'an in
astonishment.

"That's not so much. The cable-laying steamer _Dominia_ carried 3,000
miles in one piece to lay Atlantic cables in the early 20th century."

"But how'll we ever get 4,000 tons in one piece down to Mars?" asked
T'an. "No G-boat can carry that load."

Jonner chuckled.

"Same way they got it up from Earth to the ship," he answered. "They
attached one end of it to a G-boat and sent it up to orbit, then wound
it up on a fast winch. Since the G-boat will be decelerating to Mars,
the unwinding will have to be slowed or the cable would tangle itself
all over Syrtis."

"Sounds like it's made to order," said T'an, grinning. "I'll get into my
spacesuit."

"You'll get to work on the radio controls," contradicted Jonner, getting
up. "That's something I can't do, and I can get into a spacesuit and
haul a length of cable out to the tug. Qoqol can handle the winch."

* * * * *

Deveet, the Atom-Star Company's representative at Mars City, and Kruger
of the Space Control Commission were waiting when the _Radiant Hope_'s
G-boat dropped down from the Phobos station and came to rest in a wash
of jets. They rode out to the G-boat together in a Commission groundcar.
Jonner emerged from the G-boat, following the handcuffed Serj.

"He's all yours," Jonner told Kruger, gesturing at Serj. "You have my
radio reports on the cable-cutting, and I'll make my log available to
you."

Kruger put his prisoner in the front seat of the groundcar beside him,
and Jonner climbed in the back seat with Deveet.

"I brought the crates of dies for the groundcar factory down this time,"
Jonner told Deveet. "We'll bring down all the loose cargo before
shooting the television cable down. While they're unloading the G-boat,
I wish you'd get the tanks refilled with hydrazine and nitric acid.
I've got enough to get back up, but not enough for a round trip."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Deveet. He was a dark-skinned,
long-faced man with a sardonic twist to his mouth.

"I've got to sign on a new ship's doctor to replace Serj. When the
_Marsward_ comes in, Marscorp will have a dozen G-boats working round
the clock to unload and reload her. With only one G-boat, we've got to
make every hour count. We still have reaction mass to pick up on
Phobos."

"Right," agreed Deveet. "You can take the return cargo up in one load,
though. It's just twenty tons of Martian relics for the Solar Museum.
Mars-to-Earth