"How far out is he?" asked Vidac, suddenly growing pale.

"He should arrive within four hours."

"All right," said Vidac, regaining his composure. "Give him all the
information he needs."

"What about the instrument disturbance?"

"Tell him everything."

"Yes, sir," replied the control officer, and the teleceiver screen went
blank.

Vidac got up and began to pace the floor, pondering the reasons for
Strong's sudden unannounced visit. He could be coming to check on the
Space Cadets, he thought. Or it might be a routine check of the progress
of the colony. Or he might know about the uranium. There had been an
investigation of the soil on the satellite by the original expedition.
But if they had known anything about it, reasoned Vidac, it would have
been claimed for the Solar Alliance.

No, Vidac shook his head. He's not here to investigate the uranium, he's
here either to check on the cadets or make a routine inspection of the
colony. And if it's the former, he'd give Strong enough proof to bury
the cadets on a prison rock for life.

Vidac turned to the teleceiver. "Get the spaceport," he ordered. "Tell
the spaceport officer to prepare a welcoming party to blast off in ten