"I'm afraid it doesn't look too good, sir," Howard answered.

"Well, what about the other ship, _Space Knight_?" asked Walters. "Cadet
Manning is on that one. Any report on where they are?"

"Nothing, sir," replied Howard. "We just heard that he was by-passing
Deimos and going on right through to Ganymede, hoping to get a jump on
the other two."

"Did Cadet Manning make that report?" asked Walters.

"No, sir. It was the pilot. Quent Miles. There was no mention of Cadet
Manning, sir."

Walters shook his head. "Certainly is strange," he mused aloud. Then he
barked, in his usual brusque manner, "Well, we've got this problem here
to worry about now. All mining operations have stopped, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir. The men won't work unless they have a guarantee that their
wives and children are safe."

"Can't blame them," said Walters, surveying the quiet spaceport.

The two Solar Guard officers climbed into another waiting jet boat and
shot away from the _Polaris_ toward the tower.

Inside the shimmering crystal control tower, Steve Strong paced up and
down behind the enlisted spaceman trying to contact the Deimos spaceport
across the millions of miles of space.