before. I never knowed—"

"How are you standing the gravity?" Henry panted.

"It's just two-tenths G," Ranjit said. "Hang on, and I'll take us back to no weight. This old sweeper's spinning like a top."

Ranjit's head withdrew. Henry tried to find a handhold in the pile of material. His feet left the tangle. Accompanied by assorted items, including the bound figures of Vicenzo and Aziz, he floated in the air.

Twisting, Henry placed his feet on the magnetized deck. Objects containing steel settled around him. He pulled Vicenzo and Aziz down, and, as Vicenzo began to curse in ancient terms, silenced his loudspeaker also.

Joachim appeared clutching his stomach. "I shall wait in my ship for the fuel," he gagged, dodging a floating chest, "away from this criminal madhouse!"

Morna and Ranjit dropped into the compartment. Ranjit kicked aside a crate and said, "Good, Henry. I guess you saved our lives, or mine anyhow. Those fellows would have passed me beyond if they had accelerated the sweeper, and you sure kept them from stealing it."

"He did all right for a gangster," said Morna on her way to the door.

"Wait, Morna, please," said Henry. He blushed a bright red. "Won't, won't I ever see you again?"

"Why would I want to see a gangster again?"

Ranjit said, "He's not much of a gangster, and he changed his mind. Of course, those two will tell about his part in this, and Joachim's sure to report it. SG will ship you to Earth, Henry, for Revision, but that won't be too bad, just a sort of school, and you're good as Revised already, the way you acted."

Henry looked at Morna. "I'd like to go to Earth," he said.

"Tell you what," Ranjit said. "It'll be three hours before there's enough fuel for Joachim's ship. Why don't you two go up to the dome and see the sights, and forget all this? We'll be passing into the Shadow in about ten minutes, and you'll see one of the prettiest things there is, Saturn from the dark side. The atmosphere looks like a gold rainbow above the Rings."

Morna stared at the deck. The corners of her mouth curved upward. She said, "I'm sorry I slapped you, Henry." 

 Prev. P 18/18