d until he felt normally heavy again. There was no other
sensation, even though the space cruiser was now spinning on its axis
through space at unaltered speed. The centrifugal force produced by the
spinning gave them an artificial gravity.

Now that he thought about it, _Brennschluss_ had come pretty early. The
trip apparently was going to be a short one. _Brennschluss_--funny, he
thought, how words stay on in a language, even after their original
meaning is changed. _Brennschluss_ was German for "burn out." It was
rocket talk, and it meant the moment when all the fuel in a rocket burned
out. It had come into common use because the English "burn out" could
also mean that the engine itself had burned out. The German word meant
only the one thing. Now, in nuclear drive ships, the same word was used
for the moment when power was cut off.

Words interested him. He started to mention it to Koa just as the
telescreen lit up. An officer's face appeared. "Send that Planeteer
officer to the commander," the face said. "Tell him to show an exhaust."

Rip called instantly to the safety officer. "Where's his office?"

The safety officer motioned to a spaceman. "Show him, Nelson."

Rip followed the spaceman through a maze of passages, growing more
weightless with each step. The closer to the center of the ship they
went, the less he weighed. He was drawing himself along by plastic pull
cords when they finally reached the door marked COMMANDER.

The spaceman left without a word or a salute. Rip pushed the lock bar and
pulled himself in by grabbing the door frame. He couldn't help thinking
it was a rather undignified way to make an entrance.

Seated in an acceleration chair, a safety belt across his middle,
was Space Commander Kevin O'Brine, an Irishman out of Dublin. He was
short, as compact as a deto-rocket, and obviously unfriendly. He had a
mathematically square jaw, a lopsided nose, green eyes, and sandy hair.
He spoke with a pronounced Irish brogue.

Rip started to announce his name, rank, and the fact that he was
reporting as ordered. Commander O'Brine brushed his words aside and
stated flatly, "You're a Planeteer. I don't like Planeteers."

Rip didn't know what to say, so he kept still. But sharp anger was rising
inside of him.

O'Brine went on. "Instructions say I'm to hand you your orders en route.
They don't say when. I'll decide that. Until I do decide, I have a job
for you and your men. Do you know anything abou