now, by some of the smaller,
slower ships making many stops. Or was, until the recent order. Any
guesses as to what we'll find?"

"None, sir, except the obvious one."

"Meteorites?"

Correy nodded.

"There's some bad swarms, now and then," he said seriously. I knew he
was thinking of one disastrous experience the _Ertak_ had had ... and of
scores of narrow escapes. "That would be the one likely explanation."

"True. But those ships were old and slow, they could turn about and
dodge more easily than a ship of the _Ertak's_ speed. At full space
speed we're practically helpless; can neither stop nor change our course
in time to avoid an emergency."

"Well, sir," shrugged Correy, "our job's to find the facts. I took the
liberty of telling the men we were to be ready in an hour and a half. If
we are, do we shove off immediately?"

"Just as soon as everything's checked. I leave it to you to give the
necessary orders. I know I can depend upon you to waste no time."

"Right, sir," said Correy, grinning like a schoolboy. "We'll waste no
time."

In just a shade less than two hours after we had set down at Base, we
were rising swiftly at maximum atmospheric speed, on our way to a
little-traveled portion of the universe, where two ships, in rapid
succession, had met an unknown fate.

* * * * *

"I wonder, sir, if you could come to the navigating room at once?" It
was Kincaide's voice, coming from the instrument in my stateroom.

"Immediately, Mr. Kincaide." I asked no questions, for I knew my second
officer's cool-headed disposition. If something required my attention
in the navigating room, in his opinion, it was something important. I
threw on my uniform hurriedly and hastened to Kincaide's side, wondering
if at last our days of unrewarded searching were to bear fruit.

"Perhaps I called you needlessly, sir," Kincaide greeted me
apologetically, "but, considering the nature of our mission, I thought
it best to have your opinion." He motioned toward the two great
navigating charts, operated by super-radio reflexes, set in the surface
of the table before him.

In the center of each was the familiar red spark which represented the
_Ertak_ herself, and all around were the glowing points of greenish
light which gave us, in terrestial terms, the locations of the various
bodies to the right and left, above and below.

"See here, sir--and here?" Kincaide's blunt, capable forefingers
indic