Sally. "He lost by it as well as you. Didn't you say he's on his way here now?"
"Yes; and I don't know, Miss Sally."
Old Simeon regained his elastic good humor. "Just pure spite, my dear," he chuckled. "He found out he'd made a foolish bargain, and he took it out on the captain. After all, losing a hundred thousand in salvage would—"
A new voice sounded in the room.
"By this time, Mr. Kenton, you ought to realize I do nothing out of spite."
They all whirled. The door had opened silently.
"Kerry . . . Mr. Dale!" gasped Sally, surprised at the way her heart thumped. "When . . . when did you arrive?"
He looked leaner and fitter even than that single time she had seen him before. Space life agreed with him. He carried himself easily and there was a sureness about his movements and speech.
"About five minutes ago. I took an aerocab to beat the news. And just stick to Kerry. I like that better from your lips . . . Sally."
Simeon glared at him. "Har-rumph! You have a nerve coming to me after the dirty trick you played."
Kerry became curiously humble. "That's why I came, Mr. Kenton. I felt . . . uh . . . under the circumstances it was no more than right that I make you a proposition."
"I'm not interested in your propositions, dingblast you!"
"Wait till you hear it. I'm willing to give you half of my assigned rights in the asteroid provided you pay me the full salvage on the Flying Meteor."
Old Simeon chuckled. He was in high good humor. "You're slipping, son. I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were a young man who knew his way about." He shook his head sadly.
Kerry pretended surprise. "I don't understand, sir. Half of that assignment is worth—"
"Exactly nothing. No, son. You were too smart for your own good. You dropped the salvage money and I'm going to hold you to it. A contract is a contract."
"That's your final word?"
"Absolutely. Business is business."
"Good!" Kerry's countenance cleared. "I confess I did feel a I little conscience-stricken, but you yourself tell me business is business."
"What do you mean?"
Kerry grinned. "Captain Ball may remember I checked the elements of that little asteroid before I offered to waive the salvage."
"Come to the point."
"The point is simple. Asteroid X is not, as everyone hastily assumed, a member of the Asteroid Belt. It's really a Trojan asteroid, though an unusual one. For, while it fulfills the classic conditions of the Trojan group in that it moves along a stable orbit which is equidistant from both Jupiter and the sun, it lies apart from the ones we have hitherto known—such as Hector,Nestor, Achilles, Agamemnon and the rest. In fact, it swings altogether on the opposite apex of the given equilateral triangle."
"What the ding-ding difference does it make what group it belongs to?" said Simeon impatiently. "An asteroid is an asteroid."
"In one sense, yes; in another, no. The regular asteroids make up an independent system. The Trojans depend wholly on Jupiter. The Trojans, Jupiter and the sun all together give one of the known special solutions of the three-body problem. The Trojans, in effect, are satellites of Jupiter. Their orbits would go haywire if Jupiter's influence were ever removed. And that means, my dear sir, that the regional office having jurisdiction over Asteroid X is not Planets, on Ceres, as all of you thought—including Foote and his pirates—but Ganymede City, which assumes charge of the Jovian System."
They all spoke at once. Sally cried: "I see it all now." Horn puffed like an ancient engine. Ball said "Damn!" with concentrated intensity. And Simeon roared: "That's why you dragged my ship all the way to Ganymede, you young snapperwhipper! So you could file that claim you swornhoggled me out of."
"I offered to split with you at bargain rates," Kerry said calmly. "You refused the offer."
"He's right," exclaimed Sally. "You did yourself out of a good thing by being too suspicious."
Simeon glared at her; glared at Kerry. Then
"Yes; and I don't know, Miss Sally."
Old Simeon regained his elastic good humor. "Just pure spite, my dear," he chuckled. "He found out he'd made a foolish bargain, and he took it out on the captain. After all, losing a hundred thousand in salvage would—"
A new voice sounded in the room.
"By this time, Mr. Kenton, you ought to realize I do nothing out of spite."
They all whirled. The door had opened silently.
"Kerry . . . Mr. Dale!" gasped Sally, surprised at the way her heart thumped. "When . . . when did you arrive?"
He looked leaner and fitter even than that single time she had seen him before. Space life agreed with him. He carried himself easily and there was a sureness about his movements and speech.
"About five minutes ago. I took an aerocab to beat the news. And just stick to Kerry. I like that better from your lips . . . Sally."
Simeon glared at him. "Har-rumph! You have a nerve coming to me after the dirty trick you played."
Kerry became curiously humble. "That's why I came, Mr. Kenton. I felt . . . uh . . . under the circumstances it was no more than right that I make you a proposition."
"I'm not interested in your propositions, dingblast you!"
"Wait till you hear it. I'm willing to give you half of my assigned rights in the asteroid provided you pay me the full salvage on the Flying Meteor."
Old Simeon chuckled. He was in high good humor. "You're slipping, son. I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were a young man who knew his way about." He shook his head sadly.
Kerry pretended surprise. "I don't understand, sir. Half of that assignment is worth—"
"Exactly nothing. No, son. You were too smart for your own good. You dropped the salvage money and I'm going to hold you to it. A contract is a contract."
"That's your final word?"
"Absolutely. Business is business."
"Good!" Kerry's countenance cleared. "I confess I did feel a I little conscience-stricken, but you yourself tell me business is business."
"What do you mean?"
Kerry grinned. "Captain Ball may remember I checked the elements of that little asteroid before I offered to waive the salvage."
"Come to the point."
"The point is simple. Asteroid X is not, as everyone hastily assumed, a member of the Asteroid Belt. It's really a Trojan asteroid, though an unusual one. For, while it fulfills the classic conditions of the Trojan group in that it moves along a stable orbit which is equidistant from both Jupiter and the sun, it lies apart from the ones we have hitherto known—such as Hector,Nestor, Achilles, Agamemnon and the rest. In fact, it swings altogether on the opposite apex of the given equilateral triangle."
"What the ding-ding difference does it make what group it belongs to?" said Simeon impatiently. "An asteroid is an asteroid."
"In one sense, yes; in another, no. The regular asteroids make up an independent system. The Trojans depend wholly on Jupiter. The Trojans, Jupiter and the sun all together give one of the known special solutions of the three-body problem. The Trojans, in effect, are satellites of Jupiter. Their orbits would go haywire if Jupiter's influence were ever removed. And that means, my dear sir, that the regional office having jurisdiction over Asteroid X is not Planets, on Ceres, as all of you thought—including Foote and his pirates—but Ganymede City, which assumes charge of the Jovian System."
They all spoke at once. Sally cried: "I see it all now." Horn puffed like an ancient engine. Ball said "Damn!" with concentrated intensity. And Simeon roared: "That's why you dragged my ship all the way to Ganymede, you young snapperwhipper! So you could file that claim you swornhoggled me out of."
"I offered to split with you at bargain rates," Kerry said calmly. "You refused the offer."
"He's right," exclaimed Sally. "You did yourself out of a good thing by being too suspicious."
Simeon glared at her; glared at Kerry. Then
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