up the needler and waited. If the
bluff failed, I would have to kill someone.

Distantly I heard a metallic clatter. Moments later a tremor rattled the
objects on the shelf, followed a few seconds later by a heavy
shuddering. Papers slid from my desk, fluttered across the floor. The
whiskey bottle toppled, rolled to the far wall. I felt dizzy, as my bunk
seemed to tilt under me. I reached for the intercom key and flipped it.

"Taylor," I said, "this is the Captain. What's the report?"

There was a momentary delay before the answer came. "Captain, we've
taken a meteor strike aft, apparently a metallic body. It must have hit
us a tremendous wallop because it's set up a rotation. I've called out
Damage Control."

"Good work, Taylor," I said. I keyed for Stores; the object must have
hit about there. "This is the Captain," I said. "Any damage there?"

I got a hum of background noise, then a too-close transmission. "Uh,
Cap'n, we got a hole in the aft bulkhead here. I slapped a seat pad over
it. Man, that coulda killed somebody."

* * * * *

I flipped off the intercom and started aft at a run. My visitors had
evaporated. In the passage men stood, milled, called questions. I keyed
my mike as I ran. "Taylor, order all hands to emergency stations."

It was difficult running, since the floors had assumed an apparent tilt.
Loose gear was rolling and sliding along underfoot, propelled forward by
centrifugal force. Aft of Stores, I heard the whistle of escaping air
and high pressure gasses from ruptured lines. Vapor clouds fogged the
air. I called for floodlights for the whole sector.

Clay appeared out of the fog with his damage control crew. "Sir," he
said, "it's punctured inner and outer shells in two places, and
fragments have riddled the whole sector. There are at least three men
dead, and two hurt."

"Taylor," I called, "let's have another damage control crew back here on
the triple. Get the medics back here, too." Clay and his men put on
masks and moved off. I borrowed one from a man standing by and followed.
The large exit puncture was in the forward cargo lock. The room was
sealed off, limiting the air loss.

"Clay," I said, "pass this up for the moment and get that entry puncture
sealed. I'll put the extra crew in suits to handle this."

* * * * *

I moved back into clear air and called for reports from all sections.
The worst of the damage was i