Space Tug

too busy to be absorbing impressions. When he landed, he was as completely exhausted as anybody

fore. It was the roaring of the motors of a multi-engined plane. He knew, without remembering the details at the moment, that he and the other three were on a plane bound across the Pacific for

e was horribly heavy or horribly weak. He couldn't tell which. And each separate muscle in his whole body ached. Twinges of pai

embered crashing into the edge of a thin jungle and finding the Chief, and the two of them searching out Haney and stumb

d the frantic diving of the other, its division into two parts, and then the tiny objects, which flew out from the smaller cabin section, which had descended as only ejection-seat parachutes c

first three of them within hours after that. They were twenty miles inland and thirty south from Goa. Mike wasn't locate

y roaring plane while blood began sluggishly to flow through his body, Joe remembered the gleeful, unoffici

had been spotted by Navy radar as they went up from the Arabian Sea. And the ships of the radar patrol couldn't do anything about the rockets,

ut there were acres of dead fish floating on the ocean where depth-bombs had hunted down and killed two shapes much too big to be fish, which didn't float when they were killed and which would never report back how

and his body had weighed half a ton. Where his safety-belt had held him, his body was one wide bruise. There'd been that killing acceleration when the ship split in two. The others-except Mike-were in as bad a case or worse. Haney and the Chief were

ces about his body were sore to the touch. It was startling how heavy his arms and legs felt, and how much of an effort even sitting erect was.

ded near the edge of a jungle. Haney landed in a canebrake. But Mike came floa

t depends on their volume. The strength of a man depends on the square of his size, but his weight on the cube. So Mike had ta

n-parachute let him down out of the sky, it deposited him gently on ploughed fields not far from a small and primitive Hindu village. He'

gers greeted hi

ed mud temple, seemingly tried to suffocate him with evidences of their pride and joy at his arrival, and dark-skinned maidens were trying hopefully to win his a

didn't want to think how little it meant, now. The silver space ship badge didn't mean a thing, any more. There weren't an

He held on to handholds as he moved. But he progressed past the bunk space. And there was Mike, sitting at a table and stuffing himself wit

alk. That wouldn't have been practical. He

eep?" as

and I think it would hurt worse to shake my head. What's the

u spent better than six weeks out of gravity, where in an average day

ut 600 years old. Somebody poked a head into view

guess you're

gy to stand up! We didn't realize it, but we were living like invalids! We'll get our strength back, but next time we'll take measures. Huh! Take a trip to M

got to be done about space shi

it. Smoking hot food. Joe looked at it and knew t

d appreciatively, a

e said, "Joe, do you know any

, I've seen it used, at my father's plant. The

dy ever made a weld

ed. Then

had trouble getting the surfaces properly cl

ly. "How much Portland cement is use

dmitted Joe. "Why? W

butter and forty-'leven necklaces around my neck and flowers in my hair! They thought I was some kind of heathen god! Hanuman, somebody told me. The Hindu monkey-god!" He raged. "And those two big apes think it's funny! Joe, I never k

slumped in a reclining chair, on the other side of the plane cabin. His eyes were closed. The Chief lay limply in another chair

ht above and farther away. Joe saw, suddenly, a peeling-off of planes from the farther formation. They dived down through the clouds.

white of the runways. He could see sea-birds in clouds over at the edge. The plane trundled and lurched slowly to a stop. A

. Joe heard voices and footsteps. Pres

ame from the east. It was first a dot and then a vague shape, and then an infinitely graceful dark object which s

ort. He climbed up the ladder and the pilot and co-pilot followed him. They took

for a moment. He came down the aisle toward J

, "The Navy Department's sent me out here, Kenmore, to be br

then lifted, and Joe saw that the island was nearly all airfield. There were a few small buildings and distan

briefing to do

them, and to admit he didn't know the answers to the rest. When he was through with this questioning, every possible useful fact he knew would be on file for future use. And now he wrily recog

n," he said cautiously. "But

pulling out the first sheaf of questions. "Officially you have

inked

ur adventures and your return. Inevitably, what happened to your ship would leak out. And if the public knew you'd been waylaid and shot down there'd be demands that the government take violen

ridden around to have ticker-tape dumped on us. Th

ve got a space fleet coming along. Intelligence just found out they're nearly ready for trial trips. They've been yelling to high heave

nconscious observation Joe might have made in space. It was the equivalent of the interview

rt your questions. I'l

Joe, at least, had slept nearly thirty of those hours. So while he was still wobb

transport. Joe got down and climbed into it. Sally Holt was inside. She took both his hands and cried, and he was horribly embarrassed when

ing. "And I'm glad you're bac

across the field, swerving to the roadway that led to the highway out of Bootstrap to the Shed. It sped out that long white concrete ribb

on, but it's good to be back! Mike's the only one who was happier out y

Mike fiercel

hief amiably. "Sall

o big to kill," he said bi

at him. "Quit bein

all but he was not puny. The "crack" of the impact was loud in the car. Haney grabbed. There was a momen

feeling his jaw. "What's the matt

as more concerned. Mik

e panted shrilly,

d be bragging, I would, if I'd got a brainstorm like

rily, between unea

your nut like this before! W

Haney and the Chief were looking at him with worried eyes.

