calling us up, Gregg."

Grantline's signal light was summoning us from the attack. He was a
thousand feet or more above us.

I was suddenly shocked with horror. The searchray from our camp
suddenly vanished! Anita wheeled us to face the distant ledge. The
camp lights showed, and over one of the buildings was a distress
light!

Had the crack in our front wall broken, threatening explosion of all
the buildings? The wild thought swept me. But it was not that. I could
see light stabs from the cliff outside the main building. Miko had
dared to send some men to attack our almost deserted camp!

Grantline realized it. His red helmet light semaphored the command to
follow him. His platform soared away, heading for the camp, with the
other two behind him.

Anita lifted us to follow. But I checked her.

"No! Off to the right, across the valley."

"But Gregg!"

"Do as I say, Anita."

She swung us diagonally away from both the camp and the brigand ship.
I prayed that we might not be noticed by the brigands.

"Anita, listen: I've got an idea!"

The attack on the brigand ship was over. It lay enveloped in the
darkness of the powder gas cloud and its own darkness bombs. But it
was uninjured.

Miko had answered us with our own tactics. He had practically unmanned
the ship, no doubt, and had sent his men to our buildings. The fight
had shifted. But I was now without ammunition, save for two or three
bullet projectors.

Of what use for our platform to rush back? Miko expected that. His
attack on the camp was undoubtedly made just for that purpose: to lure
us back there.

"Anita, if we can get down on the rocks somewhere near the ship, and
creep up unobserved in that blackness...."

I might be able to reach the manual hull lock, rip it open and let the
air out. If I could get into its pressure chamber and unseal the inner
slide....

"It would wreck the ship, Anita: exhaust all its air. Shall we try
it?"

"Whatever you say, Gregg."

We seemed to be unobserved. We skimmed close to the valley floor, a
mile from the ship. We headed slowly toward it, sailing low over the
rocks.

Then we landed, left the platform. "Let me go first, Anita."

I held a bullet projector. With slow, cautious leaps, we advanced.
Anita was behind me. I had wanted to leave her with the platform, but
she would not stay. And to be with me seemed at least equally safe.

The rocks were deserted. I thought that there was very little chance
tha