es!" Rodebush shot out an exploring beam along the
detector line and gasped. He stared, mouth open, then yelled:

"_Roger_ is here, rebuilding his planetoid! _STATIONS ALL_!"

CHAPTER XI

Roger Carries On

For gray Roger had not perished in the floods of Nevian energy which had
destroyed his planetoid. While those terrific streamers of force
emanating from the crimson obscurity surrounding the amphibians'
space-ship were driving into his defensive screens, Roger sat impassive
and immobile at his desk. His hard gray eyes moved methodically over his
instruments and recorders; and after a few minutes he smiled coldly,
while an expression of relief struggled fleetingly to move his
expressionless face. Even though his screens were better than anyone had
supposed, why admit it?

"Baxter, Hartkopf, Chatelier, Anandrusung, Penrose, Nishimura,
Mirsky...." He called off a list of names. "Report to me here at once!"

"The planetoid is lost," he informed his select group of scientists when
they had assembled, "and we must abandon it in exactly fifteen minutes,
which will be the time required for the robots to fill this first
section with our most necessary machinery and instruments. Pack each of
you one box of the things he most wishes to take with him, and report
back here in not more than thirteen minutes. Say nothing to anyone
else."

They filed out calmly, and as they passed out into the hall Baxter,
perhaps a trifle less case-hardened than his fellows, at least voiced a
thought for those they were so brutally deserting.

"I say, it seems a bit thick to dash off this way and leave the rest of
them; but still, I suppose...."

"You suppose correctly." Bland and heartless Nishimura filled in the
pause. "A small part of the planetoid may be able to escape; which, to
me at least, is pleasantly surprising news. It cannot carry all of our
men and mechanisms, therefore only the most important of both are saved.
What would you? For the rest it is simply what you call 'the fortune of
war,' no?"

"But the beautiful...." began the amorous Chatelier.

"Hush, fool!" snorted Hartkopf. "One word of that to the ear of Roger
and you too are left behind. Of such non-essentials the Universe is
full, to be collected in times of ease, but in times hard to be
disregarded. Und this is a time of schrecklichkeit indeed!"

[Illustration:

And through that terrific conduit came speeding package
after package of destruc