d fast enough to give
weight, but even on the outer skin that was only one-half Earth gravity.
A couple of silent Martians prepared undistinguished meals and did
housework in the quarters. There were no films or other organized
recreation, though Lancaster was told that the forbidden sector included
a good-sized room for athletics.

But the crew he worked with didn't seem to mind. They had their own
large collections of books and music wires, which they borrowed from
each other. They played chess and poker with savage skill. Conversation
was, at first, somewhat restrained in Lancaster's presence, and most of
the humor had so little reference to things he knew that he couldn't
follow it, but he became aware that they talked with more animation and
intelligence than his friends on Earth. Manners were utterly informal,
and it wasn't long before even Lancaster was being addressed by his
first name; but cooperation was smooth and there seemed to be none of
the intrigue and backbiting of a typical Project crew.

And the work filled their lives. Lancaster was caught up in it the "day"
after his arrival, realized at once what it meant, and was plunged into
the fascination of it. Berg hadn't lied; this was big!

The perfect dielectric.

Such, at least, was the aim of the project. It was explained to
Lancaster that one Dr. Sophoulis had first seen the possibilities and
organized the research. It had gone ahead slowly, hampered by a lack of
needed materials and expert personnel. When Sophoulis died, none of his
assistants felt capable of carrying on the work at any decent rate of
speed. They were all competent in their various specialties, but it
takes more than training to do basic research--a certain inborn,
intuitive flair is needed. So they had sent to Earth for a new
boss--Lancaster.

The physicist scratched his head in puzzlement. It didn't seem right
that something so important should have to take the leavings of
technical personnel. Secrecy or not, the most competent men on Earth
should have been tapped for this job, and they should have been given
everything they needed to carry it through. Then he forgot his
bewilderment in the clean chill ecstasy of the work.

* * * * *

Man had been hunting superior dielectrics for a long time now. It was
more than a question of finding the perfect electrical insulator, though
that would be handy too. What was really important was the sort of
con