* * *
The Interplanetarian arrowed swiftly starward, driving ahead with terrific momentum while the collector lens, sweeping up the oncoming radiations, charged the great banks of accumulators. The G-type star toward which they were heading was still pale, but the two brighter stars to either side blazed like fiery jewels against the black of space.
"You say we'll be only a week or so behind Manning?” asked Chambers.
Craven looked at the financier, his eyes narrowed behind the heavy lenses. He sucked in his loose lips and turned once again to the control board.
"Perhaps a little longer,” he admitted finally. “We're losing time, having to go along on momentum in order to collect power. But the nearer we get to those stars, the more power we'll have and we'll be able to move faster."
Chambers drummed idly on the arm of his chair, thinking.
"Perhaps there's time yet,” he said, half to himself. “With the power we'll have within the Solar System, we can stop Manning and the revolution. We can gain control again."
* * *
Craven was silent, watching the dials.
"Manning might even pass us on the way back to look for us,” Chambers went on. “He thinks we're still out there. He wouldn't expect to find us where we are, light years from where we started."