Alan J. Ramm

“ For a split second the Cerebus III seemed to hang in space. Then everyone was flung violently in all directions as the force of the Cerebus III's engines on full power, plus the reaction of the ship's freedom from the drag of the Regis, shot the salvage vessel into space and plastered the crew against the nearest bulkheads.
Skip came unwillingly back to consciousness. Some of the control room crew were already on their feet. Others were still lying quietly trying to regain their senses before they tried to get to their feet. A few of the men would never move again. ”

“ Jeremy tuned in on the thought and sight wave of the Instructor. Before him was a creature that he could not remember creating.
"You remember this creature, Student Hovah?"
"No, Instructor."
"But it must be yours. The entire facsimile is tuned to your wavelength. We have checked. Only you could have brought it into being; only you can destroy it. You know it is against the rules to increase the number of species in Creation. Destroy it!"
Jeremy looked at the creature so comfortably asleep against a tree and he felt pity and compassion and love for it. ”

“ When evening came, Rick let each of them barely wet their lips. Then he said, "I need sleep and I can't trust anyone. So I'm going to hide the water in the desert. If anything happens to me, you'll all die of thirst. Now turn your backs."
Leeda heard him scramble off. He soon returned. "Now let's sleep."
The below-zero cold of the Martian night challenged the thermo-unit of Leeda's desert suit until she lay shivering. But, worn out from the walk and the emotional events of the day, she finally dropped off to sleep. ”

“ Skip's voice was bitter and self-accusing. "Space Cadet is right. I was outside working on those tubes and never noticed we were getting close to the sun. I must have got a full dose of heat. How dumb can a guy get?"
There was a silence between them. Then Bull spoke. "You saved my life out there, Skip. I couldn't have pulled myself in. That took guts. Thanks."
"What do you call that last act of yours? There isn't another man on this ship that could—or would—have held on with those arms like that." ”

“ Satisfied at last, she placed the head-bubble once more onto its flange in the suit.
Rising, she pulled the poison sign from the mud and carried it over to the skeleton. There she eased herself to the sand and gently placed her hand on the head of the skeleton.
"We did it, Terry," she said gently. There was triumph in her voice; a feeling of peace and wholeness once more inside her. "The fools thought they could beat us. Four days to make an easy five hour walk. Circling; around and around. Waiting. Waiting and planning, and killing. Now they are dead and I can give you a decent burial. ”

“ Skip and Bull looked guiltily at one another. Stevens went on. "Your bantering may have been amusing to the crew for a few days out of Terra. But now they're sensitive about it, and your panning the ship is making the men nervous. Both of you know a nervous crew is nothing to have on a ship operating within the atmosphere of the sun. Even a subconscious suspicion of the worth of the Cerebus III might cause some technician to make a mistake or hesitate long enough to send everyone to his death. ”

“ You have been alloted sector 2645 of space in parsec three.
"In the next ten minutes we shall transmit a detailed study of a star system to you. Using only the raw materials of space and the mental techniques taught you in your studies, you will reproduce a reasonable facsimile of the system in the space sector you have been assigned. Have you any questions?"
"How complete a facsimile must it be, Instructor?"
"It must be reasonably correct as to physical makeup. All life forms must also be reproduced." ”

“ There was death in the muzzle of the gun dangling nonchalantly from the tall man's gloved hand. It grinned from his face, etched in the sardonic twist that the purple scar gave to his right cheek. It danced in the emotionless distances of his eyes. ”

“ Gradually his confidence grew. Under the direction of his flashing fingers, the energy machines created a warp in the space of his sector. At exactly the correct moment he adjusted the wavelength of his Thought Augmentor until it matched the thought matrix of his own mind. The full impact of his tremendous mental abilities jolted into the space warp. ”

“ Through lips necessarily stiff with the effort of controlled emotion, she asked, "Why did you kill him?"
"Didn't have anything against him, Ma'am. Had to do it. Showed we meant business. Easier to handle one than two of you anyway." The eyes of the tubby man who answered her kept flickering anxiously upward toward the Sand Vulture. "That thing as dangerous as they say?"
Leeda turned to the third and youngest man. His glance was fixed hypnotically on the death on the ground. ”

