But now, of course, the Major had to know.
The Mars Coordinator looked at the thing on the desk for a long moment before he reached out to touch it. The bright metal gleamed in the light, pale gray, lustrous. The Major picked it up, balanced it expertly in his hand, and a puzzled frown clouded his face. He examined it minutely.
"What is this thing?" he said.
"Suppose you tell us," Johnny Coombs said from across the room.
"It looks like a gun."
"That's what it is, all right."
"You've fired it?"
"Yes ... but I wouldn't fire it in here, if I were you," Johnny said. "You were wondering how we wrecked Tawney's orbit-ship so thoroughly. That's your answer right there." He told about the hole in the bulkhead, the way the ship's generators had melted like clay under the powerful blast of the weapon.
The Major could hardly control his excitement. "Where did you get it?" he asked, turning to Tom.
"From the space pack that you turned over to us. I didn't even look at it, until we needed a gun in a hurry. I just assumed it was Dad's revolver."