getting the ship down intact. The
little meteor holes can easily be plugged up, and the liner made as
good as new. At least that was my guess.

"I was trying to puzzle it out, rather hopelessly," he continued,
"when I saw the ray out in space pick up those floating figures. That
was the last little piece in the jigsaw.

"The Ganymedans evidently had to leave the ship because, as it
approaches the planet, something will be done to kill off any
unfortunates who are still alive, waiting their chance to fight the
invisible enemy. Possibly a penetrating lethal gas that will be forced
into the interior. So they evolved the ray to carry the Ganymedan
passengers down gently, safely. And we are stowaways," he concluded
grimly.

Nona had listened intently to the long recital.

"But why," she expostulated, "was it necessary to have their own
people on board? The meteors that riddled the ship were projectiles
shot from their station on Jupiter. So was the attraction-ray that
pulls the ship down."

"Because they required a sufficient force to disable the radio
apparatus. All radio waves used on interplanetary liners are shielded
from interference. It is impossible to blank them out. And with the
radio intact, every battle flier in space would be on their trail in a
hurry."

* * * * *

Several hours passed, and still they fell endlessly through space,
unaware of their motion except that Jupiter was now a huge orb
blotting out the universe. The grim face of the giant planet was
enswathed in endless billowing clouds. No one had ever penetrated to
the real core. But what held their eager, straining attention was a
vast blood red disk, cyclonic in character, directly beneath them. The
Great Red Spot! And immediately in the center of it was the tiny,
blindingly brilliant yellow orange oval, winking up at them with
quick, steady pulsations.

"What can it be?" Nona wondered.

"The source of their power, evidently. But what interests me more just
now is where the Ganymedans have their hangout in those clouds, and
what they're doing with the ships they capture."

Jupiter was now a flat level stretch that reached on all sides as far
as the eye could see. Grant felt a sudden sensation of weight again,
as though something was pressing with crushing force against his
chest.

"Hello," he said, "our fall is being checked. They're making sure
their friends come to no harm." And he laughed bitterly, thin