ief sn

irlock when Sanford locked us out! Sure I kidded you about what you're talking abou

looked disgusted. He released Mike abruptly, rumbling to himself. He stared out t

"I was dumb. Only, Chief, you owe me a sock o

Sally was watc

loated down in a village over there in India, and those crazy savages'd never seen a parachute, and they began to yell and make gestures,

ent and forcible removal of his clothes so he could be greased with butter, Sally's lips began to twitch. At the picture of Mike in a red loincloth, squirming furiously while brow

'd told it on himself as a penance, in the place of the blow he'd given the Chief and which the Chief wouldn't return. To Mike it was s

were calling them names and wanting to kill them! They'd have been bragging to each other about how you were-v

to his consciousness. It hadn't occurred to Mike, before, that anybody but himself had been ridiculous. It hadn't occurred to him, until he lost

a little. It was a twisty gri

hen his grin grew a trifle twistier. "I didn't tell you that the thing that made me maddest was when

ed revolt with a club against the idea of being decked with jewelr

pped in on those crazy goofs instead of me, they'd've tho

was shame of a different sort. Now he looked as if he wished he ha

ood for me to get all worked up! I got kind of frantic. I figured someb

d Sally rep

t my brainstorm in the plane. He didn't know what I was driving at, but he said what I hoped was so. So I'm telling you-and," he added f

m. Joe asked. "W

Joe says you can make a weld with powder metallurgy. And I think we can use that trick to make one-piece

There was only a skeleton force here since the Platform had been launched three months before. There was almos

jor's office. He was waiting for them. He shook hands all around. But

be able to reach your father by long-distance telephone as soon as you finish here. I-ah-thought it woul

u, sir,"

You know that the enemies of the Platform copied our rocket fuel. You know they've made rockets with it. You've met them! And Intelligence says they're building a flee

: "How long befor

dial eyes upon him. "It

ajor's desk, which he barely topped. "The four of us have been working it out. Joe says they've done powder me

desk. Joe looked at Mike. Haney and the Chief regard

concrete, you take a cubic yard of gravel. Then you add some sand-just enough to fill in the cracks between the gravel. Then

e knew these four. "I see

at less than red heat. You can take steel filings for sand a

n. A great, dreamy light seemed to be bursting upon him. The Chief regarded Mike with very bright

Very finely powdered metal, packed tightly and heated to a relatively low temperature-"sintered" is the word-becomes a solid mass. Even alloys can be made by mixing powdered metals. The process ha

troyed. But one could take castings of it, and use them for molds, and fill them with powder and filings and turnings, and heat them not even red-hot and there would be s

"Tryin' to give us credit for that! You got more sense

ether. He said softly, "I

is eyes to Joe. "Wh

od idea but not practical. He'd mean it would be a lot of trouble to get working. But

father. If it looks promisin

r. He had had many humiliations because he was small, but lately he had humiliated himself by not believing i

osed the door of the booth, he he

w about putting that brain of yours

o get to the point, because his father insisted on asking anxiously how he was and if he was hurt in any way. Personal s

s. The situation doesn't lo

ther interrupted only to ask crisp questions about the mockup of the ten

meone away from the phone. Questions and answers

an do it if anybody can. I'm getting a plane and coming out there, fast! Get Major Holt to cle

ell Mike it's

it at first glance, but I know how to take care of one or two, and we'll lick the res

ooth. Mike looked at him with yearning eyes

hen he added untruthfully: "He said he thought he knew all the big

ied back to Major Holt as the Chief and Haney began ze

s using the desk phone. Joe waited. When he hung

be action started at the Pentagon. When you came in I was arranging with the largest producers of powder-metallurgy products in

leave. Joe gulped. "Excuse me, sir, but-my father didn't say it

Major with asperity. "It has to! This particular scheme may not work, but if it doesn't, somethin

whoopings in the corridor beyond. The Chief and Haney were celebrating Mike's brainstorm

look b

d Joe. "If it

uriously. On one side he found nothing the major could have referr

ter away and to

l right," he

en from the Kenmore Precision Tool Company instantly closeted themselves with Mike in Major Holt's quarters. The powder me

tance were being battled over with the informality and heat with which practical men get things settled. But Joe wasn't in on it. He said annoyedly, "You'd think my father'd

moon. "I thought about you all the time you were gone, and I-prayed for you, Joe. And now you're

bout you!" said

restedly, "in the world cou

wl at her. But h