his companions, propelling
themselves frenziedly on from another wreck, reached the ship's side at
the same time as Jandron's men. The two groups mixed and mingled,
twisted and turned in a mad space-combat.

Kent had been grasped by one of Jandron's men and raised his bar to
crack the other's glassite helmet. His opponent caught the bar, and they
struggled, twisting and turning over and over far up in space amid a
half-score similar struggles. Kent wrenched his bar free at last from
the other's grasp and brought it down on his helmet. The glassite
cracked, and he caught a glimpse of the man's hate-distorted face frozen
instantly in death.

Kent released him and propelled himself toward a struggling trio nearby.
As he floated toward them, he saw Jandron beyond them making wild
gestures of command and saw Krell approaching Jandron with upraised bar.
Kent, on reaching the three combatants, found them to be two of
Jandron's men overcoming Crain. He shattered one's helmet as he reached
them, but saw the other's bar go up for a blow.

Kent twisted frantically, uselessly, to escape it, but before the blow
could descend a bar shattered his opponent's helmet from behind. As the
man froze in instant death Kent saw that it was Marta who had struck him
from behind. He jerked her to his side. The struggles in space around
them seemed to be ending.

Six of Jandron's party had been slain, and three of Kent's companions.
Jandron's four other followers were giving up the combat, floating off
into the wreck-pack in clumsy, hasty flight. Someone grasped Kent's arm,
and he turned to find it was Liggett.

"They're beaten!" Liggett's voice came to him! "They're all killed but
those four!"

"What about Jandron himself?" Kent cried. Liggett pointed to two
space-suited bodies twisting together in space, with bars still in their
lifeless grasp.

Kent saw through their shattered helmets the stiffened faces of Jandron
and Krell, their helmets having apparently been broken by each other's
simultaneous blows.

Crain had gripped Kent's arm also. "Kent, it's over!" he was exclaiming.
"Liggett and I will close the _Pallas'_ exhaust-valves and release new
air in it. You take over helmets for the rest of our men in the _Martian
Queen_."

* * * * *

In several minutes Kent was back with the men from the _Martian Queen_.
The _Pallas_ was ready, with Liggett in its pilot-house, the men taking
their stations, and Crain