ong the line of sight at an impossible velocity, and
abruptly clicking out of sight, like an image on a movie-film that has
been cut, and repaired after the scene that showed the final
disappearance.

"Cole--Cole--did you get that? Did you see--do you understand what
happened?" Kendall was excitedly shouting now.

"He missed us," Cole sighed. "It's a wonder--hanging out here in space,
with the protector of the T-247's fields gone."

"No, no, you asteroid--that's not it. _He went off faster than light
itself!_"

"Eh--what? Faster than _light_? That can't be done--"

"He did it, I know he did. That's how he got inside our screens. He came
inside faster than the warning message could relay back the information.
Didn't you see him accelerate to an impossible speed in an impossible
time? Didn't you see how he just vanished as he exceeded the speed of
light, and stopped reflecting it? _That ship was no ship of this solar
system!_"

"Where did he come from then?"

"God only knows, but it's a long, long way off."

II

The IP-M-122 picked them up. The M-122 got out there two days later, in
response to the calls the T-247 had sent out. As soon as she got within
ten million miles of the little tender, she began getting Cole's
signals, and within twelve hours had reached the tiny thing, located it,
and picked it up.

Captain Jim Warren was in command, one of the old school commanders of
the IP. He listened to Kendall's report, listened to Cole's tale--and
radioed back a report of his own. Space pirates in a large ship had
attacked the T-247, he said, and carried it away. He advised a close
watch. On Pluto, his investigations disclosed nothing more than the fact
that three mines had been raided, all platinum supplies taken, and the
records and machinery removed.

* * * * *

The M-122 was a fifty-man patrol cruiser, and Warren felt sure he could
handle the menace alone, and hung around for over two weeks looking for
it. He saw nothing, and no further reports came of attack. Again and
again, Kendall tried to convince him this ship he was hunting was no
mere space pirate, and again and again Warren grunted, and went on his
way. He would not send in any report Kendall made out, because to do so
would add his endorsement to that report. He would not take Kendall
back, though that was well within his authority.

In fact, it was a full month before Kendall again set foot on any of the