it was, it offered
protection nothing else could offer; it was almost a perfect insulator
and was resistant to the attack of any chemical reagent. Not even
elemental fluorine could corrode it. And the extreme strength of the lux
metal fiber made it stronger, pound for pound, than steel or coronium.

On Arcot's back was a pack of relux plated metal. It was connected by
relux web belts to a broad belt that circled Arcot's waist. One thin
cable ran down the right arm to a small relux tube about eight inches
long by two inches in diameter.

"Watch!" Arcot said, grinning.

He reached to his belt and flipped a little switch.

"So long! See you later!" He pointed his right arm toward the ceiling
and sailed lightly into the air. He lowered the angle of his arm and
moved smoothly across the huge hangar, floating toward the shining bulk
of the rapidly forming _Ancient Mariner_. He circled the room, rising
and sinking at will, then headed for the open door.

"Come out and watch me where there's more room," he called.

Out in the open, he darted high up into the air until he was a mere
speck in the sky. Then he suddenly came dropping down and landed lightly
before them, swaying on his feet and poised lightly on his toes.

"Some jump," said Morey, in mock surprise.

"Yeah," agreed Fuller. "Try again."

"Or," Wade put in, "give me that weight annihilator and I'll beat you at
your own game. What's the secret?"

"That's a cute gadget. How much load does it carry?" asked Morey, more
practically.

"I can develop about ten tons as far as it goes, but the human body
can't take more than five gravities, so we can only visit planets with
less than that surface gravity. The principle is easy to see; I'll show
you."

He unhooked the cables and took the power pack from his back. "The main
thing is the molecular power unit here, electrically heated and mounted
on a small, massive gyroscope. That gyro is necessary, too. I tried
leaving it out and almost took a nosedive. I had it coupled directly to
the body and leaned forward a little bit when I was in the air. Without
a gyro to keep the drive upright, I took a loop and started heading for
the ground. I had to do some fancy gymnastics to keep from ending up six
feet under--literally.

"The power is all generated in the pack with a small power plate and
several storage coils. I've also got it hooked to these holsters at my
belt so we can charge the pistols while we carry them.