make out the -_Dog Star_ about a quarter of a mile away." - -In their elevated position, the boys had an extensive view of the -landscape. For miles around, the ground was dead black. Only in the -distance did the razor-sharp line of sunlight begin. The _Northern -Cross_ was in the broad shadow of Archimedes and the distant _Dog Star_ -was also. Between the ships lay irregular rock shapes and uneven ground. -A rift sliced across the area, appearing to make contact between the -ships impossible. - -"I wonder if Kalmus knows we've landed?" Shep said. - -"Even if they don't know we're here," Johnny put in, "they are protected -by that big ditch. Not to mention being safely inside the ship." - -"I'll admit we've got our job cut out for us," Rock said, "but I don't -think we should try going back to Earth for help and count on the _Dog -Star_ remaining here to be captured. We might never see Ed and Leo -again." - -"Rock is right," Hugh said. "We'll have to figure out how to get over to -the _Dog Star_ and free the boys from those crooks as soon as possible." - -Rock got out the pair of binoculars he had found among the things -belonging to the ill-fated crewmen before them. Then he looked through -them at the distant globe of the _Dog Star_. The ship had barely missed -a high wall of dark-colored lunabase rock. The wall was jagged and -spongy, like most formations on Luna, which had so little atmospheric -erosion to wear them down. As he examined the wall, a sudden idea came -to him. - -"Why don't a couple of us try to get over to that rock wall next to the -_Dog Star_?" he proposed. "We can climb it and look through some of the -ports. That way we may be able to see what the others are up to and make -our plans accordingly." - -"Why just two?" Sparky wanted to know. - -"Less chance of being seen by Kalmus," Rock answered. "Also, if the two -get caught, that still leaves three to think of something to do." - -"We haven't yet figured how to cross that big ditch," Hugh pointed out. - -"I've thought of that too," Rock said. "We can carry along a bunk ladder -out of one of the dorms. From here it looks as if the ladder will span -the ditch." - -"It sounds risky," Johnny remarked. - -"We've got to do something," Shep countered. "I agree with Rock. How -about you and me trying it, Rock?" - -The matter was settled. But before anyone could go outside, the area had -to be given time to clear of residual radioactivity around the atomic -rocket nozzles. After waiting an hour, Rock and Shep got the ladder and -carried it downstairs several flights to the air lock. - -The ladder was tossed through the air lock to the ground. It floated -feather-light. The former cadets descended by way of the ship's ladder. -They carried a Geiger counter for checking contamination. Besides the -portable ladder, they had with them binoculars, a safety rope, and a -walkie-talkie radio for communicating with the _Northern Cross_. - -The area was free of contamination. The boys found walking quite awkward -at first and laughed at their own clumsy efforts as they fairly danced -along through the volcanic and meteoric dust. There was quite a -difference between being absolutely weightless in magnetic-soled shoes -and being of one-sixth Earth weight without such shoes. They finally got -the hang of it and found they could take gliding steps of about five -feet at a time. - -They kept behind rocks and ground rises to minimize the chance of their -being seen. They still could not be certain Kalmus had not seen the -_Northern Cross_ come down. - -The rocks and ground were covered with a down of hoarfrost. This was due -to Luna's scant moisture content condensing in the exceedingly rare -atmosphere which was made up principally of carbon dioxide. As they -moved along, Rock saw that Shep was beginning to grow a whitish fuzz of -dry ice on his suit. - -It was hard for Rock to realize that the temperature around them was -several hundred degrees below zero, while only a scant mile or two -farther out it was hotter than boiling water under the full rays of the -sun. This was only one of Luna's many strange features that fascinated -him. He wished this had been a trip of exploration and fun instead of -the grim battle that it was. - -As they approached the great rift in the ground, Rock began to get a -queasy feeling. - -"Wide, isn't it?" he asked Shep over his suit radio. - -"And deep," Shep replied, after a look over the brink that had showed no -bottom. - -They brought the ladder over to the edge and carefully spanned the gulf -with it. - -"It just does make it!" Rock gasped. "There's only about a foot to spare -on each end." - -They found a wedge of rock like a dinosaur's tooth deeply embedded in -the ground not far from the crack. Around this they tied one end of -their safety rope. Then Rock tied the other end around his waist. - -"Hold on to the ladder to make sure it doesn't slip," Rock told his -friend, and slowly he started out over the plunging abyss. - -Rock looked down through the rungs at the black emptiness below. -Although he wore the safety line, a fall could be dangerous. He looked -ahead as he kept moving forward. The other end of the ladder was -wobbling back and forth. When he reached the opposite side of the brink -and climbed onto firm ground, he was aware only of the perspiration -trickling down his face. It made him turn down his suit heat a couple of -degrees. - -He untied the safety line and threw it back to Shep. Then his friend -started over the perilous bridge, with Rock holding his side of the -ladder as firm as he was able. Shep made it safely too, so they were -both vastly relieved. - -"We'll just leave the ladder in place," Rock suggested, then added -gravely, "That's in case we have to cross it in a hurry." - -Without the ladder to hamper them they could be more furtive in their -movements. They dodged lithely around towering chunks of light-colored -lunarite and darker lunabase. The rock formations looked like petrified -sponges jutting up out of a dried-up sea bottom. When the two had to go -out in the open, they sprinted toward the next place of cover. Since -hoarfrost continued to gather on their suits, they constantly brushed it -off. A moving white figure even in the deep shadows might be noticed by -anyone in the _Dog Star_. - -Now only a few hundred feet separated Rock and Shep from the space ship. -They began swinging inward nearer the _glacis_ or outer slope of the -crater, heading toward the wall of lunabase. - -"If they've seen us, they haven't given any sign," Rock said with some -measure of satisfaction when they had reached the foot of the wall and -were watching the dumbbell shape of the _Dog Star_ just a short distance -away. Standing on its tripod base, it looked like a huge kettle. - -Rock and Shep started up the rugged slope. Although precipitous and -craggy, it did not look to be too difficult to climb since there were -natural footholds at almost every step. Nevertheless a slip would be -perilous, if not fatal. The boys had been well drilled in the dire -effects of having one's space suit ripped open. In such case the suit -collapsed like a burst balloon, admitting the killing cold or heat, -whichever it might be, causing death. - -When Rock and Shep were at a height level with the ports of the _Dog -Star_, they began crawling laterally toward the ship. Rime covered the -corallike edges, making them slippery as the comparative warmth of their -space suits melted the ice particles. They were about fifty feet from -the ship at this point. Rock checked the counter. There was no gamma-ray -contamination from the _Dog Star_. It was safe to approach closer. - -They got as close as they dared to the port that looked in on the main -control room. They could see Leo and Ed working intently on an opened -gear-box beside the instrument console. Across the room sat Jack Judas, -a grim look on his beetle-browed face. And in his hand the boys could -see a blaster. - -"They did smuggle weapons aboard, Rock!" Shep said. "They must have -hidden them carefully." - -"That proves they planned the scheme from the very beginning," Rock -said. - -"And it's going to make it harder for us, because we're unarmed," Shep -remarked. - -"I believe the boys are stalling them," Rock said. "They probably -doctored the controls and brought the ship down just to give us time to -catch up with them." - -"I wish there were some way to let them know we've landed," Shep said. -"That is, if Kalmus hasn't found out already." - -Shep started to move into a better position to see when suddenly his -foothold gave away beneath him. His cry blasted loudly over Rock's -receiver. Rock made an instinctive grab for his friend. He barely caught -hold of an anchor ring on the other's space belt in time to keep him -from tumbling all the way to the ground. Rock steadied him as Shep -thrust about with his feet for a new foothold. - -"I thought I was a goner!" Shep said tremulously. - -During the boys' struggles they had evidently released loose material, -for they saw a quantity of the porous stone cascade down the wall and -strike the side of the ship. - -"We've got to scram!" Rock said urgently. "They're bound to have heard -that inside! Now they'll know we're on Luna!" - -They scrambled downward as fast as possible, without being reckless. It -seemed as if the lunabase were more slippery than ever. Twice the boys' -feet slipped, and only timely bracing by the other prevented disaster. - -When they were about halfway down, Shep's foot wedged into a crevice. - -"Look what I had to do with my big feet!" Shep groaned. - -"Don't worry," Rock said. "It'll take them a few minutes to get space -suits on if they have decided to come out and investigate." - -Rock gently but firmly began working on his friend's imprisoned foot. He -moved it back and forth, tugging