Marooned on Mars

two years after a permit is picked up before you can apply for anything but a visitor’s one-week stay, you know. That’s part of the original Moon charter. Of course, you could appeal—though why you’d want to, I’m sure I don’t know. But the delegates are human, after all, and they might feel insulted.”

He forced his face into .its usual cheerful expression. “Besides, think of the opportunities. Chuck. Why, you’re one of the luckiest boys in the world. There’s no telling how far you can go. Think it over tonight, and you’ll see. You’ll see.”

Chuck had already seen enough. Sure, it was an honor, and he was grateful for their intentions. But the Council had never been off Earth, and they couldn’t know what they were doing.

They’d promised him Mars and they were taking even the Moon away from him.

CHAPTER 4 Stowaway to Mars

The area around the Eros was bathed in floodlights the next morning, and half of Moon City had turned out to watch the test flight. The Moon had swung about on its orbit until all of Albategnius crater was in darkness. Now one of the big searchlights swung around to follow a little tractor that came toward the ship, bearing five figures in clean, new space suits.

Captain Miles Vance, pilot Nat Rothman, and Lew Wong; of the crew, would make the test Jeff Foldingchair, dressed in a slightly oversized suit designed for the crew doctor, was going at the request of the Space Commission, since his experience might be needed in an emergency. The fifth suit was worn by Chuck. It had come out from Earth before the Council’s decision, and was too good to waste. There was even a tiny radio in the helmet which would enable him to talk with the others wearing similar suits.

Now Captain Vance’s voice sounded in the headphones. “Still time to change your mind. Chuck.”

“No.” Out of habit, he shook his bead inside the helmet, f “I’m not going as supercargo. Anyhow, Mom didn’t like the idea of my being on the test, so I promised her I wouldn’t. She still thinks the ship may crack up, unless the test proves it to her.”

He snapped the little switch in his glove, cutting off any further conversation, and jumped off the tractor to join the crowd. People were already moving back out of the danger area.

Chuck hadn’t even wanted to watch the test, but now some of the crowd feeling seemed to reach him. The tractor went on to the ladder leading up to the ship’s air lock, and his eyes followed the four figures up and into the ship.

Another helmet touched his, and he turned to see the Governor. “Bonan matenon. Chuck. Feel better now?”

Chuck tried to grin. He still felt the same, but there was no use blaming the Governor or making him fed worse.

“I guess so,” he said. “But I’d still rather stay on the Moon.”

“U-m-m-m. Well, you know, I even sent out feelers to Earth—but they’re going ahead with plans for you. Cheer up, boy, you’ll enjoy the university life. It’s just taking a little time to get used to the idea.”

Chuck nodded again, and drew back info the crowd. The Governor had grown up when airplanes were the glamorous machines, and couldn’t know what it was like to be born with a yearning for space and other worlds.

Now the crowd was drawing back faster. Chuck found a position where a convenient rock gave him a seat, and dropped onto it. The Eros sent a tentative spurt of shooting flame from its tubes, leaping two feet off the surface. It settled back, while meters were being read and compared with expected figures. Then the floodlights bunked twice, and the crowd tensed.

This time the flames from the rockets were a deep purple that seemed to etch the ground out from under them; the sound traveled through the rocks, and set up vibrations in the soles of Chuck’s boots. The huge ship jumped from the ground like a race horse leaving the post. It leaped a hundred feet, five hundred, a mile, almost before Chuck could raise his neck to follow it.

Then it was only a hot, blue speck in the blackness of the sky. It continued for a full minute, before the flame vanished as the drive was cut. Chuck waited, knowing they were turning the ship over to blast against its direction and slow it. Finally, the blueness appeared again, but soon stopped. Now the ship would be drifting back slowly toward the Moon, while they checked the performance and again turned its rockets to point downward.

It was nearly twenty minutes before the blast shot out again, and the speck turned into a ship. Rothman’s piloting was less than Jeff’s would have been. The ship came to a halt fifty feet above the surface, and he had to take an extra blast to settle it, after the original cut-off. But it still was a good landing.

The test was obviously successful.

There was a buzz in Chuck’s ears, and he cut his radio back on, to hear Jeff’s voice. “Chuck! Stick around, will you? I’m leaving these boys to their figures, so I’ll walk back with you.”

Chuck acknowledged it, and moved as close to the ship as he could. It was nearly ten minutes before the ground had cooled enough for Jeff to come out The pilot indicated the tiny aerial on his helmet, and jabbed twice. Chuck moved his switch away from the common channel for all the suits to second position, where he could talk to Jeff in privacy.

“How’d she handle?” he asked.

“Like a dream, kid. She’s big and fat and built like a tub, but she has a lively set of heels. Now, what’s all this about your being shipped back? You’re no desk-jockey. I thought your father and I had it all fixed up for you to turn pilot!”

Chuck located a small tractor and started it toward the other crater as he tried to explain things to Jeff. The pilot

grunted in disgust at the stupidity of all men who couldn’t appreciate the lure of the rockets. But he agreed with the Governor.

“Once your permit’s lifted, you’re sunk. They’d call you| an ungrateful puppy if you appealed it; anyhow, Braithwaite has to keep them happy if we’re to get a bigger appropriation to set up a second colony. His hands are tied.”

“I know it. I’m not blaming anyone, Jeff. But it doesn’t make me any happier.”

“Nor your Dad. I guess he wanted you to go as much as you did. Your family got used to losing you for a couple years on the Mars hop, but they don’t like getting along without you for something you don’t want. Look, how about coming over to my place? I picked up a couple of mincemeat pies; they got crushed a bit, but they’re edible.”

Chuck wasn’t hungry, even for pies, but he didn’t feel like going back to his own room and moping. He nodded, and they turned toward the entrance to the bachelor quarters. Jeff’s room was filled with books and relics of the early rocket days and it was surprisingly comfortable,

Jeff sliced the pies, beginning a long story about the early trips he had made. In spite of himself. Chuck found himself listening. It was late afternoon before he finally stood up to go.

Jeff walked down the tunnel toward the Svensen apartment with him. “It’s quite a ship, that Eros,” he said suddenly. “More room. You could hide an army in the hydroponic gardens. If I were a little younger and crazier, I’d have sneaked aboard some night, like that young fool I was telling you about on our fifth trip up here. She’ll be gone about two years and it’ll be some trip. Hey!”

Chuck looked up at his shout. “What, Jeff?”

“Just hit me. You’ll probably get your permit back about the time the Eros returns. At least you can get up to see her come in.” They reached the apartment, and he turned to go. “Look me up before they ship you back, kid.”

Chuck found his family already seated at the table, discussing the new work Svensen would be doing in the high vacuum labs, now that work on the Eros was finished. But his father dropped it as he came in.