"There are two kinds of selfishness that rule our lives, Bill Drake," said Gail. "One is self-preservation, which makes a man kill to defend himself. The other is race-preservation, which includes preservation of ideals and beliefs necessary for race progress. Men will die and become martyrs for that." "One kind of preservation makes you kill, another makes you get killed," I said. "It doesn't make sense." "No," said Axel. "But Gail is right. That is the way it works out. Would you call Willy Zinder a martyr?" "No," I told him. "Willy took a chance and got killed. I suppose he was a hero, though." "Willy Zinder was murdered," Axel said bluntly. "He was _what_?" "Murdered, I said. Spartan didn't intend for Willie to be killed. He only wanted Willy washed out, but he planned the accident." Gail gasped. "He wanted Gail to go to Mars," Axel added. "But I thought it was my idea," said Gail. Then she paused. "But he did fall in with the idea rather suddenly when I suggested it. Maybe he did plan it all along. But how--what makes you think it was murder?" "Spartan was the last man to inspect the controls on Willy's capsule. They had been inspected by others before him and called okay. But it would have been easy for Spartan to gimmick the re-entry controls so that Willy would return to the atmosphere ninety minutes too soon. Such an event would make it appear that Willie had become confused, or had panicked. You remember he put Gail Loring on the control board just before the accident? He wanted her to believe she'd been responsible. And for a time, she felt she had been." "But you have no real proof, Axel," said Gail. He shook his head. "I did not suspect it was anything but an accident until I learned that Spartan killed Morrie Grover and then tried to kill Bill. Also, Bill told me of that little death list Spartan had. Only then did I know that Spartan had killed Willy Zinder." "Just to get me aboard!" Gail said. Her voice was almost a whisper. "He wanted to marry you, of course, but you changed his plans. His objections to your plans would have looked suspect and he did not have unlimited power on the earth to force you into marriage against your will. Besides, the platonic marriage finally decided on did not interfere with his plan. He'd decided Bill would die before the return to earth." "He'd made such a big thing of a six-man crew so he could take you along," I told Gail. "We're doing okay now with five--" I stopped. Dr. Spartan had entered the room. He surveyed the group with angry eyes. I wondered how long he had been listening and how much he had heard. "Relieve Warner Joel in the control room, Ludson," he said. Joel had another hour to go before his relief was due, but Axel rose. "Yes, sir," he said. "Miss Loring, it is time you started preparing our next meal, isn't it?" "It's Bill Drake's turn in the galley, sir," she said.