Archer could feel a slight vibration through the hull as Stokely changed his position, then spoke again:
"Seems to be in working order. The lock is evacuating. But it's going to be a squeeze for the four of us."
"Better go in two at a time. You and Archer first. And keep your suits operating, even if the air reads all right—there just might be some fancy bacteria floating around."
That was another grim possibility not unknown in space annals. Bacteria could mutate rapidly and strangely under extra-planetary conditions. On two or three occasions, "fancy" ones had nearly wiped out orbital laboratories devoted to bacteriological research.
If such were the case here, it was all the more important to see what could be done to avoid tainting the atmosphere of an inhabited planet.
In the air lock, the pressure balanced quickly with that of the interior, and the tension eased on the fabric of their suits. Stokely pushed the inner hatch open and they entered with guns drawn. The beams of their flashlights swept the chamber quickly, then more slowly.
There were only the bunks, storage lockers, air-processing equipment, and gyro-stabilizer unit to be expected amidships of such a craft. Stokely placed a hand on the stabilizer housing for a moment, then nodded. They had already judged from the ship's behavior that it must be functioning.
"Nothing out of the way here," reported Stokely in a low voice.
"Stay together, and look at the control room first," Captain Rogan ordered.