of Earth. That would be the Terra rocket making its controlled fall to
home, with Flip aboard. Without slowing, he leaped across the high-speed
track, narrowly missing a senior space officer. He shouted his apologies,
and gained the entrance to Valve Eight just as the high buzz of the
radiation warning sounded, signaling a nuclear drive cruiser preparing
to take off.

Nine faces of assorted colors and expressions turned to him. He had a
quick impression of black tunics and trousers. He had found his
detachment! Without slowing, he called, "Follow me!"

The cruiser's safety officer had been keeping an eye on the clock, his
forehead creased in a frown as he saw that only a few seconds remained
to departure time. He walked to the valve opening and looked out. If his
passengers were not in sight, he would have to reset the clock.

Rip went through the valve opening at top speed. He crashed head on into
the safety officer.

The safety officer was driven across the deck, his arms pumping for
balance. He grabbed at the nearest thing, which happened to be the deputy
cruiser commander.

The preset clock reached firing time. The valve slid shut and the takeoff
bell reverberated through the ship.

And so it happened that the spacemen of the SCN _Scorpius_ turned their
valves, threw their controls and disengaged their boron control rods, and
the great cruiser flashed into space--while the deputy commander and the
safety officer were completely tangled with a very flustered and unhappy