"We can tell from the meter that reads the beam current whether anything is going up the pipe," explained Channing. "But if we just build us a nice heavy duty charge--as shown by the electroscope--we'll be sure that the electrons are not going far. This is one case where no sign is good news." "I'll have one of the boys set up an electroscope in the instrument room." "Good. And now have the bird on the telescope find Venus Equilateral. Have him set the 'scope angles to the figures here and then have him contact Darlange to have the ship slued around so that Venus Equilateral is on the cross hairs. That'll put us on a line with the station. A bundle of electrons of this magnitude will make a reading on any detectors that Walt can set up." Hadley called the observation dome. "Tim," he said, giving a string of figures, "set your 'scope for these and then get Darlange to slue the crate around so that your cross hairs are on Venus Equilateral." "O.K.," answered Tim. "That's going to be a job. This business of looking through a 'scope while dressed in a spacesuit is no fun. Here goes." He called Darlange, and the communicator system permitted the men in the instrument room to hear his voice. "Dar," he said, "loop us around about forty-one degrees from driver 3." Darlange said: "Right!" and busied himself at his buttons. "Three degrees on driver 4." "Right!" "Too far, back her up a degree on 4." Darlange laughed. "What do you think these things are, blocks and tackles? You mean: 'Compensate a degree on 2.'" "You're the pilot. That's the ticket--and I don't care if you lift it on one hand. Can you nudge her just a red hair on 3?" "Best I can do is a hair and a half," said Darlange. He gave driver 3 just a tiny, instantaneous surge. "Then take it up two and back one and a half," laughed Tim. "Whoa, Nellie, you're on the beam." "Fine." "Okay, Dar, but you'll have to play monkey on a stick. I'll prime you for any moving so that you can correct immediately." "Right. Don, we're on the constants you gave us. What now?" "At this point I think a short prayer would be of assistance," said Channing soberly. "We're shooting our whole wad right now." "I hope we make our point." "Well, it's all or nothing," agreed Don as he grasped the switch. He closed the switch, and the power demand meters jumped up across their scales. The gold leaf electroscope jumped once; the ultra-thin leaves jerked apart by an inch, and then oscillated stiffly until they came to a balance. Channing, who had been looking at them, breathed deeply and smiled. "We're getting out," he said. "Can you key this?" asked Hadley.