Rock shook his head as if he still could not believe this. “You realize there’s a chance we might not find the Northern Cross, don’t you?” Rock warned.
Kalmus’ face grew taut. “I guess that’s the chance that all of us will have to take.”
He headed for the door. “Come with me, please.”
He led them down the long companionways to Hangar 7 on the outer rim of the station. Supplies were being loaded here through the station air lock into a globular nonatmospheric ship that was anchored by its magnetic grapples to the side of the station.
Tony Kalmus waved his hand at the activity and smiled at the surprised faces of Rock and Shep. “There’s our ship,” he told them. “Meet the Dog Star, fellows. She’s all ready to go treasure hunting!”
The little space ship Dog Star was on its way into deep space with its crew of eleven. The ex-cadets had sent messages home telling of their departure. But Kalmus had been in such a hurry to leave that they did not even have time to wait for replies. Nor had Rock had time to check on Kalmus’ references back on Earth.
Rock could appreciate the need for haste, however. Unless they left when they did, Venus would have moved out of its most favorable position, and it would have required much more expenditure of fuel to overtake her later.
It would be several weeks before the Dog Star approached the misty planet and—it was hoped—the twenty-year orbit of the ghost ship Northern Cross.
“Well, we’re on our way, fellows,” Rock remarked to his young friends who were gathered with him in the navigation room looking out one of the ports. “I wonder what the stars have in store for us?”