ldly, "under the circumstances, I don't have
to do a space-blasted thing." He turned to Kit. "Is this a formal
request for an investigation, Kit?" He was smiling.

"It is, sir."

"Very well," said Walters, turning to Brett. "Mr. Brett, in the presence
of two witnesses, I refuse to sign the contracts as a result of serious
charges brought against you by one of the participating entrants. You
will be notified of the time and place of the hearing on these charges."

Brett's face turned livid. "You can't do this to me!"

Walters turned to one of the enlisted guardsmen. "Escort Mr. Brett from
the room," he ordered.

A tall, husky spaceman unlimbered his paralo-ray rifle and nudged Brett
from the room. "I'll get even with you, Walters, if it's the last thing
I do," he screamed.

"You make another threat like that to a Solar Guard officer," growled
the enlisted spaceman, "and it'll be the _last_ thing you do."

As the door closed, Walters, Strong, and Kit laughed out loud. A few
seconds later, as the three men returned to their study of the report,
there was a distant rumble, followed quickly by the shock wave of a
tremendous explosion. Walters, Strong, and Kit and everyone in the room
were thrown to the floor violently.

"By the craters of Luna," yelled Strong, "what was that?"

"One of the smaller screens has given way, sir!" yelled the chief
electronic engineer after a quick glance at the giant control board.
"Number seven."

Walters struggled to his feet. "Where is it?" he demanded.

Strong and Kit got to their feet and crowded around the commander as the
engineer pointed out the section on the huge map hanging on the wall.

"Here it is, sir," he said. "Sector twelve."

"Has that area been evacuated yet?" asked Strong.

"I don't know, sir," replied the engineer. "Captain Howard was in charge
of all evacuation operations."

Walters spun around. "Get Howard, Steve. Find out if that part of the
city has been cleared," he ordered and then turned to Kit. "You, Kit,
take the Space Marines and round up every spare oxygen mask you can find
and get it over to that section right away. I'll meet you here"--he
placed his finger on the map--"with every jet car I can find. No telling
how many people are still there and we have to get them out."

Almost immediately the wailing of emergency sirens could be heard
spreading the alarm over the city. At the spaceport, where the citizens
were waiting to be taken off the sate