The boys pulled on their helmets, and the officers helped Ben get into a pressure suit. This was painful for Ben because of his swollen ankle. Then, with everyone dressed to go out onto the moon’s surface, Ben pushed the lever that opened the inner air-lock door. Once outside, they started in single file across the gangplank. Ben was in the middle and limped along slowly with his hands on the shoulders of the officer in front of him to steady himself.
On the way to the flier, they passed the smashed metal body of Katrinka. The officers looked at the strange robot with great interest, and Ben explained her to them.
“She won’t remain out here to die,” Ben said over his suit radio, as if he were talking about a human being. “When we return to the Carefree one of these days, we’ll rebuild her, and she’ll be as good as new.”
The boys were glad to hear this because now they realized that every one of their little group on the Carefree would survive the frightening adventure and that once again they would all be together, including their robot friend.
“Ben,” Patch asked, “will the Carefree ever fly again?”
“That’s up to Captain Eaton,” Ben replied. “It will take a lot of money to put her in shape again, and that includes a powerful set of rockets to lift her into space. But knowing how much the captain likes her, I believe he’ll spare no expense making her space borne again.”
Commander Staples said to Ben: “I heard you mention Captain Eaton. Our radio picked up a spacegram that was addressed to a Captain Eaton. We tape those messages routinely, and I’ll be able to give it to him when we see him.”
The Service flier was a sleek, streamlined rocket with fins that were built to support the craft in the earth’s atmosphere, if need be. She also had powerful jets for lifting her up off the surface of any of the minor planets.
Commander Staples asked the boys to point out to him on a chart the approximate location of their flier, and Garry estimated the position as accurately as he could.
Then, with everyone belted down, the flier’s rocket roared into action, and the craft lifted into the dark sky. It was a very short trip, and the ship did not have to fly too high. Commander Staples’ assistant spied the flier and pointed it out to his superior. The ship circled the area in a gradually lowering spiral and came to rest about a hundred feet from the small grounded space taxi.