"Don't bet on it. The old boys had the idea they would find intelligent life on Mars, until they got there. Then they discovered that intelligent creatures had once lived on the Red Planet. Cities, canals, and stuff. But the people who had built the cities and canals had died of starvation long before humans got to Mars. So it isn't a good bet that we shall find intelligence here." * * * * * The astronomer's face drooped a little. But not for long. "That was true of Mars," he said. "But it isn't necessarily true here. And even if Mars was dead, Venus wasn't. Nor is Earth. If there is life on two of the planets of our own solar system, there may be life on one of the planets of Vega. Why not?" he challenged. "Hey, wait a minute," Hargraves answered. "I'm not trying to start an argument." "Why not?" "If you mean why not an argument--" "I mean, why not life here?" "I don't know why not," Hargraves shrugged. "For that matter, I don't know _why_, either." He looked closely at Ron Val. "You ape! I believe you're hoping we will find life here." "Of course that's what I'm hoping," Ron Val answered quickly. "It would mean a lot to find people here. We could exchange experiences, learn a lot. I know it's probably too much to hope for." He broke off. "Jed, are we going to land here?" "Certainly we're going to land here!" Jed Hargraves said emphatically. "Why in the hell do you think we've crossed thirty light years if we don't land on a world when we find one? This is an exploring expedition--" Hargraves saw that he had no listener. Ron Val had listened only long enough to learn what he wanted to know, then had dived back to his beloved telescope to watch the world spiraling up through space toward them. That world meant a lot to Ron Val, the thrill of discovery, of exploring where a human foot had never trod in all the history of the universe. New lands in the sky! The Third Interstellar Expedition--third because two others were winging out across space, one toward Sirius, the other toward Cygnus--was approaching land! The fact also meant something to Jed Hargraves, possibly a little less than it did to Ron Val because Hargraves had more responsibilities. He was captain of the ship, commander of the expedition. It was his duty to take the ship to Vega, and to bring it safely home. Half of his task was done. Vega was bright in the sky ahead and the tough bubble of steel and quartz that was the ship was dropping down to rest on one of Vega's planets. Hargraves started to leave the nook that housed Ron Val and his telescope. The ship's loudspeaker system shouted with sudden sound. "Jed! Jed Hargraves! Come to the bridge at once." That was Red Nielson's voice. He was speaking from the control room in the nose of the ship. Nielson sounded excited. Hargraves pushed a button under the loudspeaker. The system was two-way, allowing for intercommunication. "Hargraves speaking. What's wrong?"