floated smoothly toward a rendezvous. The rockets from Earth came
ravening to destroy them at the instant of their intersection.

The little spaceship turned slowly. Its rounded bow had pointed
longingly at the stars. Now it tilted downward. Its direction of
movement did not change, of course. In the absence of air, it could
tumble indefinitely without any ill effect. It was in a trajectory
instead of on a course, though presently the trajectory would become an
orbit. But it pointed nose-down toward the Earth even as it continued to
hurtle onward.

The great steel hull and the small spaceship were 20 miles apart. An
infinitesimal radar-bowl moved on the little ship. Tight-beam waves
flickered invisibly between the two craft. The rockets raged toward
them.

The ship and the Platform were 10 miles apart. The rockets were now
glinting missiles leaping ahead of the fumes that propelled them.

The ship and the Platform were two miles apart. The rockets rushed
upward.... There were minute corrections in their courses. They
converged....

Flames leaped from the tiny ship. Its landing-rockets spouted white-hot
flame and fumes more thick and coiling than even the smoke of the bombs.
The little ship surged momentarily toward the racing monsters. And
then----

The rockets which were supposed to let the ship down to Earth flew
free--flung themselves unburdened at the rockets which came with deadly