"Jonny, we can't do it! Not that soon."

"We've got to!" Jonny's voice cut like a steel rapier. "Harb, you go get Loesser and Vito and the other boys. Have them bring the big truck with them. If we work hard enough, we should be able to have the dredge ready to roll by dark. Once we get it into the 'Phoenix', we can take off and complete installation in space."

"You can't do it," groaned his brother. "You know you figured on taking a week yet for that installation."

Carlin stepped forward. He had long ago reached his decision. He had reached it in that moment when he had answered Floring.

"I'm a CE, you know," he reminded. "I can help a lot in that installation."

Marn stared at him, amazement and dawning gladness in her eyes. And Harb Land's tortured face turned haggardly on Carlin.

"You'd do that? You'd help us? By heaven, if you would, we might make it!"

Jonny's brilliant blue eyes bored Carlin's face.

"Carlin, I was hoping for this. I knew from the first I'd need another engineer's help in installing and operating the dredge. I brought you home because I was hoping I could enlist your aid before we started on the expedition. But all the same, I've got to warn you. We're directly bucking a Control Council order. You can lose your certificate and go to Rigel prison, even if our plan succeeds. And if it doesn't succeed, it may mean perishing with us. And after all, Earth isn't your world."

"Who the devil is doing anything for Earth?" Carlin retorted. "This old planet of yours means nothing to me either way."

"Laird, are you so sure of that?" Marn asked him, her eyes very bright.

"Do we have to get emotional?" Carlin asked roughly. "I'm an engineer, and this is the biggest engineering experiment to be tried for centuries. Don't you think I want to be in on it?" He added crushingly, "And as for my getting mixed up in the blame, I'm already blasted well mixed in it. When I denied to Floring that this was a magnetic dredge, I implicated myself right there in the whole business. I've got to make it succeed, now."

Harb Land was already running toward his truck. Jonny shot sharp orders at his sister.

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