Gunner Welk's towering spacesuited figure came thrusting hastily into the control-room.
"John, the compartment walls are cracking down there!” exclaimed the Mercurian. “If they—"
A thunderous explosion from below interrupted his words. Instantly, the Cauphul's acceleration decreased, the roar of its rocket-tubes sharply diminished.
"One power-chamber has exploded!” yelled an engineer's voice from the interphone.
"We're sunk!” the big Mercurian cried.
"No, Lana's coming around!” John Thorn exclaimed.
They had been rushing close to the coast of a far-flung swarm, with the pirate girl's silver ship just ahead, the League cruisers a fair distance behind, when the explosion had occurred. Now the silvery Lightning was darting back around to their side.
"I'm standing by to take you on!” Lana cried from the audio-speaker. “Hurry!"
"Break open the portside door to abandon ship!” Thorn yelled into the interphone. “Cut the tubes, Sual, and, come on!"
The Planeteers hastened down out of the control-room through the wrecked ship. The motley crew of the Cauphul, all in suits and helmets like the three comrades, had got the round door on the portside open. There was no air now in the whole ship, and its walls and beams were sagging and cracking ominously as it floated on in space under inertia.