said Al Mason wistfully. "Sure wish
we wuz on her." His eyes followed the beautiful slim passenger ship just
blasting off from Venus.

"Why?" demanded Loring.

"Anything to get away from Venusport. What a stinking hole!" snorted the
shorter of the two spacemen.

"For what we want to do," said Loring, "there ain't another city in the
system that's got the advantages this place has!"

"Don't talk to me about advantages," whined Mason. "Be darned if I can
see any. All we been doing is hang around the spaceport, talk to the
spacemen, and watch the ships blast off. Maybe you're up to something
but I'm blasted if I see what it can be."

"I've been looking for the right break to come along."

"What kind of break?" growled Mason.

"That kind," said Loring. He pointed to a distant figure emerging from a
space freighter. "There's our answer!" said Loring, a note of triumph in
his voice. "Come on. Let's get outta here. I don't want to be
recognized."

"But--but--what's up? What's that guy and the space freighter _Annie
Jones_ got to do with us?"

Loring didn't answer but stepped quickly to the nearest jet cab and
hopped into the back seat. Mason tumbled in after him.

"Spaceman's Row," Loring directed, "and make it quick!"

The driver stepped on the accelerator and the red teardrop-shaped
vehicle shot away from the curb into the crowd of cars racing along
Premier Highway Number One. In the back seat of the jet cab, Loring
turned to his spacemate and slapped him on the back.

"Soon's we get into the Row, you go and pack our gear, see! Then meet me
at the Cafe Cosmos in half an hour."

"Pack our gear?" asked Mason with alarm. "Are we going some place?"

Loring shot a glance at the driver. "Just do as I tell you!" he growled.
"In a few hours we'll be on our way to Tara, and then--" He dropped his
voice to a whisper. Mason listened and smiled.

The jet cab slid along the arrow-straight highway toward the heart of
the city of Venusport. Soon it reached the outskirts. On both sides of
the highway rose low, flat-roofed dwellings, built on a revolving wheel
to follow the precious sun, and constructed of pure Titan crystal.
Farther ahead and looming magnificent in the late afternoon sun was the
first and largest of Venusian cities, Venusport. Like a fantastically
large diamond, the startling towers of the young city shot upward into
the misty atmosphere, catching the light and reflecting it in every
color of the spectrum