It was a lesson you learned in the Space-Forces,
and you learned it good: Out in the lonely void, when
you get in a jam, you're on your own ... it's you
against everything and everybody. Anything goes....
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories July 1951.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The phone rang and Ed Kerry wasn't doing anything so he picked it upand said, "Yeah?"
He said yeah a few more times, his eyes widening infinitesimally eachtime, and finally wound up with, "Okay, Bunny."
He hung up and said, "That was Bunny, up in Oneonta. She says a guy iscoming in from Luna with a kid for emergency hospitalization, radiationburns or something."
Jake was sitting back in his swivel chair, his feet on the desk and hishands clasped behind his head. He growled, "That's the trouble withwomen in this game; they've got no story sense. She phones all the wayfrom Oneonta on a story that's been run a hundred times. Every timesomebody gets good and sick up on Luna they bring 'em to Earth fortreatment." He shrugged. "Okay, so it's a kid this time. Do up about astick of it, Kerry, and we'll put it on page three if you can work itinto a tear-jerker."
Ed Kerry said, "You didn't let me finish, Jake. Something's wrong withthis guy's radio."
Somebody on the rewrite desk said, "Something wrong with his radio?He's gotta have his radio or he can't come in."
Jake took his feet from the desk and sat up. "What'd' ya mean,something's wrong with his radio?"
"Bunny said he's calling for his landing instructions but they can'tget anything back to him. He's just reached Brennschluss and he'sin free fall now; it'll be four days before he gets here. That's theway they work it—he's supposed to get in touch with the spaceport hewants to land at, and...."
"I know how they work it," Jake growled. "See if there's anything onthe last newswire from Luna about him."
Phil Mooney flicked his set on again and repeated carefully, "CallingOneonta Spaceport. Phil Mooney Outbound Luna, Calling OneontaSpaceport. Come in Oneonta."
Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport CallingPhil Mooney. Come in Mooney.
He cast a quick glance back at the child, strapped carefully inthe metal bunk. She was unconscious now, possibly as a result ofthe acceleration in leaving Luna. He'd had to reach a speed ofapproximately two miles per second to escape Earth's satellite, andthat had called for more G's acceleration than Lillian's sick bodycould bear. His lips thinned back over his teeth; it would be evenworse when they came in for landing and he had to brake against Earth'sgravity.
He switched on the set again to give it another try. Instructionswere to contact the spaceport at which you planned to land as soonas possible. There was plenty of time, of course, but the sooner thebetter.
He said, "Calling Oneonta Spaceport. This is Phil Mooney, Luna, CallingOneonta. Come in Oneonta."
Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport CallingPhil Mooney. Come in Mooney.
Ed Kerry came back to the city room with a sheet of yellow paper thathe'd torn off the radiotype.
He said, "Here it is, Jake. This kid—her name is Lillian Marshall—isthe only survivor of an explosion at that nuclear-fission laboratorythey had on the dark side. Her old man and her mother were workingunder this Professor Deems; both of them killed."
His eyes went on scanning the story. "Evidently this Phil Mooney runsan unscheduled spaceline. Anyway, he blasted off to rush th