"Ummmmh," Walters grunted. "He's the unknown quantity. Did you see that ship of his? Never saw anything more streamlined in my whole life."
"And the cadets said he stripped her of everything but the hull plates."
"It paid off for him," said Walters. "He and Charley Brett are certainly working hard to get this contract."
"There's a lot of money involved, sir," said Strong. "But in any case we're bound to get a good schedule with the speeds established so far."
"Well, advise the cadets to stand by for blast-off with the finalists tomorrow."
"Any particular ship you want them each assigned to, sir?" asked Strong.
"No, let them decide," replied Walters. "But it would be best if you could keep Manning away from Miles. That's like putting a rocket into a fire and asking it not to explode."
The two men grinned at each other and then settled down to working out the details of Strong's trip. Before the evening was over, Walters had decided, if necessary, he would follow Strong out to Titan.
In the distance, they could hear the muffled roar of rocket motors as the three finalists tuned up their ships, preparing for the greatest space race in history. And it seemed to Strong that with each blast there was a vaguely ominous echo.