on, Flip. I'll see what the old man wants
and be right back."

"Get flaming," the rocket officer called. "Show an exhaust, like the man
said. This bucket leaves on time, and we're sealing the port."

Rip hesitated. The rocket would leave without him!

Flip said urgently, "You better ram it, Rip."

He knew he had no choice. "Tell my folks I'll make the next rocket," he
called, and ran. He leaped through the valve, jumped for the high-speed
track, and was whisked around the rim of the space platform.

He ran a hand through his short red hair, a gesture of bewilderment. His
records had cleared. So far as he knew, all his papers were in order, and
he had his next assignment. He couldn't figure why the platform commander
would want to see him. But the horn had called, "Show an exhaust!" which
meant to get there in a hurry.

He jumped off the track at the main crossrun and hurried toward the
center of the platform. In a moment he was at the commander's door,
waiting to be identified.

The door swung open, and a junior officer in the blue tunic and trousers
of a spaceman motioned him to the inner room. "Go in, Lieutenant."

"Thank you." He hurried into the commander's room and stood at attention.

Commander Jennsen, the Norwegian spaceman who had commanded the platform
since before Rip's arrival as a raw cadet, was dictating into his command
relay circuit. As he spoke, printed copies were being received in the
platform personnel office, at Special Order Squadron headquarters on
Earth, aboard the cruiser _Bolide_ in high space, and aboard the newly
landed cruiser _Scorpius_.

Rip listened, spellbound.

"Foster, R.I.P., Lieutenant, SOS. Serial seven-nine-four-three. Assigned
SOS Four. Change orders, effective this date-time. Cancel Earth leave.
Subject officer will report to commander, SCN _Scorpius_, with detachment
of nine men. Senior noncommissioned officer and second in command, Koa,
A.P., Sergeant Major, SOS. Serial two-nine-four-one. Commander of
_Scorpius_ will transport detachment to coordinates given in basic
cruiser astro-course; deliver orders to detachment en route. Take
required steps for maximum security. This is Federation priority A,
Space Council security procedures."

Rip swallowed hard. The highest possible priority, given by the
Federation itself, had canceled his leave. Not only that, but the cruiser
to which he was assigned was instructed to follow Space Council security
procedures, which mean