her, Conway!" The two scientists answered the
hail of their fellow.

"I didn't realize that an inertialess approach would be quite such a
terrifying spectacle, or I would have warned you," Rodebush went on.
"Yes, thanks to you, the super-ship works as she should, at last. But
you had better put on your suits and transfer. You might get your things
ready...."

"'Things' is good!" Costigan laughed, and Clio giggled sunnily.

"We've made so many transfers already that what you see us in is all we
have," Bradley explained. "We'll bring ourselves, and we'll hurry; that
Nevian is coming up fast."

"Is there anything on this ship you fellows want?" Costigan asked.

"There may be, but we haven't any locks big enough to let her inside and
we haven't time to study her now. You might leave her controls in
neutral, so that Lyman can calculate her position if we should want her
later on."

"All right." The three armor-clad figures stepped into the _Boise_'s
open lock, the tractor beam was cut off, and the speedster flashed away
from the now stationary super-ship.

"Better let formalities go for a while," Captain Bradley interrupted the
general introduction taking place. "I was scared out of nine years'
growth when I saw you coming at us, and maybe I've still got the humps;
but that Nevian is coming up fast, and if you don't already know it I
can tell you that he's no light cruiser."

"That's so, too," Costigan concurred. "Have you fellows got enough stuff
so that you think you can take him? You've got the legs on him,
anyway--you can certainly run if you want to!"

"Run?" Cleveland laughed. "We have a bone of our own to pick with that
ship. We licked her to a standstill once, until we burned out a set of
generators, and since we got them fixed we've been chasing her all over
space. We were chasing her when we picked up your call. See there? She's
doing the running."

The Nevian was running, in truth. Her commander had seen and had
recognized the great vessel which had flashed out of nowhere to the
rescue of the three Terrestrials; and, having once been at grips with
that vengeful super-dreadnaught, he had little stomach for another
encounter. Therefore his side-thrust was now being exerted in the
opposite direction; he was frankly trying to put as much distance as
possible between himself and Triplanetary's formidable cruiser. In vain.
A light tractor was clamped on and the _Boise_ flashed up to close range
before Rodeb