"Nonsense. They said that about the first fission bomb." "And they were nine-tenths right, as you'll admit if you remember the history of the Atomic War. But this may be far worse. Look, let's figure it out. Remember what those bombs did to the cities of Earth. Well, they were loaded with Plutonium, the stuff we now use for rocket fuel. "But Plutonium furnishes just enough power to lift a ship, its pilot, one or two passengers, and a few pounds of pay load from Venus or Mars to the Earth. A ship escaping from the stronger gravity of Earth can only limp as far as Moon Station without refueling. Do you follow me?" "So far." Frank finished his traskette and motioned the waiter to bring more. "Go on." "So if somebody has built a ship ten or fifteen times larger and faster than ours, it means...?" "... that he has found out how to destroy atomic nuclei instead of merely splitting them by stripping off the electrons. In other words, he is possessed of a source of practically limitless power." "Right." She patted his hand. "And now we come to the 64-credit question: Who is that somebody?" "Well, he couldn't be a good citizen of United Stars. In that case he would have turned over his discovery to the Commonwealth at once. It's too hot for one man to handle." "So he must be either an Incor or a Big Shot! Please pass those credits, Frank." "Not yet, my pet. He must be a Big Shot, and only a Big Shot. No Incor could get his hands on enough fissionable material to conduct the necessary research. Only the Big Shots could do that." "The credits are yours. Now ... what can we do about it?" Frank twirled his empty glass and stared out at the lights of rainswept Venusport. He was fond of the little place and the thought that it stood in the shadow of disaster made him feel ill. When he and Sadie had helped the Underground to take over the town five years before, it had been a dripping pesthole where arriving Incors were robbed of credits and equipment, then shipped off to virtual slavery in Big Shot uranium mines. Now it was a U.S. outpost, clean, rebuilt and thriving. * * * * * Adventurous youths who elected to leave the well-ordered societies of Earth or Mars to sow their wild oats under conditions of untrammelled freedom on Venus were well protected while passing through the port. Even criminals and other anti-social exiles were entitled to a stiff S. P. indoctrination course in the weird geography and topsy-turvy customs of their new planet. One and all were guaranteed free return trips to their homes whenever they gave proof that they had reformed. "I suppose this means another war," Frank said at last. "And if it comes it really will smash everything beyond repair." "Maybe not." Sadie thrust out her dimpled chin. "You mean the Big Shots will give up their discovery without a battle?" "Not a chance." "If I know them, they'll try to use it to set up a tri-planetary dictatorship."