Produced by Greg Weeks, Joel Schlosberg, Fred Kiesche and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Text enclosed by asterisks was in bold face in the original (*bold*). The 3-dot ellipsis has been retained as in the original. Out There--the world's first space colony--adventures and dangers beyond human ken! The Planet Strappers RAYMOND Z. GALLUN *A Million Miles Beyond the Moon...* ... Nelson and Ramos sped on toward Mars in their tiny plastic-bubble spacecraft. They were on the alert--it didn't pay to take anything for granted in the Big Vacuum.... The way between the worlds was mostly empty space--except for the outlaws of the void who drifted, patiently and vengefully waiting for a victim, then struck! Nelsen and Ramos tensed--blips on the radar screen! Maybe meteors... More blips--and fist-sized chunks of rock flicked through their fragile vehicles. Air puffed out ... and Nelson and Ramos were fighting for their lives... *... A Million Miles Beyond the Moon!* THE PLANET STRAPPERS Raymond Z. Gallun PYRAMID BOOKS, 444 Madison Avenue, New York 22, New York *THE PLANET STRAPPERS,* _by Raymond Z. Gallun_ This book is fiction. No resemblance is intended between any character herein and any person (Here or Out There), living or dead; any such resemblance is purely coincidental. Published by Pyramid Books First printing: _October 1961_ _Printed in the United States of America_ I The Archer Five came in a big packing box, bound with steel ribbons and marked, _This end up--handle with care_. It was delivered at a subsidized government surplus price of fifty dollars to Hendricks' Sports and Hobbies Center, a store in Jarviston, Minnesota, that used to deal mostly in skin diving equipment, model plane kits, parts for souping up old cars, and the like. The Archer Five was a bit obsolete for the elegant U.S. Space Force boys--hence the fantastic drop in price from two thousand dollars since only last June. It was still a plenty-good piece of equipment, however; and the cost change was a real break for the Bunch. By 4:30 that bright October afternoon, those members who were attending regular astronautics classes at Jarviston Technical College had gathered at Hendricks' store. Ramos and Tiflin, two wild characters with seldom-cut hair and pipe stem pants, who didn't look as if they could be trusted with a delicate unpacking operation, broke the Archer out with a care born of love, there in Paul Hendricks' big backroom shop, while the more stolid members--and old Paul, silent in his swivel chair--watched like hawks. "So who tries it on first?" Ramos challenged. "Dumb question. You, Eileen--naturally." Most Bunches have a small, hard, ponytailed member, dungareed like the rest.