hen no one has ever gotten back to explain what |
| happened...._ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

I.

"All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?" All the
high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the
skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer. "This is the fourth
and last cautionary announcement. Any who are not seated will seat
themselves at once. Prepare for take-off acceleration of one and
one-half gravities; that is, everyone will weigh one-half again as much
as his normal Earth weight for about fifteen minutes. We lift in twenty
seconds; I will count down the final five seconds.... Five ... Four ...
Three ... Two ... One ... Lift!"

[1] Transcriber's Note: The original read "will pay attention,
please?"

[Illustration]

The immense vessel rose from her berth; slowly at first, but with
ever-increasing velocity; and in the main lounge, where many of the
passengers had gathered to watch the dwindling Earth, no one moved for
the first five minutes. Then a girl stood up.

She was not a startlingly beautiful girl; no more so than can be seen
fairly often, of a summer afternoon, on Seaside Beach. Her hair was an
artificial yellow. Her eyes were a deep, cool blue. Her skin, what could
be seen of it--she was wearing breeches and a long-sleeved shirt--was
lightly tanned. She was only about five-feet-three, and her build was
not spectacular. However, every ounce of her one hundred fifteen pounds
was exactly where it should have been.

First she stood tentatively, flexing her knees and testing her weight.
Then, stepping boldly out into a clear space, she began to do a
high-kicking acrobatic dance; and went on doing it as effortlessly and
as rhythmically as though she were on an Earthly stage.

"You mustn't _do_ that, Miss!" A stewardess came bustling up. Or,
rather, not exactly bustling. Very few people, and almost no
stewardesses, either actually bustle in or really enjoy one point five
gees. "You really _must_ resume your seat, Miss. I must insist.... Oh,
you're Miss Warner...."

She paused.

"That's right, Barbara Warner. Cabin two eight one."

"But really, Miss Warner, it's regulations, and if you should fall...."

"Foosh to regulations, and _pfui_ on 'em. I won't fall. I've been
wondering, every time out, if I could do a thing, and now I'm going to
find out."

Jac