telescopic screens. It was on one of these that they first saw the
shadow out in space. Small at first, the black shadow crossed a single
star and made it wink. That was what caught Mel's attention, a winking
star in the dead night of space.

When he was sure, he called Alice's attention to it. "There's something
moving out there." By now it had shape, like a tiny black bullet.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"It's crossing that patch of stars. Watch, and you can see it blot them
out as it moves."

"It's another ship!" Alice exclaimed. "That's exciting! To think we're
passing another ship in all this great emptiness of space! I wonder
where it's coming from?"

"And where it's going to."

They watched its slow, precise movement across the stars. After several
minutes a steward passed by. Mel hailed him and pointed to the screen.
"Can you tell us what that other ship is?"

The steward glanced and seemed to recognize it instantly. But he paused
in replying. "That's the Mars liner," he said finally. "In just a few
minutes the public address system will announce contact and change of
ship."

"Change of ship?" Mel asked, puzzled. "I never heard anything about a
change of ship."

"Oh, yes," the steward said. "This is only the shuttle that we're on
now. We transfer to the liner for the remainder of the trip. I'm sure
that was explained to you at the time you purchased your tickets." He
hurried away.

Mel was quite sure no such thing had been explained to him when he
purchased tickets. He turned back to the screen and watched the black
ship growing swiftly larger now as it and the Martian Princess
approached on contact courses.

The public address system came alive suddenly. "This is your Captain.
All passengers will now prepare to leave the shuttle and board the Mars
liner. Hand luggage should be made ready. All luggage stowed in the hold
will be transferred without your attention. It has been a pleasure to
have you aboard. Contact with the liner will be made in fifteen
minutes."

From the buzz around him Mel knew that this was as much a surprise to
everyone else as it was to him, but it was greeted with excitement and
without question.

Even Alice was growing excited now and others crowded around them when
it was discovered what they were viewing. "It looks _big_," said Alice
in subdued voice. "Bigger than this ship by far."

Mel moved away and let the others have his place before the screen. His
sense of