"Send this. Quick! To the New York Tele-news office. Tell them what's happened. Tell them to do something!"
He waited for what seemed hours.
The man returned, sent the other guard away, shoved a printed message through the bars.
Rusty read with outward calm. His heart fell within him.
"Carter legally convicted attempted robbery, murder. Appealed to President, no avail. Nothing we can do. He was a good Tele-news man. Sorry."
He sank down to the bunk, the paper falling from his fingers.
Absently he heard the sound of marching feet in the corridor outside, looked up blankly, saw uniformed men before his cell.
The door opened and he was led out.
Rusty shook hands with the guard, was marched down the hall to the stern of the ship. It didn't matter now.
The older method of execution had been repealed, Rusty remembered idly. Instead of merely dropping the man out of the space lock, he was now placed in a disintegration chamber.