e, take the usual
steps, lieutenant. Surely you don't need me to--"

"The usual steps can't be taken, sir. Far as I can make out, that ship
is doomed. She's bound on collision course for Sol, only twenty million
miles out now."

"That's too bad, lieutenant," the Captain said with genuine sympathy in
his voice. "I'm sorry to hear that. But what do you want me to do about
it?"

"The ship, sir. The ship that sent the SOS--hold on to your hat, sir--"

"Get to the point now, will you, young man?" the Captain growled
sleepily.

"The ship which sent the SOS signal, the ship heading on collision
course for Sol, is the _Glory of the Galaxy_!"

For a moment the Captain said nothing. Distantly, you could hear the hum
of the subspace drive-unit and the faint whining of the stasis
generator. Then the Captain bolted out of bed after unstrapping himself.
In his haste he forgot the ship was in weightless deep space and went
sailing, arms flailing air, across the room. The lieutenant helped him
down and into his magnetic-soled shoes.

"My God," the Captain said finally. "Why did it happen? Why did it have
to happen to the _Glory of the Galaxy_?"

"What are you going to do, sir?"

"_I_ can't do anything. I won't take the responsibility. Have the
radioman contact the Hub at once."

"Yes, sir."

_The Glory of the Galaxy_, the SOS ship heading on collision course with
the sun, was making its maiden run from the assembly satellites of Earth
across the inner solar system via the perihelion passage which would
bring it within twenty-odd million miles of the sun, to Mars which now
was on the opposite side of Sol from Earth. Aboard the gleaming new ship
was the President of the Galactic Federation and his entire cabinet.

* * * * *

The Fomalhautian freighter's emergency message was received at the Hub
of the Galaxy within moments after it had been sent, although the normal
space distance was in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand light
years. The message was bounced--in amazingly quick time--from office to
office at the hub, cutting through the usual red tape because of its top
priority. And--since none of the normal agencies at the Hub could handle
it--the message finally arrived at an office which very rarely received
official messages of any kind. This was the one unofficial, extra-legal
office at the Hub of the Galaxy. Lacking official function, the office
had no technical existence and w