have
you?"

"Of course I haven't. I've been wondering why Johnson didn't hear that
eavesdropper. I could hear him when I was chasing him. But Johnson sat
perfectly unmoved and let him go by. What was he sitting there for,
anyway, at that hour of the morning?"

"You're too suspicious, Gregg. Overwrought. But you're right--we can't
be too careful. I'm going to have that Prince suite searched when I
catch it unoccupied. Passengers don't ordinarily travel with invisible
cloaks. Go to bed, Gregg--you need a rest."

* * * * *

I went to my cabin. It was located aft, on the stern deck-space, near
the stern watch-tower. A small metal room, with a desk, a chair and
bunk. I made sure no one was in it. I sealed the lattice grill and the
door, set the alarm trigger against any opening of them, and went to
bed.

The siren for the mid-day meal awakened me. I had slept heavily. I felt
refreshed. And hungry.

I found the passengers already assembled at my table when I arrived in
the dining salon. It was a low-vaulted metal room of blue and yellow
tube-lights. At the sides its oval windows showed the deck, with its
ports of the dome-side, through which a vista of the starry firmament
was visible. We were well on our course to Mars. The moon had dwindled
to a pin-point of light beside the crescent earth. And behind them our
sun blazed, visually the largest orb in the heavens. It was some
sixty-eight million miles from the earth to Mars, this voyage. A flight,
under ordinary circumstances, of some ten days.

There were five tables in the dining salon, each with eight seats. Snap
and I had one of the tables. We sat at the ends, with three passengers
on each of the sides.

Snap was in his seat when I arrived. He eyed me down the length of the
table.

"Good morning, Gregg. We missed you at breakfast. Not pressure-sick, I
hope?"

There were three passengers already seated at our table--all men. Snap,
in a gay mood, introduced me.

"This is our third officer, Gregg Haljan. Big, handsome fellow, isn't
he? And as pleasant as he is good-looking. Gregg, this is Sero Ob
Hahn."

* * * * *

I met the keen, dark-eyed somber gaze of a Venus man of middle age. A
small, slim, graceful man, with sleek black hair. His pointed face,
accentuated by the pointed beard, was pallid. He wore a white and purple
robe; upon his breast was a huge platinum ornament, a device like a star