and pushing. But it held fast. Even -after several minutes, Shep was still a prisoner. - -Then suddenly the thing that the boys had feared happened. The air lock -of the _Dog Star_ opened and a ladder was thrust out until it reached -the ground. Kalmus and two of his companions began descending. They all -carried blasters. - -"Now we're done--" Shep blurted, only to be shushed abruptly by his -friend. Shep had forgotten that all the suit radios were on the same -wave length. - -"I think we're barking up the wrong tree!" the boys heard Ben Spooner -say when they were on the ground. "That wasn't anything but some loose -rock that fell off that hill up there." - -"Rocks don't just fall on Luna!" Kalmus retorted. "Something has to move -them! I still believe those guys have traced us here! Leo must have been -able to contact them by radio before I could break up the set!" - -"I don't see anybody around," Mumbly Pegg remarked. - -"'Course you don't see 'em!" Kalmus growled. "You dead brain! You don't -think they're standing around waiting to be caught, do you? Start -climbing up that hill, both of you!" - -Rock eased down as flat as he could get and motioned Shep to do the -same. Through his helmet, Rock could see the grimace of pain on Shep's -face as his movement put pressure on the trapped foot. Rock cautioned -him not to groan or speak a word. - -Over his radio Rock heard Spooner and Pegg breathing hard as they began -scrambling up the formation, followed by Kalmus. Rock kept perfectly -still, hoping with all his might that the men would not discover them. - -"I still think we're barking up the wrong tree!" stocky Ben Spooner -repeated as his breathing grew harder at every upward step. - -"Shut up and keep climbing!" came Kalmus' voice. "They're bound to be up -there!" - -Shep was trying manfully to be silent, but every now and then an -involuntary sob of pain escaped his lips. They could hear Mumbly Pegg -murmuring to himself, in his own peculiar incessant manner. - -Now Spooner was getting closer. He was only about fifteen feet away, -and, as if following some telepathic message, he continued approaching -the youths. - -"We're done for," Rock thought, with despair. "There's nothing to keep -him from finding us." - -Rock lowered himself still flatter, until the sharp edges of lunar stone -pressed dangerously into his inflated suit. Spooner still climbed. -Another couple of feet and he would be looking right down on them. They -heard the sucking of his tired breath and choking wheezes as if he -couldn't take another step. - -"Tony!" Rock heard him call weakly. "I can't go any higher! Besides, I -can see the top and nobody's up here! I've got to come down!" - -"Come on down then, you weakling!" Kalmus grated. "What a bunch of saps -I brought along with me!" - -"I can see the top too," came Pegg's voice from another part of the -formation. "There's nobody up here, Tony." - -"I guess you guys were right after all," Kalmus finally conceded. - -It seemed a terribly long time before the men got to the ground and -disappeared into the ship. Rock gave them time to remove their space -gear before daring to speak over his radio. - -"Boy, that's the closest call we'll ever have!" Shep said. - -"We're still not out of the woods," Rock reminded him. "We've got to get -you free." - -He went after the trapped foot with a more determined vengeance. Shep -howled, but Rock finally jerked it free of the stubborn crevice. - -When they reached the bottom, Shep was limping and said his ankle hurt. -Rock supported him and they headed back toward the _Northern Cross_. -They continued with caution, keeping out of the open as much as -possible. - -"I don't see that we accomplished much," Shep said wearily. - -"It's given me another plan, at least," Rock replied, brushing at a new -growth of ice crystals. - -"Oh, oh, here we go again!" Shep sighed, then winced as his ankle hurt -him again. - -"All of us," Rock began, "except you--if you're not up to it--will come -back over here. We've already proved that the trip can be made without -their seeing us. We'll station ourselves around the air lock, except for -one who will climb the formation and kick rocks down again on the ship. -This time Kalmus will be sure it's us, and they'll come out to -investigate again. When they come out, our bunch will slip inside. If -Judas has been left to watch Leo and Ed, he shouldn't give us much -trouble by himself if we slip up on him and catch him unawares. Once -we've locked out the other three they'll give in willingly just to get -back inside." - -"That's pretty daring," Shep said doubtfully, "but I guess we've got to -be daring if we're going to save the boys." - -As they walked, Rock radioed the _Northern Cross_ with the walkie-talkie -he'd been carrying on his back, telling the boys of their close call. - -When the two reached the ladder bridge across the rift, Shep had -difficulty crossing with his injured foot. He went first, and as Rock -steadied the frail bridge, he held his breath tensely for fear Shep -would slip. They had used the safety rope again, but, if one of them -should fall, he could easily rip open his suit as he thudded against the -jagged side of the chasm. - -Once more, however, they got across without mishap and were soon back at -the ship. The boys helped them in eagerly. - -"Are you fellows ready to go back with me?" Rock asked them. - -They looked at him in amazement. He explained his new plan to them. All -considered it taking a big chance, but, not being able to think of -anything better, they agreed that they might as well try it. - -"Kalmus is getting mean and nasty," Shep told them. "This thing seems to -be getting on his nerves. There's no telling what he'll do to the boys -before this is all over. He and his men have blasters, and they mean -business." - -The boys prepared a snack for themselves, then began to dress, trying to -choose the best of the antiquated suits. - -Shep did not suit up. He said that he wouldn't be able to help any -because of his ankle, which was noticeably swollen now. He wouldn't let -any of the others stay behind with him, however. - -When all were dressed and ready to go, they said good-by to their -crippled buddy. - -"What'll I do if you don't come back?" Shep asked Rock. - -"I guess you'll just have to come over and join us," Rock replied, -half-jokingly. "Two could possibly get the ship back to port in a pinch -but not one man alone." - -"I think I'll prefer your coming back," Shep said, with a broad grin. -"Good luck, you guys." - -The four of them started out. Rock showed his friends the route he and -Shep had taken before, one that appeared safe from possible inquiring -eyes aboard the _Dog Star_. It took them some time to cross the chasm, -since each fellow had to tie on the safety rope as he went over. - -"I'll climb the lunabase formation," Rock told them, "because I was up -there before and know the way. The rest of you keep away from the ports -and sneak up to the air lock over there. When I see that you're ready, -I'll kick some stone down onto the ship. That should bring them outside -in a few minutes. We've already made our plans from then on." - -Rock watched Hugh, Sparky, and Johnny slip agilely into the open and -bound like gazelles over to the air lock. Then he started to climb the -wall as he and Shep had done before. - -It was then that the shocking collapse of Rock's bold plan came about. - -Kalmus and all three of his men darted swiftly from behind the ship, two -on each side. They leveled their blasters at the boys, warning them to -stay in their tracks. - -"Keep them covered, Ben," Kalmus ordered. "Come on, Jack and Mumbly. -There's another one around here somewhere. I saw four of them." - -The shocking suddenness of the countermove had left Rock numb and -immobile for a few seconds. But he quickly regained his composure and -sprang into action. He leaped to the ground and scrambled madly to -safety behind the lunabase formation. - -He had barely ducked behind a monolith before two helmeted heads loomed -some twenty feet away. A glance in the other direction showed him the -third. He had to get out of there quickly. - -He dashed into the open and with great leaps tried to put as much -distance between himself and his pursuers as he could. He got a good -start on them before they caught sight of him and gave chase. - -"Stop!" Kalmus roared. "We'll shoot if you don't!" - -Rock kept running, heading for the chasm. If the three were shooting at -him, he had no way of telling in the near airlessness of the planet. He -wouldn't know unless he felt the hot stab of a heat ray and the -explosive loss of air from his suit. - -Reaching the rift, he cast a hurried glance behind and saw the three -still following. Not having time to tie on the safety rope, Rock started -across the chasm. - -Over his radio he continued to hear Kalmus' threats. The voice grew -louder as the pursuers drew close. Being able to move ten feet or so at -a jump, it wouldn't take them many seconds to reach the chasm. - -Rock clutched at the far bank and hauled himself onto safe ground. As he -exhaustedly pulled the ladder across out of reach of the others, he -looked up to see them almost at the edge. But without the ladder, they -were helpless to advance any farther. - -Fearing a well-placed shot, Rock scrambled for cover behind a protective -clump of boulders not far off. Only then did he feel that he could dare -take a deep breath since the terrible ordeal had begun. Kalmus and his -two companions seemed reluctant to attempt a jump of the chasm and -headed back to the _Dog Star_. - -[Illustration: _Almost exhausted, he pulled the ladder across and out of -their reach._] - -Rock continued on to the _Northern Cross_. - -When Shep admitted him into the ship, Rock related the unhappy story -with bitter