[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Startling Stories Summer 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I
The planet did not look promising, but they had no choice. When aship's drive blows between star-systems, it has to be fixed. If metalparts must be recast and machined, and burned-out wiring has to bepieced together and insulated by hand, the job takes literally months.And if, then, getting home is a matter of more months of journeyingwith a drive that still limps, while coughing and cutting off forseconds or until it is tinkered with—why, the traveler has to findsome way to renew his food supply.
It is for such occasions that the Interstellar Code requires all shipsto carry an emergency kit with seeds and agricultural directions.
The Danaë, therefore, limped to the nearest Sol-type star to huntfor a planet on which to plant some crops. There was Borden and hiswife, Ellen. There was Sattell, whom they would be glad to part withwhen they got home. There was Jerry, who was diffident enough to betolerable in spite of his lack of years. They were all at the forwardvision-port when they approached the only possible planet.
"It's fifty million miles out," Borden said. "A bit on the hot side.But the sun is smaller than Sol, so it may not be too bad. At leastthere are polar caps—small ones."
"No seas," Sattell said. "Pretty barren."
The others said nothing. It did not look at all encouraging.
The Danaë went in on a spiral descending orbit. Borden looked forother planets. He found a gas giant with a high-speed rotation. It wasflattened, oblate. He checked it with the two polar caps on the nearerworld and said worriedly:
"If the ecliptic's where I think it is, there'll be no seasons to speakof. I was hoping this planet was near its equinox, because the ice-capsare so nearly the same size."
Ellen said absorbedly, "I think I see a tinge of olive-green aroundthat ice-cap. The smaller one."
"Probably vegetation," agreed her husband. "But I don't see any more.The place does look to be mostly desert."
They went in closer, circling as they headed for atmosphere.
Then Jerry said diffidently: "Could that be ice, there?"
There was a white spot in the middle of the sandy-colored northernhemisphere. It was the size of a pin head to the naked eye. Bordenswung a telescope on it. They were nearly above the point now, whereday turned into night.
The sunlight fell upon the white spot at a flat angle. If the whitenesswere perpetual snow on the tops of mountains, the mountains shouldcast shadows. But Borden could not make out shadows near the white.Automatically he snapped the telecamera before he gave up the effort tounderstand the white spot.
"I doubt it's snow," he said. "I don't know what it is."
"Surely you can make a guess!" said Sattell, with that elaboratecourtesy which was getting on everyone's nerves.
"I can't," Borden said briefly.
The ship moved to the dark side of the planet, and presently plungedinto its shadow.
They went on for hours, watching for lights. There were none. When theycame out to sunlight again they had descended a long way during theirtime in the planet's night.
They could see that the surface of the planet was pure tumbled sanddunes with occasional showings of stone. They were three-quarters ofthe way around when they saw the white spot again. This time they wereno more than four or five hundred miles high. They could tell its size.
It was all of three hundred miles lo