  “Ben!” Garry exclaimed jubilantly, rushing into the main part of the ship. “Is it really you?” “I’m not a ghost,” Ben said with a grin, “if that’s what you mean.” “How did you ever do it?” Patch asked, amazement written all over his chubby features. “I mean crash-land the Carefree.” “First tell me how the others are,” Ben asked anxiously. Garry told him that they were all right, at least for the time being. Ben was limping as he moved about. Patch asked about this, and Ben said it would come out in his story. The boys had entered into the central tunnel of the Carefree, with its webbing network, and Garry noticed that Ben had laid down metallic sheets over the webbing so that it could be more easily stood upon. Ben sat down on this and began his story. “I had made plans to remain aboard the Carefree before we even started working on the flier. When I found that the space taxi would hold only seven passengers safely, I knew someone had to stay behind. I was afraid the captain would realize that the flier would be overcrowded, but I guess he was too busy thinking about other things. The likely one to bow out was myself, because I felt that quite possibly I might be able to bring the Carefree down in one piece. I knew this region of Hornfield was full of huge dust pits that could cushion the fall of a ship if she belly-landed in one of them just right. But don’t think I wasn’t scared even thinking of trying such a thing! Don’t get me wrong, fellows—I wasn’t out to make a hero of myself!” “You must have had some control over the ship,” Garry said, “otherwise she would have crashed headlong onto the moon.” “I had some control,” Ben explained. “As soon as I released the flier from the Carefree, I started my attempt to save the ship and myself as well. I donned a pressure suit and went into the flight deck. Remember, I had gone in there before, soon after the collision. I had noticed then that most of the instrument panel had been destroyed.” “I remember too, Ben, that you helped build the Carefree,” Garry said, “so you must’ve known a lot about her.” “I tore out the cover of the console and began working in the section beneath. With tools, I was able to get the braking jets to functioning. This slowed the ship down to a slow orbit around the moon and gave me time to work on the steering controls. I couldn’t do much with them, but I was able to move the ship a little to the port or starboard side, as I wished. I knew this was as far as I could go, but with some luck I felt there was a chance of bringing her down safely.” “Why didn’t you try this before we all left the ship?” Patch wanted to know. Ben shook his head. “Risk everybody’s life on some crazy plan of my own? No, it was too farfetched in the first place, and I guess I would not even have tried it myself unless I’d had to. The flier was much the safer route to safety, and that’s why getting it to go was my first concern. With you guys out of the way, I had no one’s life to risk but my own.” “How did you manage to land as close to the flier as you did?” Garry asked. “My first thought was to land near one of the settlements, because if I did make it, then I would immediately send out a search party for the rest of you. But I knew I had to land in one of the vast dust pits on Luna, because the ship would be destroyed by friction if it skidded along the bare ground. I made one orbit of the moon as the ship slowed down more and more and lost altitude. I knew roughly in what area the flier would likely come down, and I remembered Hornfield Crater as one being full of dust pits. As the ship glided lower and lower, I figured this would be where I would try to bring her down. The pit we’re in now is a very large, long trough, maybe a quarter of a mile long and a hundred feet wide. I therefore had a pretty good chance of landing in it.” “Gee, you had a lot of nerve to try something like that!” Patch exclaimed. “I took one last look out where I hoped to come down,” Ben said, “and then went under the console into the working parts again. I cut out a few of the upper braking jets, and this caused the ship to nose down. I felt it plough into the dust as if into a big flour barrel. The ship heated up from the friction created, but it slowed her down rapidly, and she came to rest on this spot, half buried in pumice. Even so, I nearly missed the dust pit, landing only about thirty feet from the edge of it.” “Now what about Katrinka?” Garry asked. “You did send her out, didn’t you?” “Right. I sprained my ankle when the ship landed and I was thrown against some machinery. I could hardly walk, but I wanted to make contact with the rest of you if it were possible. I then figured that the old gal might be able to help me. I worked her over so that I could operate her by remote control. I also made for her a command disk, so that when she moved near one of you or the flier she would give a radio signal to me. I laid down the gangplank myself over the pit, because I knew Katrinka would sink down in the dust. It nearly killed me getting about and using a hoist to lower the gangplank to the opposite bank, but I finally managed it.” “Then you sent her out?” Patch asked. “Yes. I used a small telescope to keep track of her. I couldn’t be sure where the rest of you had come down, but my plan was to start her moving about in a gradually enlarging circle. I was hoping that some of you would see her and come over to investigate. Once you had done that, I felt sure you would have the curiosity to follow her wherever she led you. And this you two fortunately did.” “We nearly didn’t,” Patch said. “We thought Katrinka had been thrown clear of the Carefree after it had crashed and somehow had gotten accidentally activated as she had done once on the ship.” They heard a rap on the outer air-lock door. Patch and Garry exchanged bewildered glances, but Ben did not seem very surprised. “That must be the men from the settlement,” he said, limping over to the air lock and shoving the lever that opened the outer door. “I haven’t had time to tell you yet that I got through a message to them. You see, before I even thought of the trick with Katrinka, I was working on that damaged antenna dish that had prevented our sending an SOS after our collision in space. At first I didn’t have any replies, and I figured there must be interference from the Taurus Mountains beyond.” “That must be why our SOS didn’t go through!” Patch said. Ben went on: “I increased my transmitting power and finally got through. It’s been less than an hour ago that they said they would send over a Service