I had turned to look back at the _Planetara_. She lay broken, wedged between spires of upstanding rock. A few of her lights still gleamed. The end of the _Planetara_! The three grotesque figures of Anita, Venza and Snap had started off. Hunchback figures with the tanks mounted on their shoulders. I bounded and caught them. I touched Snap. We made audiphone contact. "Which way do you think?" I demanded. "I think this way, down the ramp. Away from Archimedes, toward the mountains. It shouldn't be too far." "You run with Venza. I'll hold Anita." He nodded. "But we must keep together, Gregg." We could soon run freely. Down the ramp, out over the tumbled plain. Bounding, grotesque leaping strides. The girls were more agile, more skilful. They were soon leading us. The Earth-shadows of their figures leaped beside them. The _Planetara_ faded into the distance behind us. Archimedes stood back there. Ahead, the mountains came closer. An hour perhaps. I lost count of time. Occasionally we stopped to rest. Were we going toward the Grantline camp? Would they see our tiny waving headlights? Another interval. Then far ahead of us on the ragged plain, lights showed! Moving tiny spots of light! Headlights on helmeted figures! We ran, monstrously leaping. A group of figures were off there. Grantline's party? Snap gripped me. "Grantline! We're safe, Gregg! Safe!" * * * * * He took his bulb-light from his helmet: we stood in a group while he waved it. A semaphore signal. "_Grantline?_" And the answer came. "_Yes. You, Dean?_" Their personal code. No doubt of this--it was Grantline, who had seen the _Planetara_ fall and had come to help us. I stood then with my hand holding Anita. And I whispered, "It's Grantline! We're safe, Anita, my darling!" Death had been so close! Those horrible last minutes on the _Planetara_ had shocked us, marked us. We stood trembling. And Grantline and his men came bounding up. A helmeted figure touched me. I saw through the helmet-pane the visage of a stern-faced, square-jawed, youngish man. "Grantline? Johnny Grantline?" "Yes," said his voice at my ear-grid. "I'm Grantline. You're Haljan? Gregg Haljan?" They crowded around us. Gripped us to hear our explanations. Brigands! It was amazing to Johnny Grantline. But the menace was over now, over as soon as Grantline had realized its existence. As though the wreck of the _Planetara_ were foreordained by an all-wise Providence, the brigands' adventure had come to tragedy. We stood for a time discussing it. Then I drew apart, leaving Snap with Grantline. And Anita joined me. I held her arm so that we had audiphone contact. "Anita, mine." "Gregg, dear one." Murmured nothings which mean so much to lovers! * * * * *