* * * *

We could see several of Miko's men--erstwhile members of our crew and
steward-corps--scurrying from the turret along the upper bridges toward
the dark and silent helio-room. Snap was up there. But was he? The
helio-room glowed suddenly with dim light, but there was no evidence of
a fight there. The fighting seemed mostly below the deck, down in the
hull-corridors. A blended horror of sounds came up to us. Screams,
shouts, and the hissing and snapping of ray weapons. Our crew--such of
them as were loyal--were making a stand down below. But it was brief.
Within a minute it died away. The passengers, amidships in the
superstructure, were still shouting. Then above them Miko's roar
sounded.

"Be quiet! Go in your rooms--you will not be harmed."

The brigands in these few minutes were in control of the ship. All but
this little chart-room, where, with most of the ship's weapons, Carter
and I were intrenched.

"God, Gregg, that this should come upon us!"

Carter was fumbling with the chart-room weapons. "Here, Gregg, help me.
What have you got? Heat-ray? That's all I had ready."

It struck me then as I helped him make the connections that Carter in
this crisis was at best an inefficient commander. His red face had gone
splotchy purple; his hands were trembling. Skilled as captain of a
peaceful liner, he was at a loss now. Nor could I blame him. It is easy
to say we might have taken warning, done this or that, and come
triumphant through this attack. But only the fool looks backward and
says, "I would have done better."

* * * * *

I tried to summon my wits. The ship was lost to us, unless Carter and I
could do something. Our futile weapons! They were all here--four or
five heat-ray hand projectors that could send a pencil-ray a hundred
feet or so. I shot one diagonally up at the turret where Johnson was
leering down at our rear window, but he saw my gesture and dropped back
out of sight. The heat-beam flashed harmlessly up and struck the turret
roof. Then across the turret window came a sheen of radiance--an
electro-barrage. And behind it, Hahn's suave, evil face appeared. He
shouted down:

"We have orders to spare you, Gregg Haljan--or you would have been
killed long ago!"

My answering shot hit his barrage with a shower of sparks, behind which
he stood unmoved.

Carter handed me another weapon. "Gregg, try this."

I levelled the old explosive bullet