the hardest to get near."

The languid-spoken Englishman was the one Anita most feared. His alert
eyes seemed to miss nothing. Perhaps he was suspicious of this George
Prince--Anita thought so.

"But where is Miko?" I whispered.

The brigand leader had gone below a few moments ago, down into the
hull-corridor. Anita had seized the opportunity to come to me.

"We can attack Hahn in the chart-room first," I suggested. "And get the
other weapons. Are they still there?"

"Yes. But Gregg, the forward deck is very bright."

We were approaching the asteroid. Already its light like a brilliant
moon was brightening the forward deck-space. It made me realize how much
haste was necessary.

We decided to go down into the hull-corridors. Locate Miko. Fell him,
and hide him. His non-appearance back on deck would very soon throw the
others into confusion, especially now with our impending landing upon
the asteroid. And under cover of this confusion we would try and release
Snap.

We had been arguing no more than a minute or two. We were ready. Anita
slid my door wide. She stepped through, with me soundlessly scurrying
after her. The empty, silent deck was alternately dark with
shadow-patches and bright with blobs of starlight. A sheen of the Sun's
corona was mingled with it; and from forward came the radiance of the
asteroid's mellow silver glow.

* * * * *

Anita turned to seal my door; within my faintly humming cloak I stood
beside her. Was I invisible in this light? Almost directly over us,
close under the dome, the look-out sat in his little tower. He gazed
down at Anita.

Amidships, high over the cabin superstructure, the helio-room hung dark
and silent. The guard on its bridge was visible. He, too, looked down.

A tense instant. Then I breathed again. There was no alarm. The two
guards answered Anita's gesture.

Anita said aloud into my empty cubby: "Miko will come for you presently,
Haljan. He told me to tell you that he wants you at the turret controls
to land us on the asteroid."

She finished sealing my door and turned away; started forward along the
deck. I followed. My steps were soundless in my elastic-bottomed shoes.
Anita swaggered with a noisy tread. Near the door of the smoking room a
small incline passage led downward. We went into it.

The passage was dimly blue-lit. We descended its length, came to the
main corridor, which ran the length of the hull. A vaulted metal