“I’m not saying I believe you were responsible for the accident,” Lou said carefully. “I’m just giving you the cold facts.”
Just then over the wall speaker of their room came another appeal for a pilot to carry the doctor and his daughter, who was a nurse trainee, on the desperate mission to Luna to administer antitoxin in the sudden outbreak of contagious fever.
“There’s no one else, Lou,” Toby said. “I’m the only licensed pilot on the space station right now. You’ve got fifty hours to go yet on yours, and the express bringing other pilots from Mars won’t be in for a long time. A delay may let the fever grow into an epidemic.” Toby opened his locker and began pulling out flying gear. “I’m going to try it, Lou.”
“How are you going to get the doctor to ride with you?” Lou wanted to know.
“Just keep out of his sight until we’ve blasted off and are on our way,” Toby said. “Then he’ll have to go along.”
Lou grinned at him. “I should have guessed you’d try this, knowing how daring you are and your mania for helping people.”
The event which had been ruinous for Toby had occurred when he had been piloting a sight-seeing rocket for vacationists from Earth. It was his first big job. While they were coming into dock on the giant revolving wheel which was the space station, something had happened to the braking rockets, and the ship had collided with the hangar, injuring several people. When it was discovered that nothing was wrong with the rockets, Toby was unofficially accused of negligence pending further investigation, although his license hadn’t been taken away. If no mechanical defect should be found, Toby knew he would be suspended from space flying indefinitely, possible for life.
Toby had Lou inform the operations officer of his offer to make the flight to Luna. Then he dressed and made his way toward the inner hub of the wheel where the vast hangar was located. He walked along the narrow corridors in a jerky movement, not yet having gotten used to the artificial gravity which was created by the continual rotation of the space station. He and Lou had been on the station only a month. Many high-school students came here every summer in order to build up a flying record, thereby hastening the day when they would be full-fledged rocket pilots.
As he looked for his ship, Toby saw the investigating crew still examining the big craft in which he’d had the accident. Their significant report might come at any time. Toby had the small rocket flyer, which Lou and he were renting together, towed to the air lock. Toby wished he had time to have the ship checked, but if he waited for that, they’d lose their precious time advantage.
Toby waited, with pounding heart and idling rocket motors, for his passengers. Presently, through the side port of his pilot’s compartment, he could see the brisk strides of Dr. Shepard and his young daughter. A steward helped the two inside with their medical equipment, then waved a farewell to Toby.