slang expression referring to a major advance in inter-planetary travel due to a maximum scientific and technological effort.

“Let ’em have Mars and Venus,” the colonel would say—“Let ’em have the whole damn Solar System! We’ll make a quantum jump—leap-frog ahead of ’em. We’ll be the first men to set foot on a planet of another solar system.”

Four years had gone by in the ship; thirteen years on Earth. Four years of Colonel Towers. Military discipline grew more strict each day. Space does funny things to some men. The “we’ll be the first men” had turned into, “I’ll be the first man.”

But it was Captain Brandon who drew the assignment of scouting Sirius Three for a suitable landing place for Astro, of sampling its atmosphere and observing meteorological conditions. Even as Brandon climbed into the scout-ship, Towers had cautioned him.

“Remember, your assignment is to locate a firm landing site with ample protection from the elements. Under no circumstances are you to land yourself. Is that clearly understood?”

Brandon nodded, was launched and now was cruising one hundred thousand feet above the alien planet.

Brandon tilted the ship up on one wing and glanced down at the brick-red expanse of desert. Tiny red mists marked dust storms. Certainly this was no place to set down the full weight of Astro nor to protect the crew and equipment from abrasive dust.

He righted the ship. Far on the horizon was a bank of atmospheric clouds. Perhaps conditions were more promising there. He shoved the power setting to 90 per cent.

A fire warning indicator light blinked on. Instantly Brandon’s eyes were on the instrument panel. The tailpipe temperature seemed all right. It could be a false indication. He eased back [p22]  on the power setting. Maybe the light would go out. But it didn’t. Instead he felt a surging rumble deep in the bowels of the ship. Luminous needles danced and a second red light flashed on.

[p

22

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He snapped the vidio switch and depressed the mike button.

 Prev. P 2/11 next