"Well, let's get our canal-ray electrodes in place. We've got about two hours before they realize that we aren't going to come in at Mojave. Then another two hours worth of wild messages between the Relay Station and Mojave. Then we can expect someone to be on the lookout. I hope to be there when they begin to look for us. At our present velocity, we'll be flirting with the Asteroid Belt in less than nothing flat. That isn't too bad--normally--but we're running without any meteor detector and autopilot coupler. We couldn't duck anything from a robin's egg on up." "We'll get your anodes set," said Hadley. * * * * * Walt Franks grinned at Arden Channing. "That'll burn him," he assured her. "It's been on the way for about twenty minutes," laughed Arden. "I timed it to arrive at Terra at the same time the _Solar Queen_ does. They'll send out a special messenger with it, just as Don is getting aboard his little scooter. It'll be the last word, for we're not following him from Terra to here." "You know what you've started?" asked Franks. "Nothing more than a little feud between husband and self." "That's just the start. Before he gets done, Don will have every ship capable of answering back. I've found that you can catch him off base just once. He's a genius--one of those men who never make the same mistake twice. He'll never again be in a position to be on the listening end only." "Don's answer should be on the way back by now," said Arden. "Could be you're right. Something should be done." "Sure I'm right. Look at all the time that's wasted in waiting for a landing to answer 'grams. In this day and age, time is money, squared. The latter is to differentiate between this time and the first glimmering of speedy living." "Was there a first glimmering?" asked Arden sagely. "I've often thought that the speed-up was a stable acceleration from the dawn of time to the present." "All right, go technical on me," laughed Walt. "Things do move. That is, all except that message from your loving husband." "You don't suppose he's squelched?" "I doubt it. Squelching Donald Channing is a job for a superbeing. And I'm not too sure that a superbeing could squelch Don and make him stay squelched. Better check on Mojave." "Gosh, if Don missed the _Solar Queen_ and I've been shooting him all kinds of screwy 'types every hour on the hour; Walt, that'll keep him quiet for a long, long time." "He'd have let you know." "That wouldn't have been so bad. But if the big bum missed and was ashamed of it--that'll be the pay-off. Whoa, there goes the 'type!" Arden drew the tape from the machine: MESSAGE BEING HELD FOR ARRIVAL OF _SOLAR QUEEN_. Walt looked at his watch and checked the course constants of the _Solar Queen_. He called the beam-control dome and asked for the man on the _Solar Queen_ beam. "Benny," he said, "has the _Solar Queen_ arrived yet?"