thought. "You've been warned." If he came along he'd
damn well go in the hold. I could cut the drives after we got clear of
Mars and dump him out--after removing his money, of course. "Well," I
said aloud, "it's your funeral."

"You're always saying that," he said with chuckle in his voice.

* * * * *

We checked out at the airlock and drove out to the spaceport over the
sand-filled roadbed that no amount of work ever kept clean. We cleared
the port office, drew spacesuits from Post Supply, and went out to my
yacht. Redman looked at her, his heart in his eyes. He seemed
overwhelmed by it.

"Lord! she's beautiful!" he breathed, as he looked at the slim
polished length standing on her broad fins, nose pointed skyward.

"Just a Starflite-class yacht," I said.

"Look, Cyril," he said. "Will you sell her?"

"If we get to Venus alive and you still want to buy her, she'll cost
you--" I hesitated, "twenty-five thousand."

"Done!" he said. It came so fast that I figured I should have asked
for fifty.

"The fuel will be extra," I said. "Fifty munits an ounce. There's
maybe ten pounds of it."

"How far will that take me?"

"About ten light-years at cruising speed. Gold is economical."

"That should be far enough," he said with a faint smile.

We drew the boarding ladder down and prepared to squeeze aboard. As I
figured it, we had plenty of time, but I hadn't counted on that nosy
guard at the check station, or maybe that character at the south
airlock of the dome, because I was barely halfway up the ladder to the
hatch when I heard the howl of a racing turbine and two headlights
came cutting through the night over the nearest dune. The speed with
which that car was coming argued no good.

"Let's go," I said, making with the feet.

"I'm right behind you," Redman said into my left heel. "Hurry! Those
guys are out for blood!"

I tumbled through the lock and wiggled up the narrow passageway. By
some contortionist's trick Redman came through the hatch feet first,
an odd looking gun in his hand. Below us the turbo screeched to a stop
and men boiled out, blasters in hand. They didn't wait--just started
firing. Electrostatic discharges leaped from the metal of the ship,
but they were in too much of a hurry. The gun in Redman's fist
steadied as he took careful aim. A tiny red streak hissed out of the
muzzle--and the roof fell in! A thunderous explosion and an
eye-wrenching burst of light