. Roger didn't seem to mind."

"Did Miles object?"

"Yes, sir. But I think he would object to anyone going with him."

"And he told you Roger is asleep?"

Strong nodded. Walters pushed past him to the intercom and took the
microphone. "This is Commander Walters calling rocket ship _Space
Knight_. Come in, _Space Knight_."

There was a flutter of static and then Quent Miles' voice again. There
was a little more respect in his tone but his story was the same. Roger
was sleeping.

Walters slammed the microphone down. "By the craters of Luna, this is
the last time I'll take this nonsense from Manning!" He jerked around
and stood facing the viewport. "I'm sorry, Steve, but there have been
more reports from Titan. The situation is serious. I've had to start
evacuation. And then to get this smart-alecky behavior out of Manning.
Well, you know what I mean."

Strong nodded, now more concerned about the emergency on Mars. "Shall I
blast off right away, sir?" he asked.

Walters nodded grimly. "Yes. And I'm going with you. I'll leave Major
Connel in charge while I'm gone. I would prefer to have him go, but he's
been working with Dr. Dale on some new idea about reinforcing the force
field and I can't pull him off it. You and I will have to do what we
can."

Strong turned to the tower operator and ordered the rocket cruiser
_Polaris_ readied for immediate space flight, concluding, " ... and have
a full complement of Space Marines aboard. And I want Warrant Officer
Mike McKenny as squad leader."

"Have you forgotten, sir?" interjected the enlisted spaceman who was
taking Strong's orders. "Warrant Officer McKenny cannot take
acceleration."

"All right, get--" Strong hesitated. "Get me Jeff Marshall, Professor
Sykes' assistant."

Walters nodded. "Good idea. Jeff can take care of any lab tests we may
have to make and also knows how to handle men. As a matter of fact,"
Walters continued, "if Jeff does well on this assignment I might put him
up for a commission in the Solar Guard. He did well on that last trip
into deep space during that trouble on Roald."

"Yes, sir," said Strong. "And I'll gladly endorse it."

"Is that all, sir?" asked the enlisted man.

"That's it, spaceman!" said Strong. When the man didn't move right
away, Walters and Strong looked at him. "Well, what is it?"

"Excuse me, sir," said the guardsman, a bright-faced youngster who had
failed to pass the rigid requirements for cadet training and so had