The moon was full in his vision plates now. He was close enough to tune in their local telecast to the moon colonies. The machine was ticking away and Case switched it onto the pitted satellite's local beam.
They had the news all right, and they were making preparations for an attack. The fleet base was assuring all colonists that it would furnish them all possible protection.
A fat lot of good that was going to do! Case had had enough time now to think this over, and he was beginning to see the ramifications of the thing.
Someone on Earth, someone inside the Council, wanted to take over. But with Earth supervision of military manufacture so thorough, he hadn't a chance to get started. So he must have enlisted the aid of some power from outer space.
But how? And what power? And who was the traitor inside the Council?
Case wasn't going at this blindly. That first question, for instance. There had been in the last year several strange disappearances. Two space liners from Mars to Venus had utterly vanished, without a trace. Smaller ships, too, had never reported back. They had last been heard from in that same area.
But space liners just didn't vanish. They had equipment for any emergency, were able to contact Earth at a moment's notice.
A hole in the sky, observers of the flash had said. Between Mars and Venus, Cranly had told him. It was beginning to add up. It was Case Damon's job to figure the total.
Now the moon was far behind. Case looked at his watch and saw that he was making real time. Another couple of hours was all he'd need.