and began to prepare the ship for blast-off, Tom went through the
motions mechanically. The _Space Lance_ was scheduled to leave first,
with Kit Barnard following at the exact time interval of their arrivals.
The Deimos tower operator's voice droned over the loud-speaker on the
control deck of the _Space Lance_ " ... minus five, four, three, two,
one"--then the breath-taking pause before the climactic--"_zero!_"

[Illustration]

The ship shot spaceward, rockets roaring loudly in the thin atmosphere
of the small satellite. The next moment, before the horrified eyes of
thousands of people, the _Space Lance_ exploded a few miles above the
ground.

Astro stood frozen at the viewport of the _Good Company_, his eyes
glazed with shock as he watched the Martian ship disintegrate far above
him. All he could do was mutter brokenly, "Tom ... Tom ..."

[Illustration]




CHAPTER 9


"Blast off!"

Without any preliminaries, Kit Barnard's order sent the _Good Company_
hurtling spaceward. Astro had just enough time to throw himself into an