Vidac. Strong had heard the name before and associated it with something
unpleasant. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, since he had
never met the man. Certainly there was nothing illegal about him. His
record had been carefully checked, or he would never have been put in
the position of trust he held now. Still there was a persistent notion
in Strong's head that something was wrong.

The young captain turned and walked the deck of the huge empty ship,
still deep in thought. He considered the fact that no reports had come
through to the Academy from the colony at all. Not merely from the Space
Cadets, but from the expedition itself. Only the sketchiest details had
been audioed back during the trip and absolutely nothing since their
scheduled arrival on the satellite. A sudden cold wave of fear gripped
the space officer. He wondered if they had arrived safely!

He shook off the horrible thought. There must be a simple, logical
explanation for it all. Establishing a star colony was no easy matter.
Communications could be easily disrupted for any number of reasons.

Strong forced himself to forget it. It was still a long way to the
satellite and there was no point in worrying about a fact until it was
established to be a fact. He stretched out on a bunk and moments later
was asleep, while the giant ship hurtled through the dark void toward
its destination with a thousand electronic hands and eyes to guide it
safely across the immense gulf of space.

[Illustration]