"To me, too," Kent agreed. "But Liggett and I will have the suit-phones in our space-suits and can call you from there in case of need." Crain nodded, and Kent with space-suit on and transparent helmet screwed tight, stepped into the airlock with the rest. The airlock's inner door closed, the outer one opened, and as the air puffed out into space, Kent and Krell and Liggett leapt out into the void, the others following. It was no novelty to Kent to float in a space-suit in the empty void. He and the others now floated as smoothly as though under water toward a wrecked liner at the _Pallas'_ right. They reached it, pulled themselves around it, and, with feet braced against its side, propelled themselves on through space along the border of the wreck-pack. They passed a half-dozen wrecks thus, before coming to the _Martian Queen_. It was a silvery, glistening ship whose stern and lower walls were bulging and strained, but not cracked. Kent told himself that Krell had spoken truth about the exploding rocket-tubes, at least. They struck the _Martian Queen's_ side and entered the upper-airlock open for them. Once through the airlock they found themselves on the ship's upper-deck. And when Kent and Liggett removed their helmets with the others they found a full dozen men confronting them, a brutal-faced group who exhibited some surprise at sight of them. * * * * * Foremost among them stood a tall, heavy individual who regarded Kent and Liggett with the cold, suspicious eyes of an animal. "My comrade and fellow-ruler here, Wald Jandron," said Krell. To Jandron he explained rapidly. "The whole crew of the _Pallas_ is alive, and they say if they can find fuel in the wreck-pack their ship can get out of here." "Good," grunted Jandron. "The sooner they can do it, the better it will be for us." Kent saw Liggett flush angrily, but he ignored Jandron and spoke to Krell. "You said one of your passengers had escaped the explosion?" To Kent's amazement a girl stepped from behind the group of men, a slim girl with pale face and steady, dark eyes. "I'm the passenger," she told him. "My name's Marta Mallen." Kent and Liggett stared, astounded. "Good Lord!" Kent exclaimed. "A girl like you on this ship!" "Miss Mallen happened to be on the upper-deck at the time of the explosion and, so, escaped when the other passengers were killed," Krell explained smoothly. "Isn't that so, Miss Mallen?" The girl's eyes had not left Kent's, but at Krell's words she nodded. "Yes, that is so," she said mechanically. Kent collected his whirling thoughts. "But wouldn't you rather go back to the _Pallas_ with us?" he asked. "I'm sure you'd be more comfortable there." "She doesn't go," grunted Jandron. Kent turned in quick wrath toward him, but Krell intervened. "Jandron only means that Miss Mallen is much more comfortable on this passenger-ship than she'd be in your freighter." He shot a glance at the girl as he spoke, and Kent saw her wince.