"By the way, Johnny, what're you doing out so early? Didn't expect to see you cabbies before ten." "I donno," the bronzed Ruiz replied. "Went to bed early, woke up at six and couldn't drop off again. And here I am. Carl ought to be along around nine-thirty. Thought I'd help you preflight, if you want me to." "Sure." He wanted nothing of the sort, but had the tact not to say so. Edward MacNamara was as familiar with the _Valier_ as he was with the tip of his nose. He had been on the scene when Dan Burke test-hopped the third stage, had made improvements and re-routing jobs, and had memorized every serial number of every bearing that went into _Valier_. As Flight Engineer, he was supposed to. With Johnny Ruiz helping a little and hindering a little, he finished his tour of the cargo sections and grinned his approval to a muscular loading technician. "They can button her up, sergeant. I couldn't do a better job myself." It was a compliment of the highest order, and they both knew it. Riding the tiny lift down to ground level, MacNamara stopped them every ten feet or so to circle the catwalks. He noticed Ruiz's impatience about halfway down. "No hurry, Johnny. I don't want another _Wyld_ on our hands." He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it slipped out anyway. Everyone tried to forget the _Wyld_ disaster, particularly the flight personnel. The _Wyld_, one of the first ships to be built, had made only two orbits before being destroyed. Observers stated that a cargo hatch had somehow swung open when the _Wyld_ was only a thousand feet in the air. At any rate, the pilot reported damage to one second-stage fin and tried to brake his way down. The _Wyld_ settled beautifully, tilted, then fell headlong. The resultant explosion caused such destruction that, had there not been a number of men in orbit and waiting for supplies, the project might have been halted, "temporarily." It was generally conceded that a more thorough preflight could have prevented the _Wyld's_ immolation. Ruiz was noticeably quieter during the remainder of the inspection. The external check completed, MacNamara strapped a small flashlight to his wrist and began the internal inspection, jokingly called the autopsy. * * * * *