tmare had become a reality. He was waiting
for death not in the form of a truck, but in the regular _swish_ of air
that tickled his ears as his oxygen supply was purified and replenished.
Eventually the sound would change its timbre as the purifying agents
became less efficient. The faint sound was not as impressive as the
sight of a truck. But he knew that in a short time it would be just as
deadly. And, as in the nightmare, he was powerless ...

* * * * *

A long silence followed--broken only by the _swish_ of Emmett's
oxygen-rejuvenating machinery. He listened intently and the _swish_ grew
in volume until it became a roar in his ears--a sound more thunderous
than that of a thousand trucks.

"There is a place where we'd be completely safe," Gloria exclaimed, her
voice suddenly loud in his ears. "I don't know how we could get there.
But if a way could be found--"

"Venus?" George inquired. "The colony your father started?"

"Yes. There are only a few colonists there--not more than twenty-five.
The war with the Agronians started just after the settlement was
established and the government never had a chance to send out more
colonists. Father showed me the approximate location--"

"The Agronians have probably destroyed the base by now," Emmett said.
But his senses were tingling with new hope.

Gloria shook her head. "I don't think so. The enemy has studied the
remains of our warships but there's a good chance that the information
never fell into their hands."

"How do we get there? We haven't got a ship, and _we can't walk_!"

"We haven't got a ship," George agreed. "But we can try to get one."

Emmett felt suddenly cold when he realized what the pilot had in mind.
"The enemy ship?" he asked.

George nodded. "During the skirmish at Arcturus, we managed to capture
one of their ships and I was a member of a group that studied it. I'm
sure I can fly one of their vessels, for the controls are far simpler
than ours. Most of the Agronians have left their ship to study ours, and
that leaves only a skeleton crew on board. We can use our spacesuit jets
to cross the distance. As you can see, it isn't too far."

"And precisely what happens when we reach their ship?"

"Who knows? Maybe we'll get killed. But getting killed in a struggle for
survival is better than just waiting to die."

Gloria shuddered. "It looks so cold out there. We'll get
separated--hopelessly lost. I don't even know