ry. I settled the argument by telling
them exactly how much. They both whistled and shook their heads. Randy
said:

"If that ship buries itself deeply enough in the surface and explodes,
it'll make a neat hole in Mars."

I looked askance at Goil and saw that he was not reading. I said,
"Hole, hell! With the tonnage they have on that ship, it'll take a
chunk out of the surface the size of Australia. If it goes deep
enough, it might even crack the planet wide open. It couldn't be any
worse."

I wasn't at all certain anything like cracking the planet would
happen. Nobody could know just what sort of blast that tonnage could
make. But I wanted it to sound really bad. I sneaked a quick look at
Goil. He was looking pretty worried.

Now, I knew our company had some real estate on Mars. A few mines, a
number of atmosphere generator factories and several gravity generator
plants. And just about this time I strongly suspected that Goil had
some stock and other holdings in the Mars territory.

"That's only part of it," I said. "Think of what will happen to Mars's
atmosphere if that much planet is scattered around."

"Yeah," said Manuel. "Dust. Red dust. And how about all that
undetonated radioactive material?"

"Which will be dust also," I said, "thoroughly mixed in with all the
rest of the dust."

Gus had finished his game of cribbage with Orrin and had come over. He
said, "The dust will shut out what dim sunlight there is and the whole
planet will be in for a deep freeze."

"What's the half-life of that stuff in the freighter?" I asked Orrin.
I knew, but I wanted Goil to know too. Orrin told me.

The alarm that had clattered in my brain had settled down to a
soothing purr. I began to add three and three hoping to get nine.
Right now I needed a gestalt of something whose whole would be a lot
greater than the sum of its parts. The parts I believe I had, and the
sum I think was due to come up soon.

I went out and headed for the computer room. Artie was in there trying
to listen to a dozen news reports at one time. He wouldn't miss any of
them, for a flock of recorders were going all at once.

I grabbed him by a shoulder and spun him around and looked as hard and
serious as I could.

"Artie," I said, "I know damned well you computed a course for Willy
the other day, for an asteroid to orbit just outside Earth. I want you
to give me the exact course, where and when. And I want it now. This
is official business, Art