ered his mind. Maybe he had
put too much planet curvature between Astro and himself.

"Astro One, this is Brandon. Come in, please."

A series of muffled explosions rocked the ship. He chopped the power
back all the way and listened intently.

"May Day! May Day! Astro, this is Brandon. May Day!"

A faint voice sputtered in his ear, the face of Reinhardt, the radioman
appeared before him. "Brandon, this is Astro One. What is your position?
Over."

Brandon's voice sounded strange and distant as he talked to his oxygen
mask. "Heading--one-eight-zero. Approximately six hundred miles from
you. Altitude one hundred thousand feet."

"What is the nature of your trouble, Brandon?"

Before Brandon could answer, the face of Colonel Towers appeared beside
the radioman's.

"Brandon, what're you trying to pull?"

"Engine trouble, sir. Losing altitude fast."

"Do you know the nature of the trouble?"

"Negative. Might have thrown a compressor blade. Got a fire indication,
then a compressor surge. Chopped off the power."

Towers frowned. "Why didn't you use straight rocket power?"

"Well, sir--"

"Never mind now. You may have encountered oxygen or hydrogen-rich
atmosphere--melted your compressor blades. Try an air start on straight
rocket. I want that ship back, Brandon. Repeat, I want that ship back!"

"I may be able to ride it down. Get it on the deck intact."

"Try an air start, Brandon." Towers leaned forward, his eyes fixed on
Brandon. "I don't want you to set foot on that planet, get me?"

But there wasn't time to try anything. The cabin was filling with fumes.
Brandon looked down. A fringe of blue flame crept along between the
floor and the bottom of the pilot's capsule. A cold ache filled the
cavity of his stomach.

"Too late. I'm on fire! Capsuling out. Repeat, capsuling out."

"Brandon--!"

The colonel's glaring face flicked off as Brandon pushed the
pre-ejection lever into the lock position severing all connections
between the ship and the pilot's capsule. Brandon had a strange,
detached feeling as he pushed the ejection button.

There was an explosion and the pilot's capsule shot up like a wet bar of
soap squeezed out of a giant's hand.

The ship turned into a torch and sank beneath him. Brandon closed his
eyes for a moment.

When he opened them he was staring at the Milky Way, then the desert as
he tumbled over and over. He talked to the Milky Way.

"Ten seconds. Should wait at least ten sec