Another passenger had told Andrea somewhat more—that the Varra, even before space travel, were not unknown to science. Charles Fort had been one of the first to collect data about them—inexplicable balls of fire appearing on Earth, with their life-forces warped and harmed by the Heaviside Layer, moving at random out of their native element. Two hours after crossing the Lunar Line Andrea slipped noiselessly into the radio room. The long space trip had told on her; like all the others, she was conscious of exhaustion and mental drain. Glancing at her chronometer, she realized that in a few minutes Saul would make contact with the _Maid_. She clicked off the power in her Helmet. She wanted no Varra spying on her now. The radio operator did not turn. He had not seen her or heard her silent approach. Andrea’s hand poised over an intricate array of wires and tore the cables free. A lance of cold fire plunged into her brain. It was too quick for pain. Her terrified thought, _The Plutonians!_ was cut off instantly. Her mind drowned, as in dark water, chill and horrible. The radio operator whirled, startled, at the thud of Andrea’s falling body. CHAPTER THREE Destination—Death! “CQX! CQX! Calling _Maid of Mercury_!” Saul Duncan looked up from the mike. “No answer. Their radio’s dead.” “Your wife did her job,” Olcott grunted, fingering his mustache. He had regained his usual impassivity, though Hartman, in the background, had not. The scientist, without his daily quart of _khlar_, was a nervous wreck, puffing cigarette after cigarette in a vain attempt to calm himself. “There she is.” Duncan nodded at the visiplate, where the bulk of the _Maid_ lay, occulting stars. “We’ll use visual signals. First, though, we’ll have to—” His fingers moved swiftly. A four-inch blaster cannon sent its bolt of electronic energy ravening through space, across the _Maid’s_ bow. Lights on the cruiser’s hull blinked into rainbow colors. Paralleling the _Maid_, steadily drawing closer, the smaller ship kept on its course. Duncan said, “They noticed that. They’ll be watching the visiplate—” “What are you telling them?” “To send over the radium, or we’ll blast ’em to hell.” “Good!” But Duncan’s lips were tight. He was bluffing, of course. Blasting an unarmed ship full of passengers—well, if it came to a showdown, he could not do it, even if Andrea had not been on board. However, the _Maid’s_ captain couldn’t know that. He wouldn’t dare take the risk. Answering lights flashed on the larger ship’s hull. Duncan read them aloud with the ease of long practice. “No radium aboard. Is this a joke?” “Send another blast,” Olcott suggested.