tears in his eyes. - -"You guys should have set me adrift long ago!" Rock burst out. "I've -been giving orders ever since we started, and every plan has backfired! -Now there are only the two of us left!" - -"We had to have a leader," Shep said more calmly. "We chose you because -we thought you were the best. We still do. Now quit feeling sorry for -yourself!" - -"I don't know what could have happened!" Rock sighed, shaking his head. - -"_I_ know," Shep said. "Kalmus just happened to see you fellows coming, -that's all." - -Rock sat down wearily. "You take over from here, Shep. I'm licked." - -Shep could see that his friend was genuinely distressed. He concealed -the harrowing pain he felt in his ankle and tried to think of their next -move. Minutes passed without Rock speaking. He merely stared out the -port at the star-jeweled sky and the shimmering ball of Earth that could -look so close to a person in space and yet be so far away. - -"You said that two could run this ship in a pinch," Shep spoke to break -the silence. "We'll just have to take the _Northern Cross_ back to port -ourselves and get help from the Space Guard. The boys will probably try -to stall longer and keep the _Dog Star_ on the ground." - -"I guess that is the only way," Rock admitted, then added dismally, "If -the ship isn't here when the Guard comes back, we probably won't see the -fellows anymore, that's all." - -"What you need is a good rest, Rock," Shep told him. "None of us has had -one since we came here. Let's get a few hours of sleep, one at a time, -and then get back to the problem when we're more refreshed. I'll stand -first watch to see if the _Dog Star_ takes off." - -"I am pretty tired," Rock said. "This time we'll do what you say, Shep," -he smiled feebly. "You be sure to wake me to relieve you." - -Rock stretched out in a chair and fell asleep almost immediately. - -The next thing he remembered was his friend shaking him. Rock stirred -sleepily. - -"I guess I'll be shot for going to sleep on guard duty," Shep confessed. -"I just couldn't help it, though." - -Rock had no reason to doubt that the _Dog Star_ would not still be in -its same spot, but some impulse prompted him to look out the port just -the same. His heart suddenly seemed to go dead inside of him. - -"The ship is gone, Shep!" - -"Oh, no!" - -The glasses revealed indisputably that the ship had blasted off. There -was only a blackened ring and a depression where the _Dog Star_ had been -before. - -"They've gotten the jump on us again!" Rock said brokenly. - -"Kalmus must have threatened the boys, or else Judas got the ship off," -Shep said. - -"Whatever it was, they're gone now," Rock said hopelessly. "They can be -heading for almost any place in the solar system." - -"What do you think we should do now?" Shep asked. - -"Go ahead with our same plan to notify the Guard, I guess," Rock replied -tonelessly. "They'll probably send out some cruisers to look for the -_Dog Star_." - -Rock stared solemnly out the port. "It's my fault all this has happened. -My fault that we ever started out on this crazy treasure hunt and my -fault that the boys are in the hands of these space pirates!" - -"Don't blame yourself, Rock. The fellows knew very well what they were -getting into. It's not your fault that things haven't worked out." - -Rock tried to shake off the pall of despair that had dogged him for the -past few hours and got busily to work. "Well, no use just sitting here -on Luna talking about it," he murmured. "Let's get that ankle of yours -bandaged and then we'll start up the engines." - -It was going to be a tricky undertaking to manage all the complicated -controls between the two of them. Shep was further hindered by his ankle -that had stiffened while he had slept. Rock had remembered seeing a -first-aid kit and he went for it. He wrapped the ankle tightly so that -Shep would be able to get about with a minimum of pain. They had to cut -the sides of Shep's magnetic-soled shoe so that there would be as little -discomfort as possible. Shep could have done without magnetic shoes -altogether, being content to float about weightlessly in the ship when -they were beyond Luna's gravity pull, but this would have interfered -with running the ship, which required a certain amount of body leverage. - -The two got their individual duties synchronized so that there would be -no hitch, Rock taking the bulk of the work. - -They calculated their figures and prepared the tape for the autopilot. -Then they strapped down in the couch room for the take-off. Rock still -did not trust the _Northern Cross_ too far, and at this moment he was -concerned lest the old ship might not respond to the lift of her jets. -The next few moments would tell the story. - -Rock felt the vibration of the ship as the fuel pumps went to work. The -overhead prism showed the flow meter registering properly, but the big -question was still whether the ship would be able to lift itself into -the heights. Then a sudden movement seemed to cut Rock's breath off in -his throat. His body pressed deeply into his couch, aching, but Rock was -glad. The ship was rising from the soil of Luna. - -They pushed the _Northern Cross_ along at the top speed they believed -was reasonably safe. The ship creaked and groaned under the burden of -maximum thrust. As yet she had given no indication of suffering worse -than this, but it was clear that the space vessel had seen her best -days. - -When the _Northern Cross_ was about two-thirds of the way home, a -suspicious dot was seen on the radarscope, moving too slowly for a -meteor. - -"Shep!" Rock called. "Take a look at this, will you?" - -Shep limped over as Rock got out his binoculars. - -"I can't believe it!" Rock blurted. "It's the _Dog Star_!" - -"What!" Shep cried, and grabbed the binoculars from Rock. "It _is_ the -_Dog Star_!" - -"Kalmus has got more nerve than I thought he had!" Rock said. "I didn't -think he'd risk heading straight for Earth!" - -"Whatever the reason, we've got him in our sights," Shep said. "What'll -we do?" - -"Follow him in, I guess," Rock answered. "Whatever station he heads for, -we'll put the Guard right on him and his cronies." - -"I'd advise our keeping our distance so we won't scare him off," Shep -suggested. - -Rock nodded. "When we get closer in, we may be able to radio a warning -to the stations to be on the lookout for him." - -They followed the _Dog Star_ for an entire space day, keeping the same -distance between the ships. The craft was undoubtedly still heading for -Earth and its company of artificial satellites. If her occupants had -spotted the other ship, they did not seem alarmed. Kalmus appeared to be -walking right into capture at a time when victory seemed to be -completely his. It didn't make sense. - -Hours later, Rock was interrupted from study of a sky chart when Shep -cried out in an anguished voice. Rock dashed over to the port where his -friend was looking out. - -"There's been an explosion aboard the _Dog Star_!" Shep blurted. "A big -burst of flame poured out of it!" - -"We've got to get to her right away!" Rock said hoarsely. - -It took some time to change course and swing around in pursuit of the -_Dog Star_'s new glide path. Rock fretted impatiently. He had nightmare -visions of what might have happened or might now be happening to his -buddies aboard the stricken vessel. - -As soon as the _Northern Cross_ had matched flight paths with the other -craft, Rock reduced their velocity so they could creep up on the _Dog -Star_ "overhead." The maneuver was accomplished as quickly as possible. -The _Northern Cross_ now lay "above" the _Dog Star_, with a space of -about a hundred feet between. - -Rock set the controls on hold positions as Shep procured a long towline. -The boys dressed hurriedly in space gear, then opened the air lock -closest to the ragged topside hole they had seen in the other ship. They -secured the safety line to an outside anchor ring, then Rock fastened -the line to his own suit. - -"Maybe you'd better stay out of this with that bad ankle of yours," Rock -told Shep. - -"And let you go across on your own?" Shep retorted. "No, I'm sticking -with you this time." - -Rock shoved off briskly from the ship's hull and floated across the gulf -of vacuum toward the _Dog Star_. He landed on the hull not far from the -explosion hole that was amidships near a rocket-tube cluster. Shep -pulled in the line and then launched himself across the emptiness. Rock -steadied him as he landed. - -The two scrambled immediately down through the gaping cavity, careful -not to snag their suits on the sharp edges. The boys climbed down along -the bulkheads of the corridor where smoke swirled like fog. - -Reaching the floor, they were met by four running figures in space -suits. The boys recognized Kalmus and his three companions in a -desperate hurry. - -Rock lashed out boldly at Kalmus who was rushing at him. He heard the -big fellow groan over his suit radio as the blow landed. But then Rock -was charged by Jack Judas. He was lifted off the floor and, because of -his helplessness when not in contact with it, was sent crashing heavily -against the wall of the corridor. - -Rock scrambled down off the wall to resume the battle. Shep was -courageously taking on all four of their attackers. Rock leaped into the -middle of it all, swinging fiercely. Another blow sent him careening -into the wall. Shep was flat on the floor now. - -Expecting no mercy from the victors, Rock was amazed to see the four -withdraw from the fight and run off down the corridor in the direction -they had been heading in before. Rock and Shep tiredly climbed to their -feet. - -"They weren't after us!" Shep gasped. "They were just trying to get -away!" - -"They're heading for the lifeboat rockets, I guess," Rock panted. "They -looked scared to death!" - -"Let's