of them housing embryo enterprises that were trying to beat the blastoff
cost of necessities brought from Earth, and to supply spacemen and
colonists with their needs, cheaply.

The nine fragile rings were soon in orbit. One worker-recruiting rocket
and several trader-rockets--much less powerful than those needed to
achieve orbit around Earth--because lunar gravity was only one-sixth of
the terrestrial--were floating in their midst. On the Moon it had of
course been known that a fresh Bunch was on the way. Even telescopes
could have spotted them farther off than the distance of their 240,000
mile leap.

Frank Nelsen's tongue tasted of brassy doubt. He didn't know where he'd
be, or what luck, good or bad, he might run into, within the next hour.

The Kuzaks were palavering with the occupants of two heavily-loaded
trader rockets. "Sure we'll buy--if the price is right," Art was saying.
"Flasks of water and oxygen, medicines, rolls of stellene. Spare parts
for Archies, ionics, air-restorers. Food, clothes--anything we can sell,
ourselves..."

The Kuzaks must have at least a few thousand dollars, which they had
probably managed to borrow when they had gone home to Pennsylvania to
say goodbye.

Out here, free of the grip of any large sphere, there was hardly a limit
to the load which their ionics could eventually accelerate sufficiently
to travel tremendous distances. Streamlining, in the vacuum, of course
wasn't necessary, either.

Now a small, sharp-featured man in an Archie, drifted close to Ramos and
Frank, as they floated near their bubbs. "Hello, Ramos, hello, Nelsen,"
he said. "Yes--we know your names. We investigate, beforehand, down on
terra firma. We even have people to snap photographs--often you don't
even notice. We like guys with talent who get out here by their own
efforts. Shows they got guts--seriousness! But now you've arrived. We
are Lunar Projects Placement. We need mechanics, process technicians,
administrative personnel--anything you can name, almost. Any bright lad
with drive enough to learn fast, suits us fine. Five hundred bucks an
Earth-week, to start, meals and lodging thrown in. Quit any time you
want. Plenty of different working sites. Mines, refineries, factories,
construction..."

"Serenitatis Base?" Ramos asked almost too quickly, Frank thought. And
he sounded curiously serious. Was this the Ramos who should be going a
lot farther than the Moon, anyway?

"Hell, yes, fella!" said the