man in whom those physical
sensations are induced by other means will--ordinarily--find his mind
yielding to terror.

Calhoun couldn't combat his feelings, but his clinical attitude enabled
him to act despite them. The three from Weald reached the base of the
Med Ship. One of their enemies had lost his rifle and need not be
counted. Another had fled from flames and might be ignored for some
moments, anyhow. But a blast-bolt struck the ship's metal hull only feet
from Calhoun, and he whipped around to the other side and let loose a
staccato of fire which emptied the rifle of all its charges.

Then he opened the airlock door, hating the fact that he shook and
trembled. He urged the girl and Murgatroyd in. He slammed the outer
airlock door just as another blaster-bolt hit.

"They--they don't realize," said Maril desperately. "If they only
knew--."

"Talk to them, if you like," said Calhoun. His teeth chattered and he
raged, because the symptom was of terror he denied.

He pushed a button on the control-board. He pointed to a microphone. He
got at an oxygen-bottle and inhaled deeply. Oxygen, obviously, should be
an antidote for panic, since the symptoms of terror act to increase the
oxygenation of the blood-stream and muscles, and to make superhuman
exertion possible if necessary. Breathing ninety-five per cent oxygen
produced the effect the terror-inspiring gas strove for, so his heart
slowed nearly to normal and his body relaxed. He held out his hand and
it did not tremble.

* * * * *

He turned to Maril. She hadn't spoken into the mike yet.

"They--may not be from Dara!" she said shakily. "I just thought! They
could be somebody else--maybe criminals who planned to raid the mine for
a shipload of its ore ..."

"Nonsense!" said Calhoun. "I saw one of them clearly enough to be sure.
But they're skeptical characters. I'm afraid there may be more on the
way here wherever they keep themselves. Anyhow, now we know some of them
are in hearing! I'll take advantage of that and we'll go on."

He took the microphone. Instants later his voice boomed in the stillness
outside the ship, cutting through the thin shrill of invisible small
creatures.

"This is the Med Ship Aesclipus Twenty," said Calhoun's voice, amplified
to a shout. "I left Weald four days ago, one day after the cargo-ship
from here arrived with everybody on board dead. On Weald they don't know
how it happened, but they suspec