our report, but I'd sure like to
know."

"I don't really know what happened, sir," said Loring. "We had made a
deal for a ride back to Earth with Jardine and were sleeping back on the
cargo deck. All of a sudden, Jardine came running in. Told us we were
about to pile into the station and for us to suit up and get out. We
asked him about himself, but he said he was going to stay and try to
save the ship. We piled out, and--well, we saw the whole thing from out
here. Like a big splash of light. It must have been pretty bad on the
station, eh?"

"Plenty bad, but thanks to Cadet Corbett here, there wasn't a single
injury. He warned everybody to get off that side of the station. A lot
of damage but no casualties."

"Don't you have any idea what made the ship crash?" asked Tom quietly.

Loring looked at Tom but spoke to Stefens. "I told you all I know, sir.
Can I expect to be questioned by everyone in the Solar Guard. Including
cadets?"

Stefens bristled. "It was a civil question, Loring," he said stiffly,
"but you don't have to say anything if you don't want to!"

Loring and Mason had not expected such a strong defense of the cadet,
and Loring was quick to make amends. "I'm sorry--I guess I'm still a
bit shaken up," he muttered.

Stefens grunted.

"It wasn't pretty, you know, watching that ship go up and not be able to
do anything about it," Loring continued plaintively. "Jardine and
Bangs--well, they're--they _were_ sorta friends of mine."

They were silent all the way back to the station, each with his own
thoughts--Stefens puzzling over the cause of the crash, Loring and Mason
exchanging quick furtive glances and wondering how long their story
would hold up, and Tom wondering how much Roger's changing the power
circuits on the radar had to do with the crash of the ship.

"That's right," snapped Connel to the two enlisted spacemen. "I said I
wanted the radar section of the communications deck closed and sealed
off until further investigations. You can hook up and use one of the
monitors in the traffic control meantime."

The two red-clad spacemen turned and walked away. Stefens stood to one
side.

"Don't you think that's carrying things a little too far, sir?" he asked
Connel.

"I'm doing this as much to protect Cadet Manning as I am to prosecute
him! I want to be sure there was no connection between the crash of the
_Annie Jones_ and his tampering with the radar circuits!" Connel
replied.

"I guess y