[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Thrilling Wonder Stories June 1952.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I
There were some new faces among the crew that crowded around him ashe came up the runway into the air-lock, and the Vanguardrang with greeting: "Hi, Pete," or "Glad to see you again, CommanderEllsworth," depending upon how well they knew him. Peter felt a bitof nostalgia—but only briefly. The Vanguard had been both acomfortable and interesting berth; but in every man's life there werecrossroads, and some of them demanded that he give up one course,however pleasant, in favor of something more promising.
And some of them, like this one, took a man just across a tall fence,and let him brush occasionally against his former existence.
"How're things going?" he asked.
Toby Reed grinned. "Fine. We've still got a fine gang, Peter. We'restopping 'em all cold. We'll stop yours cold, too."
Peter felt a mild flash of professional hostility. He was no longerone of them. He had no right to the "Commander" title any more. Hewas "Ex-Commander" by proper title, if he owned any title at all. Hewas on the Other Side. And the gang that once would have turned theVanguard inside out for Peter Ellsworth were now going to turnit inside out to prove that they were smarter than Peter Ellsworth.
"Think you have anything?" asked Harry Lockwood.
Peter nodded. "Think I'd be handing it over to this gang of thieves ifI didn't?"
He felt that this was the course to take. He must be as confident asthey were. They were a smart outfit, and Peter was only one man;yet Peter knew all the tricks himself, and he doubted that they hadinvented many new ones. So unless someone had come up with about asnew a technique as could be, Peter would win. He had all the old betscovered.
Actually, Peter had been covering them for years. There's a lot of freetime in a job like Peter's former command—time to watch and thinkand plan and set down ideas. For seven years Peter Ellsworth had beenin command of the Vanguard, and in that time he had seen agood many self-guided missiles launched in the ultimate test againstthe Vanguard's highly-specialized countermeasures crew. He hadwatched them all fail. He had taken careful note of the reasons. He hadworked with the crew against them—
What better training than this for a man who wanted to build one?
Down in the torpedo-hold were three shining metal cigars. PeterEllsworth's pets. His babies. Sunk into them were all of his hopes, allhis meager finances, and all the money that everybody who was Peter'sfriend had been able to scrape up. He could not fail.
He waved to his former crew and went aloft to the pilot's bridge to seethe present commander.
"I'm Peter Ellsworth."
Commander Hogarth eyed him with interest. "You trained me a fine gang,"he said warmly.
"They were a willing bunch."
Hogarth smiled. "You're hoping, but it's no go," he said cryptically.
"H'm?"
"Ellsworth, no matter how neutral a man is he can't help being humanfirst. In some situations like this a man could count upon human natureto help him out. Not this time, Peter. Not this time. That gang belowwould like to have you back. The only way to get you back is to ruinyour chances. They'll work hard at it. As for me, I could use an Exec.Forester wants to transfer back to the heavies."
Peter shook his head. "I'm hocked up to the eyebrows," he said. "If Ifa