get to the fellows!" Shep said. - -They hurried along to the main control room. It was empty, so they moved -farther along to the navigation room. The door was locked and from -inside there came the sound of beating fists. With their heavy space -boots Rock and Shep began kicking the light metal door with passionate -vigor. Finally they tore the lock loose and the twisted door swung -inward. - -Sparky, Ed, and Johnny were sagging against the far wall, their eyelids -half-closed. Leo was giggling strangely and chattering as if enjoying -himself. Sparky kept crying out, "I can't hear!" - -Only Hugh appeared normal. It was he who had been beating on the door. -His face was red with fright and shiny with sweat. - -"The air pressure is down!" Hugh gasped to Rock and Shep. "Give us air!" - -Rock and Shep slammed the door to save as much remaining air as possible -and hurried to the supply room. They gathered up all the oxygen bottles -that they could carry and rushed back with them. They opened the -petcocks on all, and the life-giving precious gas began flooding the -room. - -But the gauge on the wall still showed a subnormal air pressure. Shep -and Rock found space suits in the supply room and began helping their -companions into them. The victims could help a little, but, except for -Hugh, they were still in such a state of anoxia that their rescuers had -to do most of the work. - -Finally the five were safely encased in suits, with clean pressurized -air filling their lungs. - -When the others felt like it, they began to talk. - -"Kalmus had us locked up in the navigation room while they went to eat," -Hugh explained. "Then when the explosion came, Kalmus and his men must -have been in such a hurry that they forgot all about us." - -"You might know that the only thing that would have made Kalmus abandon -the treasure would be the saving of his own neck," Rock said -contemptuously. "You fellows had better get a physical as soon as we get -to port." - -Shep asked the fellows what had happened since their capture. - -"Kalmus made us blast off soon after he caught us," Hugh was the first -to reply. - -"Whatever made Kalmus head for Earth?" Rock asked. "We thought that -would be the last place he'd want to carry all of you since you'd be -able to incriminate him." - -"Kalmus didn't intend to land at a space station!" Ed cut in. "He was -going straight for Earth and touch down in the Arizona desert where he -could unload the ore without being noticed. Then he and the others were -going to sell it a little at a time over a long period." - -"Carry the _Dog Star_ directly to Earth!" Shep exclaimed. "This ship -isn't made for atmospheric travel! It would have been turned into a -meteor by skin friction!" - -"That's what we tried to tell that crazy man!" Sparky said. "But he -thought we were trying to fool him and get him to dock at one of the -space stations. Judas knew the danger too, but Kalmus wouldn't listen to -him either." - -"How did you keep the _Dog Star_ at such slow velocity?" Rock asked. - -"We shorted out the circuit to a couple of jets," Johnny replied. "Told -Kalmus it was an accident. We had Judas fooled too. We were trying to -stall reaching Earth as long as possible." - -"We hoped we'd get a chance to jump the fellows," Hugh put in. "We even -had an outside hope that you might catch up with us." - -Rock went back to the earlier capture of Leo and Ed. Kalmus wanted only -two of the boys to run the ship, Leo explained, so that they could be -easily watched by the four. That was why they had sent Sparky back over -after the transfer of the ore. - -Ed said that he and Leo had made such an unsatisfactory job -(intentionally) of running the ship that Kalmus had made Judas take -over. But Judas was so rusty with his piloting that he botched up the -controls, making a forced landing on Luna necessary. The boys then got -the idea of trying to contact the _Northern Cross_ by radio, which they -had done in one of Kalmus' unguarded moments. Kalmus had been so -infuriated to discover this that he had destroyed the radio. He -mistakenly thought he had done it before a message had been sent. - -"Let's hope we've seen the last of that Kalmus bunch," Shep declared. -"If everything turns out all right for us, I don't care whether they are -ever caught or not." - -"Do you suppose they got off in the lifeboats?" Hugh suddenly asked. - -During their discussion of past events, they had almost forgotten about -the present whereabouts of Kalmus and his men. They went to check the -escape hatches and found one of four lifeboat rockets gone. - -"I don't see how they expect to reach any of the space stations with -their limited knowledge of navigation," Sparky said. - -"Even Judas can find his way home from here," Rock told him. "We're only -a few thousand miles from the outer radio relay satellite. The lifeboats -have simple instructions printed on the walls that practically anybody -can follow." - -Shep changed the subject. "Anybody know what caused the explosion?" - -"Probably a valve lock somewhere in the chemical fuel system," Hugh -answered. "That's what all of us think, judging from the sound of the -blast. Our tinkering with the jets might have caused it." - -"The thing to do now," Rock said, "is to get these ships back to port, -that is, if the _Dog Star_ has still got its power. I suggest we split -into two groups, four on the _Northern Cross_ and three on the _Dog -Star_." - -It was discovered that the damage from the explosion would prevent the -_Dog Star_ from traveling at its best speed because one entire rocket -section was out of order. But it would run. - -They drew lots to see who would ride in which vessel. Rock, Hugh, Ed, -and Shep drew the _Northern Cross_ and Leo, Sparky, and Johnny the _Dog -Star_. - -Rock and his three companions who would return to the _Northern Cross_ -went back to the ship by way of the towline. The ghost ship still -hovered overhead in the same position it had occupied before, even -though the two craft were traveling at a good pace through the deeps. - -The space ships were brought back into their original Earthward paths, -and in a few hours' time the braking rockets were ready to cut in. - -Several futile attempts had been made to contact a space station by -radio, and it wasn't until this point that the _Northern Cross_ was able -to establish its first contact over the crippled set. This was by way of -a continuous signal beamed out through space by a rotating antenna atop -the outermost artificial satellite, the radio relay station, 50,000 -miles from Earth. - -Hugh signaled for an operator and when he came in, Hugh gave the name of -the ship and its position. - -"Who did you say you were?" Rock heard the operator ask in amazement. - -"The _Northern Cross_," Hugh answered, "serial number A45-J, World -Spacecraft, manufacturer." - -There was silence on the other end for several moments. Hugh winked at -Rock. "We'll have some fun with them," he said. - -"When did the ship go out?" the operator asked. - -"Twenty years ago," Hugh replied. - -"Is this a joke?" the other retorted. - -"Not at all," Hugh assured him. - -The radioman chose not to argue any further. "I'll give you approach -instructions," he said. - -"There are two ships," Hugh told him. "We're together." - -The operator sputtered again when Hugh told him that the _Dog Star's_ -radio was completely out. "How do you expect me to bring a ship in -without a radio?" he complained. - -"If you give us both instructions," Hugh answered, "we'll relay those -for the other ship to them by suit radio. We're close enough for that." - -"I guess you know this is highly irregular," the operator replied. "I -still think you're pulling my leg!" - -As the approach instructions were given, Rock relayed them to the _Dog -Star_. The connection was rather feeble because of the low power of -Rock's suit radio transmitter, but by hooking up his own suit radio to -the ship's antenna, damaged though it was, Leo, acting as radioman, -could hear well enough. - -As the ships moved in parallel to the spinning station, a final -adjustment by the forward jets synchronized the ships' motion with that -of the rotating station. - -"Pretty good approach," the operator admitted grudgingly. "You two will -come into adjoining Docks 5 and 6. Stand by." - -Presently two sets of long, flexible metal arms reached out from the -space station like the arms of an octopus and attached themselves -magnetically to the sides of the ships. Then slowly the _Northern Cross_ -and _Dog Star_ were pulled into their docks. - -Word of arrival of the derelict space ship had been spreading all over -the station apparently, for Rock and his friends found the entire high -brass there to meet them as they crossed through the coupling tubes into -the satellite. - -The boys were conducted to the official quarters of the commanding -officer where he was gathered with the other members of his staff. There -Rock related the entire story of their trip. At first mention of Kalmus' -name, Colonel George had spoken to one of his officers and sent him out. - -When Rock was through with his story, Colonel George shook his balding -gray head, although it was a gesture not without humor. - -"It sounds like a fiction piece, Merrill," the officer said, his eyes -glowing with an excitement that suggested he might have enjoyed sharing -such an adventure himself. - -"Not that I disbelieve you! I don't mean that. It's just so incredible -what a group of young fellows have done!" He looked at his spellbound -officers and they nodded approvingly. - -"I've sent one of my men to see if Kalmus had docked here," Colonel -George went on. "He's probably a scoundrel with a bad record. That must -have been why he was in such a hurry to get started from the servicing -station, before his references could