not panic. All the girls went white, and one or two gave low cries of
consternation, but that was all.

"What happens next?" Analea wanted to know. "Do we blow, too?"

"Yes, as soon as the fuel-line burns up to the tanks."

"Can you land on Tareesh before then?" Dard asked.

"I can try. How about the satellite? It's closer."

"It's also airless. Look at it and see for yourself," Kalvar Dard
advised. "Not enough mass to hold an atmosphere."

Glav looked at the army officer with new respect. He had always been
inclined to think of the Frontier Guards as a gang of scientifically
illiterate dirk-and-pistol bravos. He fiddled for a while with
instruments on the panel; an automatic computer figured the distance to
the planet, the boat's velocity, and the time needed for a landing.

"We have a chance, sir," he said. "I think I can set down in about
thirty minutes; that should give us about ten minutes to get clear of
the boat, before she blows up."

"All right; get busy, girls," Kalvar Dard said. "Grab everything we'll
need. Arms and ammunition first; all of them you can find. After that,
warm clothing, bedding, tools and food."

With that, he jerked open one of the lockers and began pulling out
weapons. He buckled on a pistol and dagger, and handed other