s later, the expedition ship had slowed to a normal
space-speed. On her left hung the giant globe of Asthor, rotating
slowly, moving slowly in her orbit. Directly ahead, Sthor loomed even
greater. Tiny Teelan, the thousand-mile diameter moon of the Insthor
system shone dull red in the reflected light of gigantic Mira. Mira
herself was gigantic, red and menacing across eight and a quarter
billions of miles of space.

One hundred thousand miles apart, the twin worlds Sthor and Asthor
rotated about their common center of gravity, eternally facing each
other. Ten million miles from their common center of gravity, Teelan
rotated in a vast orbit.

Sthor and Asthor were capped at each pole now by gigantic white icecaps.
Mira was sulking, and as a consequence the planets were freezing.

The expedition ship sank slowly toward Sthor. A swarm of smaller craft
had flown up at its approach to meet it. A gaily-colored small ship
marked the official greeting-ship. Gresth had withheld his news
purposely. Now suddenly he began broadcasting it from the powerful
transmitter on his ship. As the words came through on a thousand sets,
all the little ships began to whirl, dance and break out into glowing,
sparkling lights. On Sthor and Asthor even commotions began to be
visible. A new planetary system had been found-- They could move! Their
overflowing populations could be spread out!

The whole Insthor system went mad with delight as the great
Expeditionary Ship settled downward.

IV

There was a glint of humor in Buck Kendall's eyes as he passed the sheet
over to McLaurin. Commander McLaurin looked down the columns with
twinkling eyes.

"'Petition to establish the Lunar Mining Bank,'" he read. "What a bank!
Officers: President, General James Logan, late of the IP;
Vice-president, Colonel Warren Gerardhi, also late of the IP; Staff,
consists of 90% ex-IP men, and a few scattered accountants. Designed by
the well-known designer of IP stations, Colonel Richard Murray."
Commander McLaurin looked up at Kendall with a broad grin. "And you
actually got Interplanetary Life to give you a mortgage on the
structure?"

"Why not? It'll cut cost fifty-eight millions, with its twelve-foot
tungsten-beryllium walls and the heavy defense weapons against those
terrible pirates. You know we must defend our property."

"With the thing you're setting up out there on Luna, you could more
readily wipe out the IP than anything else I know of. An