be checked at central -identification on Earth. You mentioned, Merrill, that he appeared very -generous in extending credit to you. I suppose you realize now that he -must have planned to take over the ship from the very beginning and -therefore his original so-called credit would be only a fraction of the -wealth he expected to bring back." - -"Yes, we finally guessed that, sir," Rock said. - -There was a wait until the officer returned with the facts on Kalmus. He -handed a yellow sheet to the commanding officer who read it with a show -of regret. - -"Kalmus and his men docked here about two hours ago," Colonel George -said. "As soon as they docked, they immediately jumped on a ferry going -Earthward. The ferry landed some time ago and they can be anywhere on -Earth. I'm afraid Kalmus and party have given us the slip. We've already -notified the authorities to initiate a search for them. Too bad you men -were unable to get in touch with us by radio so that we could have been -ready for them." - -"He may have escaped, sir," Rock reminded him, "but not with the ore -treasure, not even his own half." - -Colonel George chuckled. "That's right. And if he should turn up to -claim it, we'll charge him with a crime that is quite serious." - -"If he and his men are ever captured, sir," Rock said, "we'll make a -settlement with him then. He may need the money for some good lawyers." - -The colonel smiled. "I see you fellows want to do the right thing even -if he hasn't. Let me say here that I consider what you men have done, -bringing into port two crippled ships, the most remarkable space -performance I have ever heard about in my career. I'd have given -anything to be thirty years younger and one of you!" He sighed -regretfully. "In view of all this, I believe it would be embarrassing to -the Space Academy not to reconsider you seven for cadet school. I'll -personally make a strong recommendation for you." - -The boys, except for their leader, were profuse in their thanks. Rock -was quietly grateful and filled with a heart-warming satisfaction. For -all these long weeks since their blast-off, he had suffered remorse for -having brought his friends into such perils as they faced. Now it had -all worked out for a purpose. Where they might never have come back, now -they had not only returned without harm, but they would reclaim the -opportunity for a space career that had appeared to end for them with -their washout from the Space Academy. - -As Rock happily thought over these things, an officer wearing the -insigne of a metallurgist came into the room. - -"I've made an assay of the ore cargo on the _Northern Cross_, Colonel," -the man said. "It's good alconite ore and is worth a fortune, and of -course the ship is quite valuable too. It'll tell us a lot about -long-period effects of space conditions." - -"Now my success is complete," Rock thought. "Dad did not lose his life -for nothing. The satellite hospital will be a living memorial to his -unselfish ambition. Even with all the things that happened to us, I'm -glad we took the chance." - -He was sure his friends felt the same way. - - - - - SPACE STEWARD - - -"Carry your bags, sir?" The gentleman tourist in the space harbor looked -at the youth who had stepped out of the night. Although the boy's -clothes weren't as fine, perhaps, as those of the other baggage -carriers, there was something about him which appealed to the man. The -boy had a wiry, athletic build, and his gray, sincere eyes shone with -spirit and good nature. - -"Sure, son," the big, white-thatched man said, smiling. "Suite 8, 'B' -Deck." - -"'B' Deck!" Jim Vance echoed. "Thank you, sir!" - -He hoisted the bags easily in his strong arms. Then, handing his patron -one half of a baggage check, he headed briskly for the concrete pit -where the throbbing space ship rested on torpedolike tail fins. - -Jim was in a tingle of excitement. This was his first customer on 'B' -Deck. He'd get a first-rate view of the _Hercules'_ luxury quarters! Jim -always swallowed hard when he neared the astronaut. She was so -incredibly big, so very much like the massiveness of the space which was -her real home. Though the _Hercules_ was carrying some space freight -this trip, she was mainly a tourist vessel; and her destination was -Venus. - -"I'd give anything if I could make one trip into deep space," he thought -fervently as he stepped into the outside elevator and was carried far -above the brightly lighted Miami spaceport. For an instant he seemed to -share a kinship with the silent stars that encircled him like a speckled -bowl. - -Getting off on B Deck, Jim walked slowly along the polished corridor -toward Suite 8. The finery of the deck fairly numbed his senses. While -studying the turquoise carpet underfoot, his eyes shifted to his worn -shoes, and then he felt out of place. - -It took money to go into space. If not that, it at least took extensive -training to be a crewman. He had neither money nor training, not even a -family. Not that Jim Vance was ready to cry about it, though. He had -long ago accepted his lot without complaint. - -A senior-grade lieutenant stopped him outside of Suite 8. He wore a -square red mustache, and he neatly filled a uniform of gray flannel with -gold piping. - -"We're blasting off at 0800 sharp, son," he said. "Better remind your -patron to get aboard." - -"I will, sir," Jim returned. For a moment he felt like a full-fledged -crewman taking orders. He liked the feel of it, and he wished -desperately that it were so. - -He went into the suite and set down the bags. His eyes roved over the -rich trimmings, the deep honeycomb rubber cushions. An oval port looked -out on the winking night lights of the coast city. There were two other -rooms to the luxury quarters. - -The hideaway degravity cot in the main compartment had already been -pulled down out of the wall by a steward, but its front clamps were not -yet snapped to the floor. Jim closed the light beryllium door of the -compartment and tried out the cot. He sank down into its cloudlike -softness. As he lay there dreaming of worlds beyond Earth, suddenly the -front end of the cot swung upward. In trying to scramble out before he -was closed up in the wall, he was sent spinning into the air by the -powerful spring action of the cot. His head cracked solidly against the -metal wall, and he saw more stars than there were in the night. - -He lay in a daze for some time, stupefied, not realizing the passing of -time. What finally roused him was the sensation of vibrating like a milk -shake in a mixer. The floor beneath him throbbed like the surface of the -Atlantic Ocean just beyond. Jim didn't have to be a spaceman to know -that the _Hercules_ was about to blast off. - -Cold sweat flowed over him as he realized he could not leave the ship in -time. The only thing he could do was prepare himself for the shock of -the blast-off. He yanked down the degravity cot again, making certain -this time that it was clamped to the floor. He guessed that all he had -to do was recline on the cot as he had before and strap himself down -with the black leather bands and plastic buckles. - -He had scarcely done this before the pit of his stomach seemed to dive -into his shoes, and he felt that exhilarating "first minute of -acceleration" he had read so much about. When this was over, he knew the -_Hercules_ had climbed above the bulk of Earth's atmosphere and was -leveling off on a horizontal curve from the planet's surface. The -rotation of the Earth would give the spaceship a final boost into the -deeps. - -When Jim's stomach quieted, he unbuckled and attempted to get to his -feet. The motion sent him flying up into the air! It then struck him -that he had forgotten about the weightlessness of space. Some ships had -artificial gravity in them; but because the _Hercules_ was chiefly a -pleasure ship, the tourists preferred to "rough it." - -Jim became almost panicky in his efforts to right himself. His forehead -grew hot although the cool atmosphere of the compartment was -comfortable. He guessed that it wasn't entirely the shock of no gravity -that was making him sweat. He was thinking about his unpaid passage on -the _Hercules_. - -"I'm a stowaway," he thought. "I'll be sent to jail for this." He had -read about the severe penalty for trying to hitch a ride on a space -vessel. This was because weight was critical, and the addition of just a -few extra pounds could prevent the rocket fuel from pushing the ship to -its distant port, could even cause disaster. - -Jim felt his head where he had taken the near knockout blow. There was -only a small bump. Who would ever believe his story of what had really -happened? Besides, he'd had no business trying out the degravity cot. - -While he was pondering what he should do, there was a rap on the door of -the suite. Jim slunk against the far wall, dreading to be found out. - -"Are you all right, Mr. Bowers?" came a deep voice. - -Jim opened his mouth to reply but only a wordless croak came out. The -door swung open, and a husky steward with a young face "swam" in. At -sight of Jim a surprised look crossed his features. - -"What are you doing here?" he blurted. "Where's Mr. Bowers?" - -Jim felt as though he were in a crazy dream. The steward was floating -toward him like a phantom in a nightmare, while he himself was like a -desperate fish without fins in this strange sea of weightlessness. - -"I don't know Mr. Bowers," Jim managed to reply, then went on to explain -what had happened. - -The steward looked at him skeptically, his round face attempting to -judge him. "Is this the truth?" he asked. - -Jim nodded and showed the bump on his head. Then he waited tensely for -the verdict. - -"Somehow I believe you," the steward said sympathetically. - -"Thanks," Jim returned. He quickly decided that he liked the