But Herr Schwartzmann was not to be put down so easily. He crossed over
to where Chet stood. Chet's hand dropped to the pistol that was hooked
in his own belt, but Schwartzmann made no move toward it. Instead he
planted himself before the pilot and jammed his fists into his hips
while he tried to draw his stocky form to equal Chet's slim height.

"Fool!" he said. "Dolt! For a minute I believed you; I thought you had
cut us off from the Earth. Now I know better. Max, he understands ships;
and the Herr Doktor Kreiss iss a man of science: together they the
repairs will make."

The Master Pilot smiled grimly. "Try to do it," he said, and turned
toward the two whom Schwartzmann had named. "You, Max, and you, too,
Doctor Kreiss--do you want to take on the job? If you do, I will help
you."

But the two looked at the shattered controls and shook their heads at
their employer.

"Impossible!" the pilot exclaimed. "Without new parts it can never be
done."

Schwartzmann seemed about to vent his fury upon the man who dared give
such a report, but Doctor Kreiss raised a restraining hand.

"Check!" he said. "I check that report. Repairs are out of the
question."

* * * * *

Chet caught Harkness' eye upon him. "I'll be back," Harkness told him
and went quickly toward the rear of the ship. Their stores were back
there; would Walt think to get a detonite pistol? He came back into the
room while the thought was still in Chet's mind. A gun was in each hand;
he passed one of the weapons to Diane.

Unconsciously, Schwartzmann felt for his own gun that was in Chet's
belt. He laughed mirthlessly. "Two men," he said scornfully; "two men
and a girl!"

Harkness paid no attention. "Now we will get right down to cases," he
remarked. "Two men and a girl is right--plus what is left of one ship.
And please don't forget that the ship is ours and all the supplies that
are in it. Now, you listen to me; I've a few things to tell you."

He faced squarely toward Schwartzmann, and Chet had to repress a grin at
the steely glint in his companion's eyes. Nice chap, Harkness--nice,
easy-going sort--up to a certain point. Chet had seen him in action
before.

"First of all," Harkness was saying, "don't think that we have any
illusions about you. You're a killer, and, like all such, you're a
coward. If you had the upper hand, you would never give us a chance for
our lives. In fact you were ready to throw us out to be g