demanded Kraag, panting.

"Just wanted to tell you I could have knocked out the astrodome or one of the ports before you woke up," said Jonner cheerfully. "I don't want to kill you, Kraag. I just want you to surrender, and if you don't I can eventually batter through the meteor shield and the hull, and ruin the sphere for you."

"We'll see about that," gritted Kraag. Hurriedly he donned a spacesuit. Hanging Jonner's pistol at his belt, he took a heat-gun in his right hand and a flashlight in his left and ventured out through the airlock. He did not make the mistake of switching on the airlock light, but Jonner seemed to know when he emerged, possibly from the vibration when the lock opened.

"Nice night out, isn't it, Kraag?" Jonner welcomed him.

Kraag grunted. The night was black as pitch. The only way he could tell where the ground ended and the sky began was that the sky was jewelled with stars.

He turned the light on and flashed it over the sphere. No sign of Jonner. But a rock struck his helmet and bounced off with a clang that nearly knocked him down and left him momentarily dizzy.

"I'm behind you, Kraag," said Jonner pleasantly. "Better go back inside. I promise not to break your shell open tonight."

Kraag twisted around and fired the heat-gun even as he searched for Jonner with the flashlight. Both beams pierced emptiness. Jonner just laughed at him.

Afraid now that Jonner would get into the sphere, Kraag scuttled back around to the airlock. Heat-gun ready, he turned on the light before closing the outer door, and breathed a sigh of relief at finding it empty.

Trembling with reaction, he closed the outer lock, left the inner one open and made his way up to the center deck. He needed coffee.

"I see you've gone back to the heat-gun," said Jonner. "That's smart."

"You'd like to see me exhaust the fuel tank of your pistol shooting it in the dark, when I can't hit you, wouldn't you?" retorted Kraag. "No, thanks. I'll keep it for long distances."

"Fuel tank? Oh, you mean the magazine." Jonner laughed. "I'd stay away from that old .45 of mine if I were you, Kraag. It's been with me too long. It's a lot more likely to turn on my enemies than to do me any harm."

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