young -steward with the surprisingly deep voice. - -The steward looked thoughtful. "We've got to figure out a way to keep -you from being discovered until we return to Earth. That way, you'll -have had time to help out and pay your way. It'll go easier with you -when you turn yourself in." Then he frowned. "What about your family, -though? They'll surely be worried about you." - -"I don't have a family," Jim told him. "I'm an orphan, and I've been on -my own for two years. Don't you think I ought to make a clean breast of -everything to the captain now and hope he'll believe me?" - -The steward shook his head emphatically. "Not _this_ captain. Not -Captain Coppard. He's a stickler for regulations. He'd never believe -your story. If he does find out, you'll be on prison rations for the -rest of the trip!" - -"What'll I do, then?" Jim asked, suddenly feeling very dependent on the -young man he faced. - -The steward's forehead creased in a frown. "The captain doesn't know the -steward crew too well because there were some last-minute substitutions. -I think you'd do best to become a steward and work out your passage that -way." - -A steward on a space ship! The idea of it thrilled Jim so much that he -almost forgot the seriousness of his situation. He wondered how he'd -look in the neat starched white that the steward in front of him wore. - -"First, I think we ought to get acquainted," his new friend said. He -extended a workingman's strong grip, and Jim took it. "My name is Al -Hogan. Everybody calls me 'Babe' because of my face." He grinned -boyishly. - -"I'm Jim Vance," Jim said. - -"You'll make a good steward, Jim," Babe declared. "My job depends on -being able to spot good men." - -"How's that?" Jim asked. - -"I'm chief steward in charge of personnel aboard the _Hercules_," the -other replied. "It's lucky for you that I saw you first. I can hire you -without your having to see anyone else." - -"That's one thing in my favor," Jim said with relief. - -"I'm afraid there's one more strike against you, though, Jim," Babe -said. - -"What's that?" - -"You've 'bumped' the most important man in the space tourist business, -and that isn't good." - -"What do you mean?" Jim asked. - -"I mean this suite was Mr. Bowers', the owner of Venus Space Tours, -Incorporated." - -"Why didn't he come aboard in time for the blast-off?" Jim wanted to -know. - -"Mr. Bowers depends on the stewards to let him know just ahead of time -because he usually has a lot of last-minute things to do." - -"I didn't even know who he was!" Jim said. "Wow, what a mistake to -make!" - -"Lucky for the _Hercules_, though," Babe remarked, "your weight has -canceled out his. There's another rub, though. Mr. Bowers may have the -Miami port radio us that you're aboard. That would expose you for sure." - -Jim had an idea that his career as a spaceman was going to be extremely -brief. - -Babe showed him how to navigate in the state of no gravity. By kicking -out rearward, he could shoot himself along almost as smoothly as a fish -in water. - -"Come with me," Babe said, "and let's get you started as a steward. You -can bunk in my extra cot. There was an odd number of men this trip, -leaving the spare bed." - -Babe locked the door of Mr. Bowers' suite so that no one would be -curious about him. He told Jim that Mr. Bowers very rarely mixed with -the passengers or crew. For this reason he would not likely be missed. - -Babe kept Jim out of sight of the other crewmen and hurriedly got him -fitted into a steward's white uniform. - -"Your job will be to show the tourists how to get along in the space -ship," Babe told him. - -Jim went around with Babe to learn the ropes. Some of the steward's -friends looked at Jim curiously and asked about him. Babe satisfied them -by saying that Jim was a last-minute addition. - -The first jobs Jim and Babe had to take care of were several cases of -space sickness. Lack of gravity did funny things to the balancing -mechanism in the ear and often made amateur space travelers feel as -though they were coming apart. A dose of medicine usually fixed them up. -Jim was glad that he himself did not suffer from this affliction. - -Jim watched Babe instruct a gentleman how to take a nap without using a -couch. The only thing the man needed was a short cord secured to his -ankle and to a ring on the compartment wall to make sure that his -breathing did not cause him to float off. For night sleeping, Jim was -told, most people preferred using the standard sleeping-bag-type cots. - -"How about some lunch?" Babe asked Jim when they had left the passenger -relaxing in mid-air. "We'll have to get ours before the tourists come -in." - -"I'm all for it," Jim replied. - -As they "swam" toward the crewmen's mess, Babe said, "This is your -crucial meal, Jim. If you get by this one without anyone getting curious -about you, I don't believe you'll have to worry about them anymore." - -"I have my fingers crossed." - -He was going to need all the luck he could get, he realized, as they -navigated into the mess compartment. Across the room from them was the -officer with the square red mustache who had spoken to him as he carried -Mr. Bowers' bags into Suite 8! - -Jim whispered to Babe about the officer. Babe told him that there was a -good chance of avoiding him, since the officers sat at one table and the -stewards at another. - -Jim was fascinated by his first meal in space. Everyone strapped himself -to his seat so that he would stay put. Then the cooks brought in -individual plates which adhered to the metallic table top by magnetism. -Each bite of food was impaled on a toothpick stuck into a sponge-rubber -mat which was fastened to the plate. - -As Jim ate with tongs and sucked his drink from a closed container, he -was careful to avoid the roving eyes of the officer with the red -mustache. Jim was glad that the other stewards weren't inquisitive about -him. They appeared hungry and weren't talkative. - -Having survived the crucial first day without discovery, Jim found the -others that followed were much easier. When three weeks had passed and -he still had not been discovered, he started believing that the tourist -company owner he had "bumped" was not going to complain. - -But one day late in the voyage Jim and Babe happened to run into a very -important person in the corridor on the way to mess. Jim recognized the -insigne of four platinum rockets that showed he was Captain Coppard. It -was Jim's first face-to-face meeting with the officer. - -After the stewards' salute Captain Coppard suddenly pulled up short, and -Jim felt the trim, hawk-nosed man's steely gaze on him. It was a stare -that appeared to look clear through him. Why was the officer suddenly so -interested in him? It brought an anxious lump up into Jim's throat. - -"Steward," the chief officer said, "just a minute." - -Jim faced the officer in gray and gold, his heart pounding. Had Mr. -Bowers radioed the ship about him? Or had Captain Coppard found out -about him in some other way? - -"Yes, sir?" Jim said. - -Captain Coppard touched Jim's blouse. "You've got a button undone on -your uniform. Don't let me see that again." - -"Yes, sir," Jim replied in relief, and lost no time tidying himself. The -captain "swam" off down the corridor. - -"That scared the life out of me!" Jim blurted to Babe. "I thought he had -found me out for sure! I know now why you didn't want me to turn myself -in yet." - -"The captain's an expert spaceman, but he's as strict as they come, just -as I told you," Babe replied. - -After lunch Jim and Babe had a little time on their hands and "hung" by -the port in their compartment looking out into space. By now Earth had -dwindled to an arc light, and the endless star patterns and dusty -nebulae challenged his imagination tremendously. The planet they were -heading for was an enlarging brilliant disk that stood out prominently -among the sparkling diamonds of black space. - -"How long have you been out of the orphanage, Jim?" Babe asked suddenly. - -"Over two years," Jim said. "I've been working as an assistant athletic -coach at Oceanside Boys' Home outside Miami since then." - -"How come you were doing redcap service at the space harbor?" - -Jim grinned broadly. "Just because I loved it. I loved to go aboard -space ships and pretend I was a real passenger. I've wanted to go into -space ever since I knew there was such a thing. It seems now as though -I'm in a wonderful dream and that all this is not really true at all!" - -A pause followed, as Jim looked at Babe. "You've never told me anything -about yourself." - -Babe shrugged. "There's not much to tell. I'm thirty-two, unmarried. -Been going into space since I was seventeen. Like you, I have space in -my blood, and I hope I'll be rocketing until I'm eighty." - -Jim had a multitude of services to do for his patrons before the end of -the trip. He had a half dozen mild cases of "collision," resulting from -tourists' carelessly bumping into the walls of their compartments, not -realizing their increased powers in "free fall." On another occasion a -traveler had failed to hitch onto a wall ring during a nap and had -floated down the corridor half the length of the ship. A child had a -minor case of radiation burn when he wandered into a restricted -compartment next to the atomic reactor. - -The trip was nearly over in a few weeks' time, for the _Hercules_ was -traveling the way of the straight line and crossing the orbits of the -other planets. The day of landing, Jim and Babe looked out of the port -in their compartment at a pearly mist. The sensation of weight had -returned with the cutting in of the rocket motors. - -"How long before we touch down?" Jim asked. - -"Several hours yet," Babe replied. "We've got to circle the planet -several times to brake our speed. If we were to go straight down through -this pea soup, the friction would turn us red hot." - -Jim was glad when they were dropping at respectable speed directly down. -The landing, moments later, in the colony space harbor was made safely. - -After Jim and Babe had made their rounds readying the passengers for -debarkation, a voice came over the wall microphone: - -"Steward Al Hogan, report to Captain Coppard's suite right away." - -Jim and Babe exchanged anxious glances but did not speak as Babe left -the compartment. Jim wondered if his secret had been discovered at this -last moment. His concern was more for Babe than for himself. It would be -an awful thing for Babe to have to pay the penalty for helping him. - -To take his mind off his concern, Jim went to the side port for his -first sight of Venus. Although the upper layers of the atmosphere were -impenetrably dense, the air at ground level was clear except for -occasional wisps of vapor floating by. The intense rising heat gave a -shimmering effect to the canyon landscape. When Babe returned, he eased -Jim's mind with a grin. - -"How'd you like to make the cable-car tour with me, Jim?" he asked. - -"I'm all for it!" Jim said, greatly relieved that Babe had nothing bad -to report. - -"One of the regular cable-car drivers is sick and can't make the trip," -Babe went on. "Captain Coppard knew I'd had experience driving the car a -few times before and asked me if I wanted to make some overtime pay." - -"When do we start?" Jim asked eagerly. - -"In a few hours--after the tourists have had time to rest up from the -landing." - -Five hours later, Jim and Babe were helping tourists into breathing -outfits. There wasn't enough oxygen in Venus' atmosphere to support life -from Earth, although the planet had animal life of its own. The -apparatus was a light helmet with an attachment covering the nose of the -wearer. The gadget contained two slender tubes which fitted into the -nostrils and supplied them with oxygen from shoulder tanks. Also -attached to the helmet were dark lenses for protecting the eyes from the -extreme brilliance. - -As they left the ship, Jim saw that almost all of the many buildings of -the settlement were clustered about the rim of the space harbor. Venus -was still in the pioneer stage of development; the only persons living -permanently on the planet were scientists, engineers, and tourist -workers. The harbor lay on a broad, high plateau. On three sides of it, -precipices dropped away sharply into deep canyons. - -It took Jim a while to get used to the oppressive hotness of the -atmosphere. It was like breathing fire each time he took a breath -through his mouth. Babe instructed him and the others to breathe only -through their noses in order to avoid the discomfort. - -Babe led the party toward one of the edges of the plateau where the -cable car rested, a hundred feet or so from the cliff. Its overhead -cable extended out as far as Jim could see into the deep country. - -When all were aboard, one of the tourists, weighted down with camera -equipment, asked, "When are we leaving, Chief? Right away? I can't wait -to get this terrific scenery down on film! Isn't this a fabulous place!" - -The man was Mr. Benjamin, one of the more enthusiastic travelers. - -"We're leaving just as soon as we get the rear jet firing," Babe told -him. He led Jim into the foremost of two Plexiglas-enclosed drivers' -quarters that were located at each end of the car. - -Jim saw that only a single lever was used to control the cable car. -There was a radio set for contact with the space harbor if this were -necessary. - -Babe turned on the ignition and shoved the lever. The car began gliding -over the ground toward the edge of the precipice. "A child can run -this," he said. "One jet behind to push us forward, one in front to slow -us down." - -Jim felt his knees go weak in tingling anticipation as the car swung out -into empty space, with only its slender overhead cable as a support for -forty people. Babe presently let Jim try the control lever. Jim could -hear the hollow _swoosh_ of the rear jet as it shot the car along, and -he could hear the singing of the cable as the car rolled smoothly on its -fine overhead bearings. - -"We seem to be going uphill," Jim commented. - -"We are," Babe said. "We're heading for Point Luna, which is a thousand -feet higher than where we started." - -"I don't see how they ever got this cable in place," Jim said. - -"I've heard that it wasn't too much of a job, using helicopters," Babe -explained. "It was worth the trouble because the tourist revenue from it -has helped the building projects here." - -Reaching Point Luna, the car was stopped and the tourists got out to -look over the view. The space harbor was only a miniature tongue of land -beyond the vast spread of canyon behind them. Babe pointed out the Great -Crimson Desert in the distance, which looked to Jim like a sea of fire -as the heat waves rose from it up into the white sky. Jim thought it -odd, not seeing a sun up there. He knew the planet was forever shut off -from any view of the outer magnificent solar system because of its dense -atmosphere. - -The car moved on again, and presently a flock of snow-white birds began -circling about. Jim knew these to be the Venus albatrosses, which often -accompanied the cable car. The next peak reached was Point Hastings, -named for the man who had first set foot on Venus. The spot was a rugged -mesa jutting up from the canyon floor. The excited party left the car -and trooped down a slope which was thick with salmon-pink umbrella fern. - -"Get ready to see Venus' most interesting and bad-tempered animals," -Babe had told them just before. - -Babe led them down to the bottom of the slope and through a dense -thicket of gorgeous orange-colored blossoms. At this point the black -rock slope dropped away to a sandy plain covered with a herd of giant -unicorns. The animals were about the size of elephants, with glossy tan -hides and slender antelope legs. Their huge heads carried swordlike -horns just above the nose. The unicorns were browsing on patches of blue -spider grass. - -Mr. Benjamin piped excitedly, "I've got to get a picture of one of those -babies!" He scrambled recklessly down the slope and took up a position -behind a large rock. - -"Better be careful, sir!" Babe warned. "It doesn't take much to rile -them." - -"It's funny how the animals on Venus can get along without breathing -oxygen," Jim commented to Babe. - -"They have a huge lung capacity," Babe explained, "and also take in what -little oxygen Venus has while they sleep. They store it up in a special -air sac inside their bodies." - -Mr. Benjamin waved his hand to attract the attention of the beasts. -Several in the herd raised their heads and peered at the man. One of -them decided to investigate. He trotted over toward the rock where Mr. -Benjamin was clicking away with his camera, an ugly frown on its -wrinkled features. The rock shifted unexpectedly, and the tourist slid -around the edge of it. He lost his balance and tumbled down the slope, -shouting wildly for help. - -Jim's blood chilled, but he acted promptly, darting forward and -scrambling down the incline after the helpless man. The unicorn rushed -up the slope, his head lowered and his frightening ivory horn poised for -attack. - -Mr. Benjamin cried out and barely squirmed out of the way of the -charging animal. The force of the unicorn's thrust caused him to bury -his sharp horn to the ground. He withdrew it with a grunt of fury and -shook black earth from the glossy white tip. Then he retreated for -another charge. - -[Illustration: _The unicorn rushed up the slope, his head lowered and -his frightening ivory horn poised for attack._] - -"Help me!" Mr. Benjamin cried desperately, scrambling madly to get a -foothold in the slipping gravel. - -By now Jim was within arm's reach of the tourist. He braced himself -against the boulder that had settled into a hollow and strained forward -to grasp Mr. Benjamin's hand. Just as the man was pulled to his feet, -the unicorn struck again, burying his horn in the ground barely inches -below the tourist's boots. Jim shuddered as he hurried Mr. Benjamin up -the slope to safety. - -"My poor camera!" the tourist groaned. "It's down there with that -animal!" - -"You're lucky not to be down there with him yourself, Mr. Benjamin," -Babe said grimly and led the party back toward the car. - -Next the car passed over the fascinating Lake of Steam. A mist, like the -sheerest of veils, rose in a solid sheet from the depths to a height of -half a mile, shot through with every imaginable color. Jim thought it an -incredibly beautiful sight. - -Jim took over running the car while Babe went back with the passengers -to point out more of the picturesque wonders. Jim was surprised when -suddenly the car began roller-coasting down a steep slope toward a -forbidding dark opening in the cliff face. Quickly he realized that this -was the famous Haunted Tunnel of Venus. - -Jim switched on the headlights Babe had told him about and slowed the -car with a burst of the forward jet. Slowly the car entered the -enchanted cavern. The darkness seemed to make Jim's ears keener. -Presently there came to him the mysterious sighs and groans that had -given the tunnel its name. Although he knew this was caused by wind -whistling through the opening and the shifting of rock strata, it -nevertheless caused chills to run up his spine. - -All at once an unexpected loud buzz from the radio set shocked him into -an involuntary cry. As his nerves calmed, he switched on the radio and -spoke into the mike, "Yes?" - -"Let me speak to Steward Hogan," came a brisk voice that Jim knew could -belong only to Captain Coppard. - -"Yes, sir," Jim replied. - -He opened the door of the cabin and called Babe. Jim saw a flashlight -advance toward him