Rip realized there was no use talking further. He ran down the long
corridor toward the outer edge of the platform. The enlisted men's squad
rooms were near Valve Ten. So was the supply department. His gear had
departed on the Terra rocket, and he couldn't go into space with only
the tunic on his back. He swung to the high-speed track and braced
himself as he sped along the platform's rim.

There was no moving track inward to the enlisted Planeteers' squad rooms.
He legged it down the corridor in long leaps, muttering apologies as
blue-clad spacemen and cadets moved to the wall to let him pass.

The squad rooms were on two levels. He looked in the upper ones and found
them deserted. The squads were on duty somewhere. He ran for the ladder
to the lower level, took the wrong one, and ended up in a snapper-boat
port. He had trained in the deadly little fighting rockets, and they
never failed to interest him. But there wasn't time to admire them now.
He went back up the ladder with two strong heaves, found the right
ladder, and dropped down without touching. His knees flexed to take up
the shock. He came out of the crouch facing a black-clad Planeteer
sergeant who snapped to rigid attention.

"Koa," Rip barked. "Where can I find him?"

"He's not here, sir. He and eight men left fifteen minutes ago. I don't
know where they went, sir."

Rip shot a worried glance at his wrist chronometer. He had two minutes
left before the cruiser departed. No more time now to search for his men.
He hoped the sergeant major had sense enough to be waiting at some
reasonable place. He went up the ladder hand over hand and sped down the