"What's wrong?" he inquired of the doctor, who explained as much as he knew, which was little.
"Of course," said Lorre. "I might have known." Then, "Hammond!"
"Yes?"
"Decelerate immediately. We must return to Earth as soon as possible."
"But the moon?"
"The moon is comparatively unimportant now. Besides, I can tell you exactly what we would find there. I'll explain everything as we go back. Start the generators. We must accumulate power to penetrate the H-layer on our return."
Lorre being the leader, the pilot adjusted the jets to turn.
"Now, would you explain this rather—er—abrupt alteration in our plans, Dr. Lorre?"
"Certainly. Call the rest of the men back."
Hammond did so. The mechanic appeared undisturbed; he wasn't even curious. The bio-chemist and the metallurgist were greatly interested; the doctor wondered whether the success of the polari-neutralizer had shaken the sanity of its inventor.