down the dark aisle. - -"It's Captain Coppard," Jim whispered. - -"Hogan speaking," Babe said into the mike. - -"Steward," the chief officer of the _Hercules_ said, "who is the young -man with you?" - -Jim's heart seemed to give a final quiver and go dead inside of him. - -"Jim Vance, sir," Babe answered. - -"I don't find him on my roster of personnel," snapped the officer. - -"He isn't on it, sir," Babe admitted manfully. - -"Then he's a stowaway?" - -"Yes, sir," Babe said reluctantly. - -"You realize the consequences of stowing away on a space ship, don't -you, Hogan?" - -"Yes, sir," Babe said. - -"Remind your young friend of it, then, so that he will be prepared for -what happens when the cable car gets back. The two of you will return -immediately to the colony. That is all." - -There was a pall of silence for several seconds after the captain's -stern order. Jim could hear Babe's tense breathing in the darkness. - -"They finally caught us," Jim murmured, "and you'll have to pay for -helping me." - -"I'd do it all over again, Jim," Babe said firmly. - -"You're a real friend, Babe," Jim told him. - -Babe went out and explained to the tourists that they had to return at -once to the space harbor. The stewards went back to the duplicate -drivers' quarters at the other end of the car, and Babe started the car -out of the Haunted Tunnel. - -As they drove back, both he and Babe gloomily silent, Jim was thinking -that he had satisfied his lifelong ambition for a short while anyway. It -had been great while it lasted. - -After they passed Point Luna, a flock of albatrosses gathered around the -car again. The birds' curiosity made them bolder than usual, and some of -them flew directly in front of the car. Jim heard sickening thumps as -some of the careless birds were battered by the speeding car. Both he -and Babe shook their heads regretfully. - -Jim looked ahead where the space harbor was rapidly growing closer as -they swept downhill. "Guess we'd better slow down, or we'll go crashing -into everything down there," Babe said. - -He shoved the lever to brake the car, but nothing happened. - -"Something's wrong!" Babe shouted hoarsely. "I can't stop this thing!" - -In his imagination Jim could see them tearing loose from the cable when -they reached land and hurtling down into the space port. The destruction -would be staggering. - -"Something's plugged up the forward rocket tube!" Babe exclaimed. - -"One of the albatrosses must have been caught in it!" Jim burst out. - -"It must be that!" Babe agreed. "There's only one thing to do--get the -bird out of there double quick!" - -"How're you going to do it?" - -"Climb out the front of the car through the window!" Babe said, flinging -up the pane in front of them. The hot air swept them back as though they -had suddenly opened the door of a blast furnace. - -"I can do it easier than you can," Jim said. "I'm lighter and -slenderer." He was also thinking of the debt he owed Babe for helping -him all this time. - -"Nothing doing," Babe retorted. "I'm the responsible one on this tour." - -Jim heard a battering at the door and saw some of their passengers -trying to force themselves into the cabin. Babe opened the door a crack -and pleaded with them for calmness. In those few seconds, Jim acted -quickly. - -First he shut off the forward jet completely. Then he began scrambling -through the window out onto the front of the car. The wind cut him -unmercifully. Projections across the front of the cable car gave him -handholds, enabling him to crawl downward. - -Suddenly the driving wind ripped Jim's nose-piece away and left it -dangling from his helmet. He automatically gulped in a mouthful of -searing, oxygenless air. It tore at his lungs and gagged him -suffocatingly. He held his breath, grateful for the underwater swimming -he had done at the Oceanside Boys' Home. - -Jim stretched downward and reached the nozzle of the jet tube. He shoved -his hand into it. The heat of the tube caused him to cry out in agony. -Just as he was about to give up, his burned fingers felt something soft. -Feathers. His hands plunged forward still deeper into the tube and -closed around the mangled fowl. He tugged with all his might and finally -withdrew the broken mass. His arm was beet red and paining fiercely. - -He began the tortured climb back up into the car. His lungs were -bursting for air. Every touch of his seared hand caused him to groan in -pain. Just as he climbed free of the tube, a burst of red flame poured -from the nozzle. With a shuddering jerk the car began slackening speed. -Jim knew Babe had thrown on the jet's full power as soon as Jim had -cleared the tube. - -When Jim reached the window, Babe leaned out and pulled him into the -car. Jim sagged in the extra seat, staring dumbly at the nearing -spaceport plateau. - -"Will we make it?" he gasped, feeling the sharp braking force of the -forward rocket. - -"We'll make it all right--thanks to you," Jim heard Babe say. Then -everything whirled before his eyes and he blacked out from lack of air -and the strain of his grueling experience. - -When Jim recovered consciousness, he was in the colony clinic. The arm -he had thrust into the jet tube was bandaged stiffly, and there was -cooling salve on his wind-burned face. - -Babe was standing by the bedside. "You'll be all right," he said. "The -doc said you'd be uncomfortable for a while, but your arm burn isn't too -serious." - -Jim saw the tall erect figure of Captain Coppard come over. "So you're -the stowaway who so cleverly avoided me during the voyage?" he said. - -Jim swallowed, his throat raw. "Yes, sir." - -The officer's gaze still held that characteristic penetrating stare. -"Steward Hogan told me how you came to be aboard," he said. "I was ready -to toss both of you into the brig when I first found out about you. Then -since I talked to you in the cable car, I've been reviewing your record -while aboard the _Hercules_. The other stewards tell me you did an extra -fine job as a beginner without training. And of course there were these -last things you did--risking your life to save one of the tourists from -the unicorn and then preventing what could have been a terrible accident -on the cable car. In a measure it changes things." - -"Yes, sir," Jim murmured hopefully. - -"Not that I condone breaking regulations!" the officer continued -gruffly. - -"Of course not, sir," Jim said. - -"You and Hogan had better thank your rockets that I'm in an expansive -mood today," the officer concluded. "Charges dismissed." He then left -the room. Babe and Jim were alone. - -"You hear that, Babe?" Jim burst out. "He's let us off!" - -"Yeah, it sure surprised me!" Babe said. "I guess I misjudged the -captain." - -"Mr. Bowers must have radioed the captain about me," Jim mused. "That's -how he found out." - -Babe shook his head. "The captain found out on his own. He told me that -Mr. Bowers wired him soon after blast-off that some urgent business had -kept him from leaving on the _Hercules_. He didn't even have time to get -his bags off." - -"And to think that was the main thing we were afraid of!" Jim said -wryly. He looked up at his friend anxiously. "Babe, do you think the -captain will let me go back to Earth as a steward?" - -"I think the captain knows a good spaceman when he sees one," Babe -replied earnestly. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, -Jim--not from now on." - - - - - _Teen-Age Super Science Stories_ - - - _by_ Richard M. Elam, Jr. - _Author of Teen-Age Science Fiction Stories_ - _Illustrated by Frank E. Vaughn_ - -Following along the lines of his very successful Teen-Age Science -Fiction Stories, this popular author has prepared a new book of exciting -stories embodying the very latest theories in interplanetary -communications and space travel. - -These thrilling tales recount the experiences of wide-awake, modern boys -and girls who have the exceptional opportunity to venture into outer -space. - -Such stories as "The First Man Into Space," "The Peril From Outer -Space," and "Mystery Eyes Over Earth" will take you into a new world, -where the exciting adventures are based on sound predictions from -present scientific knowledge. - -Traveling in pressurized ships, dressed in special space suits, using -oxygen tanks, the young travelers explore some of the heavenly bodies in -super thrilling adventures requiring the utmost courage, fidelity and -devotion to duty and to country. - - GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ - New York 10, N. Y. - - - - - _Teen-Age Science Fiction Stories_ - - - _by_ Richard M. Elam, Jr. - _Illustrated by Charles H. Geer_ - -The introduction by Captain Burr Leyson sets the pace for this exciting -book of stories dealing with the newest theories of inter-planetary -communication and the scientific advances that might make possible some -of the adventures here described. - -The author of these stories, Richard M. Elam, Jr. has been interested in -science fiction since he was a boy and, although he has written hundreds -of stories and articles, those included in this volume have never before -appeared in book form. The author builds his science stories around a -framework of established scientific fact and likely possibilities. In -that way, the reader is stimulated beyond the limits of his scientific -education by the thrilling entertainment of this exciting volume and is -encouraged to probe further the mystery of the universe in his studies, -experiments and imagination. - -While some of these stories, such as, "What Time Is It," are pure -fantasy, most of them are based on actual scientific possibilities. - - - Grosset & Dunlap _Publishers_ - New York 10, N. Y. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Teen-age Super Science Stories, by Richard M. 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