“ His voice held a tempered edge that could have sliced through the million degree temperature of the corona.
Both men jerked to their screens. Off to the side they could see the Regis low in the chromosphere, hanging over the umbra of a small sunspot about ten thousand miles away.
Stevens' voice was bitter. "First you destroy the crew's morale. Now you're negligent in your assigned duty. That should be enough to wash you both out of the Inner Fleet. You're both cosmic debris the Service can do without. Stay out here in the Control Room where I can keep my eye on you. ”

“ A radiation leak down there will kill them all."
Then he called the engine room. "Open up easy."
The deck of the control room began to throb with the power of the huge ionized particle engines. On the screen the traction line began to straighten between the two ships. Its still slack loop twisted like a dying snake between the forces that played over it. Then it tautened.
"It's moving toward us," Skip said aloud. No one answered him. Their eyes were too tightly fixed to the screens.
Suddenly the Cerebus III began to whip right and left. ”

“ It looked as though Jocco was sinking into the sand. Then the red stains spreading into the sand told a different story.
"Razor-back Lizards," Leeda informed Rick. "They're all over the place. Come to life during the day when it's a little warmer. Our footwear keeps them off. But Jocco's feet haven't any protection so they can get at him. They'll slice away at him a fraction of an inch at a time. In fifteen minutes there won't be anything left but his suit and a skeleton. Pleasant death, eh Rick? ”

“ This Captain Stevens corrected while speaking to the men. "Clean up the mess in here. Get the injured to the sick bay; and take care of the dead. We're in the same difficulty as the Regis. Our anti-gray and anti-heat units are working but the indicators show them losing power slowly. We must free those tubes or sooner or later we'll end up in the sun. Let's get down to the outer lock room and see what we can do."
Bull and Skip followed the rest through the big ship. When they got to the lock room, Malcolm, his face white with pain from some injury, was struggling into a solar suit. ”

“ Jocco accused.
Leeda looked at him. "And I hope the same for you—only worse."
"Stop it, you two," Rick commanded. "It's bad enough this way. The living must live. He is dead and he doesn't know it. Why let him suffer?"
"More meat for the Sand Vulture," Leeda suggested sarcastically.
The scar on Rick's cheek flared red-purple. He leveled his gun slowly, with steady aim. After the trigger was pulled, Fatso stopped moving. "More meat for the Sand Vulture," he answered Leeda. "Now let's move." ”

“ Objects at both ends are flung apart."
"So the Regis was flung out of that spot the same as we were," Bull said in amazement.
"That's right," Captain Stevens agreed. "And she was able to hang on in her new position until another rescue ship reached her. She's safe. Alistar of Cygnus is O.K., too."
"So the Federation and the System are happy," Skip added. "Everything seems to have worked out but us. And we're just plain out."
Captain Stevens looked at them. "Some men," he said, "are like a good ship—like the Cerebus III for instance. ”

“ At last the line struck and held the Regis amidships.
A sigh oozed from every man in the control room. Stevens looked at his watch. "Two hours gone. Now for the tough part."
He called down to the outer lock room through the intership voice tubes. "We've made contact. Have the communicator tube ready to swing out of the lock when I give notice. We are going to start hauling the Regis in toward us now. Be sure that you batten all contact points tight. The men on the Regis haven't any suits to withstand the radiations of the sun. ”

“ With all the other crazy things that have been happening lately to throw suspicion our way, our system stands in danger of being ejected from the Federation unless we can clear ourselves. You know what that would mean to our trade activities? ”

“ Before any of the new arrivals could say a word, Malcolm was in the lock and on his way outside.
Suddenly one of the lock tenders exclaimed. "My God, he took a suit with a discharged anti-heat unit filler. If his refrigerant cuts off while he's out there—"
Bull grabbed another suit from its peg and began to draw it on. Captain Stevens grabbed his arm and shouted.
"Hold it, Ensign, you're under arrest. We'll send—"
"There's a man out there," interrupted Bull. "You said this was do or die, didn't you? Let me go."
Stevens tightened his grip. "Listen you big fool—"
Bull shoved hard. ”

“ Malcolm observed. "The whirling effect of the gases sets up a low pressure that reduces the temperature to about 7000 degrees instead of the 11,000 outside the spot where we are."
"We'll have to close and hook on as soon as possible," Stevens directed. "Break out the strongest line we have. When we get within a mile, shoot her out until you contact." ”