"I hope so," she said. "Rance, be careful with Krell in the wreck-pack. He's dangerous."
"I'll be watching him," he promised. "Good-by, Marta."
Kent reached the lower-deck just as Krell entered from the airlock, his swarthy face smiling as he removed his helmet. He carried a pointed steel bar. Liggett and the others were donning their suits.
"All ready to go, Kent?" Krell asked.
Kent nodded. "All ready," he said shortly. Since hearing Marta's story he found it hard to dissimulate with Krell.
"You'll want bars like mine," Krell continued, "for they're damned handy when you get jammed between wreckage masses. Exploring this wreck-pack is no soft job: I can tell you from experience."
Liggett and the rest had their suits adjusted, and with bars in their grasp, followed Krell into the airlock. Kent hung back for a last word with Crain, who, with his half-dozen remaining men, was watching.
"Marta just told me that Krell and Jandron have been plotting something," he told the captain; "so I'd keep a close watch outside."
"Don't worry, Kent. We'll let no one inside the Pallas until you and Liggett and the men get back."