thin
scream.

"What?" he yelled. "Give me that again, Roger!"

"Spaceship bearing 098--full thrust! Range now four twenty-five!"

"By the craters of Luna," shouted Tom, "why didn't you pick her up
sooner, Roger?"

"Never mind that. Contact that guy and tell him to change course! He
can't brake in time now!"

"All right! Sign off!" Without waiting for a reply, Tom cut Roger off
and switched to a standard space band. His voice quivering, the young
cadet spoke quickly and urgently into the microphone. "Space station to
spaceship approaching on orbit 098. Change course! Emergency! Reduce
thrust and change course or you will crash into us!"

As he spoke, Tom watched the master screen of his scanner and saw the
ship rocketing closer and closer with no change in speed or course. He
realized that any action, even now, would bring the craft dangerously
close to the station. Without hesitation, he flipped on the master
switch of the central station communicator, opening every loud-speaker
on the station to his voice.

"Attention! Attention! This is traffic-control center! Emergency!
Repeat. Emergency! All personnel in and near landing ports five, six,
seven, eight, and nine--decks A, B, and C--evacuate immediately to
opposite side of the station. Emergency crews stand by for crash!
Spaceship heading for station! May crash! Emergency--emergency!"

On the endangered decks, men began to move quickly, and in a moment the
great man-made satellite was prepared for disaster. On the control
deck, Tom stayed at his station, sounding the warning.

"Emergency! Emergency! All personnel prepare for crash! All personnel
prepare for crash!"

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 8

"There--there!" shouted Captain Stefens into the mike aboard the jet
boat circling around the station. "I think I see something bearing about
seventy degrees to my left and up about twenty on the ecliptic! Do you
see it, Scotty?"

Tom, in the bucket seat of the jet boat, strained his eyes but was
unable to see over the control board.

Terry Scott, in a second jet boat ten miles away, answered quickly,
"Yes, I think I see it, sir."

"Good!" shouted Stefens. "Maybe we've found something."

He spoke to Tom over his shoulder, keeping his eye on the floating
objects in the black void of space. "Come to the starboard about
one-quarter full turn, Corbett, and hold it. Then up, about twenty-five
degrees."

"Aye, aye, sir," said Tom. He began to maneuver the