heavens toward Ganymede.

"Open her up! Use the emergency propulsion beams!" ordered Winford. "We
are overdue now for my tryst with this new governor at New Chicago!"

The officers gazed at him in awe, wondering what desperate thing he
planned at the new colonial capital.

* * * * *

Winford was poring over the maps of New Chicago six hours later in the
chart room when one of the navigation officers touched him on the
shoulder.

"Battle sphere rapidly overhauling us from sunward, sir," said the man.
"Approaching us against the glare of sunlight until it was so close when
we discovered it that escape is now impossible. I'd say it is one of the
new 4-Q heavies of the Interplanetary Council patrol fleet."

Winford hurried to the telescope. As his anxious eye took in the
spherical outline of the battle craft, showing as a silvery crescent to
the rear and starboard of them, he recognized it as one of the heavily
armored spheres of the Interplanetary Council's fleet with the new long
range K-ray disintegrator guns.

Winford seized a telescope speed calculator. The sphere was coming up
far too rapidly to permit the _Golden Fleece_ to pick up speed soon
enough to escape--although he was confident the freighter could do it
now, since Agar had changed its propulsion machinery.

Perhaps the commander of the battle sphere was merely curious about the
_Golden Fleece_ since it appeared to be an ordinary tramp freighter with
no distinguishing emblems or other identification, and was coming close
to give her a better look. Or perhaps he was hurrying to some
destination and his nearness to the _Golden Fleece_ was merely
accidental.

Whatever the cause, there remained but one thing to do, and that was to
keep the freighter on its course as though nothing out of the ordinary
was taking place. Winford turned to the communication board and cut in
the universal radio wave. The instrument was silent. He sighed. At least
the commander of the battle sphere was not trying to communicate with
him.

Winford turned back to the window again. The sphere was quite close now,
and its speed was dropping rapidly. Suddenly the radio loud-speaker
hummed to life.

"Ahoy there, aboard the freighter," sounded a stern, determined voice.
"This is the Interplanetary Council battle sphere, _Eagle_, nearing you.
We are coming aboard you to investigate. Make ready your air-lock to
receive us. Attempt nothing hostile. H