we have no reason to believe that it will do, the point of contact will be ten billion miles distant from the sun. Our scientists believe that is a safe enough distance from us. The flash will probably be of novalike proportions.”

The general turned over to Rob and Lieutenant Swenson, the navigator, stacks of charts and tables that had been prepared showing the exact location of their ship and the cloud every minute of the way. It was a project requiring infinitely careful calculation, and Rob marveled at the mathematical ingenuity that had gone into the prodigious task. A miniature of the much larger electrometer which had first detected the menacing cloud had been installed in the rocket fighter so that Rob could continually keep it in his electronic sights, so to speak, at all times.

“You will blast off at 1835, seventeen minutes from now,” the general concluded, “and cross planetary orbits under full atomic thrust to Titan. You will land at our base there, have a final mechanical check, and load your bombs. General Carmichael, the chief there, will advise you of any conditions that might have changed since you left here. After that you will blast off to your rendezvous with the R-cloud. Any questions?”

There were none. Like himself, Rob noted that his companions seemed to be rather numbed by the enormity of their task. It seemed almost ridiculous that six persons could be expected to accomplish the incredible job plotted for them.

“My sister said she talked to you,” Clay Gerard said to Rob when the Cetus X-500 had blasted off and her crew had unbuckled from acceleration couches.

“That’s right, Clay,” Rob answered. “I’m afraid she was a little suspicious about our mission. Did she try to get any information out of you?”

Rob knew he had touched off a spark as Clay’s handsome face colored. “Sis isn’t one to go prying into official business, lieutenant! That’s why she holds such a confidential job. Besides, I know enough about regulations to know what I can say and what I can’t!”

“Don’t get out of line, Clay,” Rob reminded him. “I wasn’t implying that either one of you were violating rules.”

“Sis is a swell guy, lieutenant. She’s one in a million.”

“I’ve met her, Clay. I know she is.”

Rob felt Clay’s eyes appraising him from head to foot.

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