reset.
There was no green flashing on the deck, where there should have been
green.

Oh, well. There could have been cruisers waiting in space, too, to pot
him with ship-to-ship missiles. He'd taken one chance, he could take
another.

Lance opened a switch and called Base Traffic's frequency. "This is the
_Cosmos XII_, Major Lance Cooper piloting. Just broke out of hype. Can
you read me?"

He repeated the message for several minutes.

Finally, he got an answer. A startled voice whipped back at him through
crackling static: "_Cosmos XII_, this is Traffic. Who did you say you
were up there?"

* * * * *

Lance hardly knew whether he felt more like laughing or crying. He was
fairly close to home, anyhow. They did have space traffic here. And
being pretty much of an optimist, he also decided that it was a
time-track where he had been known. Only being so long overdue, he had
probably been given up for lost.

On this premise, he could visualize all the consternation and excitement
now in progress downstairs; the personnel were likely falling all over
each other in the stampede to pass the word around.

"I'm Major Lance Cooper," he announced over the mike.

There was a long pause.

"Repeat that, please."

"This is Lance Cooper, Major, Space Service. I'm up here in the _Cosmos
XII_."

"B-b-but you can't be."

"Who says I can't. Say, what's the matter with you monkeys? I want to
come in."

Another voice took over on the channel. "The lieutenant's right. You
actually do sound like Cooper, whoever you are!"

Lance laughed openly. "I've lived with him all my life, why shouldn't I?
You think I'm a ghost?"

"Well ... no. We know you're real. We're getting a blip from you. Only
thing is--"

"Let's talk about it when I get down," Lance interrupted. "I need a
program fast. Get those G.S. computers working and read me an orbit."

"W-will do."

"And one more thing: Is Colonel Sagen around?"

"Not today, major. He had to fly to Luna."

"How about his daughter?"

"Who?"

_Oh, no!_ Lance felt his heart almost stop. Had the big try been for
nothing? He chanced a repeat.

"His daughter. Carolyn Sagen."

This time, he got results.

"Oh! You mean Hard-Head's daughter. The one who ... say, wasn't she all
set to marry you?"

"You bet your last commendation ribbon she was. And she's going to!
Hey!" Lance shouted. "Anything wrong with her? She's not sick or--"

The voice of the