flier rocket immediately.” The two men who entered the air lock a few moments later were Commander Staples and his lieutenant, both members of the Space Service. They had been making a routine flight over the moon when they had been contacted by the mining scientists who had picked up Ben’s SOS. The two men had arrived in a big space flier that could easily take care of Captain Eaton and the others. Ben and the boys were anxious to get started so that the long-drawn-out ordeal their friends had been undergoing could be ended as quickly as possible. Commander Staples said they could leave immediately. The boys pulled on their helmets, and the officers helped Ben get into a pressure suit. This was painful for Ben because of his swollen ankle. Then, with everyone dressed to go out onto the moon’s surface, Ben pushed the lever that opened the inner air-lock door. Once outside, they started in single file across the gangplank. Ben was in the middle and limped along slowly with his hands on the shoulders of the officer in front of him to steady himself. On the way to the flier, they passed the smashed metal body of Katrinka. The officers looked at the strange robot with great interest, and Ben explained her to them. “She won’t remain out here to die,” Ben said over his suit radio, as if he were talking about a human being. “When we return to the Carefree one of these days, we’ll rebuild her, and she’ll be as good as new.” The boys were glad to hear this because now they realized that every one of their little group on the Carefree would survive the frightening adventure and that once again they would all be together, including their robot friend. “Ben,” Patch asked, “will the Carefree ever fly again?” “That’s up to Captain Eaton,” Ben replied. “It will take a lot of money to put her in shape again, and that includes a powerful set of rockets to lift her into space. But knowing how much the captain likes her, I believe he’ll spare no expense making her space borne again.” Commander Staples said to Ben: “I heard you mention Captain Eaton. Our radio picked up a spacegram that was addressed to a Captain Eaton. We tape those messages routinely, and I’ll be able to give it to him when we see him.” The Service flier was a sleek, streamlined rocket with fins that were built to support the craft in the earth’s atmosphere, if need be. She also had powerful jets for lifting her up off the surface of any of the minor planets. Commander Staples asked the boys to point out to him on a chart the approximate location of their flier, and Garry estimated the position as accurately as he could. Then, with everyone belted down, the flier’s rocket roared into action, and the craft lifted into the dark sky. It was a very short trip, and the ship did not have to fly too high. Commander Staples’ assistant spied the flier and pointed it out to his superior. The ship circled the area in a gradually lowering spiral and came to rest about a hundred feet from the small grounded space taxi. A few moments later, Ben and the boys were hurrying across the rough ground toward the flier. Garry’s heart was pounding so hard with joy and excitement that he could hear its thumping over his helmet receiver. Those inside had evidently seen their rescuers arrive, because the outer door of the air lock was open to receive them. Garry would never forget the old captain’s happy face when he saw the three of them enter. Nor would he forget the tears glistening in the corners of Captain Eaton’s eyes as he clasped the boys to his chest in a great bear hug that nearly squeezed the life out of them. “Thank God for this great moment!” the old man said in a husky voice. “And Ben—even you, whom we had long ago given up for dead! What have I ever done to deserve a happy moment like this?” He released the boys and clasped Ben to him as if he were another lost son. Then the others came forward, their faces gleaming with the overwhelming joy they felt at seeing the lost ones returning. “Ben, you old trickster you!” Mac shouted, pounding his friend on the back. “How in the world you came out of that thing alive I’ll never know. But right now I don’t care how you did it!” “Welcome home, stranger!” Isaac said, shaking Ben’s hand vigorously as only Isaac could do. “It’s most gratifying to see you, Ben,” Mr. Klecker said in his butler’s tone of voice, which, however, did not mean that he was any less deeply moved than the others. Gino then came forward and took his turn at greeting Ben and the boys. The celebration went on for several more minutes, and the little flier was pleasantly noisy with joking and happy talk. But, finally, Commander Staples had to interrupt the celebration with a smiling, apologetic voice: “I hate to break up this little party, but we’ve got to start back to the mining settlement. You see, I’m on duty and I’ve got a busy schedule. They have accommodations for all of you at the settlement, and you can make your future plans as soon as you’ve arrived there.” The prisoners of so long a time in the cramped quarters of the flier were only too willing to get out of their prison. The commander and his assistant went back to the Service flier to get space suits for those who did not have them. After the suits had been distributed, Commander Staples gave a piece of paper to Captain Eaton. “Here’s a message for you, Sir, that our radio picked up.” He winked at the boys. “Something tells me they’ll be as interested in it as you will be.” The captain read the message and then turned to Garry and Patch with a warm expression. “Boys, it looks as though the adoption will go through as soon as we go back for a short time and make the arrangements.” “Gee, I—I don’t know what to say,” Garry murmured, almost too excited and happy for words. “It sounds too good to be true!” “They’re the best words you could have said to us, Sir,” Patch added. “Isn’t it just great, Garry!” His sparkling eyes showed how much he meant it. “It’ll be a little strange being called, ‘Father,’” the captain said, smiling, “but I think I’ll get used to it pretty quickly.” Captain Eaton stared off with a faraway look. “We’ll make up for lost time, boys. We’ll see as much of the universe as the old Carefree will carry us to. Yes, we’ll fix her up again if it takes the rest of my fortune. You’ll get your education among the stars, my sons, and you’ll be that much wiser because of it.” Garry and Patch exchanged happy glances. Garry thought they were wiser already, just from knowing the grand skipper of the Carefree. |
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