Richard Rein Smith

“ Turnabout may not always be fair play in the gulfs between the stars. But so destructive and malicious are the Agronians of this story that we can readily forgive Richard Smith for filling their ship with an unexpected reversal of a victory technique almost too ghastly to contemplate. ”

“ Maybe we'll get killed. But getting killed in a struggle for survival is better than just waiting to die."
Gloria shuddered. "It looks so cold out there. We'll get separated—hopelessly lost. I don't even know how to operate the spacesuit's rockets!"
"I don't either," Emmett admitted.
"It's simple." George carefully explained the operation of the rockets in detail and ended by instructing them, "We'll get separated on the way. But when we reach the ship, we'll try to meet at the air lock. It resembles the air lock of an Earth ship." ”

“ They wandered aimlessly about the room, each engrossed in his private mental turmoil. Finally the pilot broke the silence, "Since we're probably the last ones alive on the ship, we should know each other. My name is George Hartman."
"Emmett Corbin."
"Gloria ... Gloria White."
The pilot said with grim urgency: "We've got to do something. There's no sense in just standing here—waiting for the enemy to come."
"Come?" Emmett inquired. "You mean that the Agronians will actually board our ship?"
"They always examine disabled ships. They are determined to learn as much as they can about us." ”

“ A meteor! People usually visualized meteors as tons of metal hurtling through space. But there were small ones as well, and perhaps this one had been no larger than a grain of sand. He dismissed it from his mind, and after what seemed an eternity, his feet touched the hull of the enemy ship. Quickly he activated the magnetic boots.
A distant figure gestured as George's voice came loudly over the intercom system, "This way. Here's the air lock!" ”

“ We haven't got a ship, and we can't walk!"
"We haven't got a ship," George agreed. "But we can try to get one."
Emmett felt suddenly cold when he realized what the pilot had in mind. "The enemy ship?" he asked.
George nodded. "During the skirmish at Arcturus, we managed to capture one of their ships and I was a member of a group that studied it. I'm sure I can fly one of their vessels, for the controls are far simpler than ours. Most of the Agronians have left their ship to study ours, and that leaves only a skeleton crew on board. We can use our spacesuit jets to cross the distance. ”

“ There was only one possible answer. A race might destroy a planet if it was useless. Earthmen had discovered useless planets, planets with poisonous atmospheres. Was Earth's atmosphere poisonous to the Agronians? ”

“ He was waiting for death not in the form of a truck, but in the regular swish of air that tickled his ears as his oxygen supply was purified and replenished. Eventually the sound would change its timbre as the purifying agents became less efficient. ”