"Brooks! Who's he? The kid?"
"You're asking too many questions, Ferris. Brooks is young, yes, but he'll fill the position. We'll explain later. That's all."
It took a few minutes for Ferris to recover. Replacement! After six years of service at the number one fuel station between the Earth and Moon. Why, he was the only man who could handle Station 12! And Galsworth was sending Brooks, a green kid barely out of SM school. What was the guy thinking of?
Angered, Ferris got up from his stool and paced the floor. It was easy to picture Galsworth sitting at his desk. He'd be chewing a big cigar, pounding a pudgy fist into his palm, telling young Brooks that Station 12 needed a stalwart lad willing to face numerous cosmic dangers in order that commerce between the Earth and Moon would not fall below its present status. Only Galsworth would say it like that.
Well, what was wrong with the present status? Ferris had kept the company heads above water; he hadn't fallen down on the job. But they apparently weren't satisfied. Something was wrong, and it seemed that Galsworth was taking it out on Ferris.
Still perplexed, Ferris entered his living quarters and began packing. He dismissed Galsworth from his mind, wondered whether or not Brooks could meet the task of operating the station. It was a lonely job, sitting there in the cylindrical island of space, watching ships approach and pass in the cold void that housed him. Brooks would grow weary of it, just as Ferris had at first. There wasn't a more dismal existence in the solar system, but to Ferris it was home, and even the thought of that was comforting.
The sound of a hissing airlock brought Ferris to his senses. Brooks was ahead of schedule—
Ferris went back to the control room. A tall fellow stood there, his hair drooping, his space tunic ripped open at the collar. His face was stone-like.
"You aren't Brooks," said Ferris. "What do you want?"
"Fuel," the other dropped a hand to a belt holster. "I need fuel for my ship—a lot of it. And you're the only fellow in my path who's got it. Let's not waste time."