eteors and micro-meteors, and following the
ordinary procedures of meals and sleep periods. The men set up an
Earth-time schedule of twenty-four hours, divided the crew into three
eight-hour shifts, and conducted themselves accordingly.

Burl did not find time weighing on his hands. Despite the limited space
available to the ten men, there was always something to learn, and
something to think about.

When Russell Clyde was off duty, he spent much time with Burl at the
wide-screen viewers that showed the black depths of interplanetary space
surrounding them. The Earth dwindled to a brilliant green disc, while
ahead of them the narrow crescent of approaching Venus could be seen
growing gradually. Ruddy Mars was sharp but tiny, a point of russet
beyond the green of Earth. And the stars--never had Burl seen so many
stars--a firmament ablaze with brilliant little points of light--the
millions of suns of the galaxy and the galaxies beyond ours.

On the other side, the side toward which they fell, the Sun was a
blinding sphere of white light, its huge coronal flames wavering
fearfully around its orb.

Seen to one side, surprisingly close to the Sun, was a tiny half-moon.
"That's Mercury," said Russ, pointing it out. "The smallest planet and
the closest to the Sun. After we leave Venus, we'll have to visit it. We
know there's a Sun-tap station there--and because it's so close to the
Sun--its orbit ranges between twenty-eight million miles and under
forty-four million miles--the station must be a most important and large
one."

Burl gazed at the point of light that was the innermost planet. "Those
Sun-tap stations ... The more I think about it, the more I wonder what
we're up against. It seems to me that it ought to be easy for the kind
of people who can build such things to catch us and stop us. In fact, I
wonder why they haven't already gone after us for stopping the one on
Earth?"

Russ whistled softly between his teeth. "We've some ideas about that.
The military boys worked on it. You know you can figure out a lot of
things from just a few bits of evidence. We have such evidence from what
happened to you on Earth. You ought to speak to Haines about it."

Burl turned away from the viewer. "Let's find him now. I don't think
he's very busy. He said something about catching up on his reading this
period."

Russ nodded, and the two of them got up from their seat. With a wave to
Oberfield and Caton on duty at the control