of the whole forward quadrant. I noticed a
blip where I didn't remember seeing one before."

"You have quite an eye, Clay," I said. "How about getting this object in
the beam."

"We're trying now, Captain," he said. "That's a mighty small field,
though."

Joyce called from the radar board, "I think I'm getting an echo at
15,000, sir. It's pretty weak."

Miller, quiet and meticulous, delicately tuned the beam control. "Give
me your fix, Joyce," he said. "I can't find it."

Joyce called out his figures, in seconds of arc to three places.

"You're right on it, Joyce," Miller called a minute later. "I got it.
Now pray it don't get away when I boost it."

Clay stepped over behind Miller. "Take it a few mags at a time," he said
calmly.

I watched Miller's screen. A tiny point near the center of the screen
swelled to a spec, and jumped nearly off the screen to the left. Miller
centered it again, and switched to a higher power. This time it jumped
less, and resolved into two tiny dots.

* * * * *

Step by step the magnification was increased as ring after ring of the
lens antenna was thrown into play. Each time the centering operation was
more delicate. The image grew until it filled a quarter of the screen.
We stared at it in fascination.

It showed up in stark silhouette, in the electronic "light" of the radar
scope. Two perfect discs, joined by a fine filament. As we watched,
their relative positions slowly shifted, one moving across, half
occluding the other.

As the image drifted, Miller worked with infinite care at his console to
hold it on center, in sharp focus.

"Wish you'd give me an orbit on this thing, Joyce," he said, "so I could
lock onto it."

"It ain't got no orbit, man," Joyce said. "I'm trackin' it, but I don't
understand it. That rock is on a closing curve with us, and slowin' down
fast."

"What's the velocity, Joyce?" I asked.

"Averagin' about 1,000 relative, Captain, but slowin' fast."

"All right, we'll hold our course," I said.

I keyed for a general announcement.

"This is the Captain," I said. "General Quarters. Man action stations
and prepare for possible contact within one hour."

"Missile Section. Arm No. 1 Battery and stand by."

Then I added, "We don't know what we've got here, but it's not a natural
body. Could be anything from a torpedo on up."

I went back to the Beam screen. The image was clear, but without detail.
The two discs slo