BACK at the healing centre, Rex waited patiently while Toby analysed samples from the dead travellers. 'Do you expect to find out what disease these people caught?' he asked, as he watched the doctor busy himself with his microscope.

'Hush a second,' muttered Toby abstractedly. 'I'm just checking - yes.' He stood up, smiling. 'I don't think we need to worry about this disease at all.'

'Why, what is it?' Rex couldn't help inquiring.

Toby was still smiling. 'What is the most likely illness you are likely to catch on Earth, Rex? It's the common cold. That's what these people had, and for some reason, they have no resistance to it.'

'The common cold?' echoed Rolto. 'Why, yes, I seem to remember a few people caught this on Mars, about two years ago. They were ill for a couple of days, but then recovered.'

‘The common cold?’ Rex wasn’t sure that he had heard correctly. ‘Could it be that dangerous?’

Toby raised his eyebrows. ‘Certainly it could, Rex. Remember that we are used to the cold virus, but people on other planets may have never encountered anything like it. Mars has been lucky, in that people are affected by the disease, but soon get over it. Of course, it was probably our fault that the infection came to this planet, but at least it means that as more people catch it here, your resistance will improve.'

'So these slave traders caught a cold, so to speak,' suggested Rex. ‘How could that happen?'

Toby shrugged. 'That's a difficult question to answer, but I would suspect that while carrying out their despicable business of collecting slaves, people in one spaceship managed to collect the cold virus as well. Once they landed on their home planet, they could well have infected other people.'

Rex pondered the implications of this. ‘So there may be other diseases out there, that we could introduce to Earth?’

Toby shook his head. ‘That’s not very likely, I’m glad to say. From what I’ve learnt about the instruments on the Tavona, and presumably on the other spaceships used here, any infection would be detected immediately. Perhaps these boys aren’t quite so careful, when they touch down on planets they don’t know.’

'If this is true,' opined Rolto, 'there may well be many spaceships going out of control in Space, as the crews succumb to this disease.'

'It would be a tragedy, if that's how things have turned out,' answered Toby. 'However, I wouldn't shed too many tears for these slave raiders. They have probably been causing all sorts of trouble to their planetary neighbours for some time. Now, they may well have turned their attention in this direction.'

'I think this matter should be discussed by the High Council,' ventured Rolto. 'Not just what has happened to these unfortunate people, but the whole question of how susceptible we Martians and Minoans are to diseases. It may be the case that we should deliberately try to become used to Earth diseases, if it makes us less vulnerable to illnesses from outer space.'

Rex couldn't resist smiling. 'Remember when you didn't want to have anything to do with Earth? Now you even want our diseases!'

Rolto looked guilty. 'Things have changed,' he said quietly.

When Rex, Toby and Rolto returned to their quarters, they found that the party from the Tavona had already returned. After a pause for refreshment, both groups then went on to the Council chamber, and presently Tiger and Toby were each describing to the Council members what they had found.

Thormin uttered a sigh of relief. 'So there seems to be no threat to Mars,' he observed. 'That is certainly good news.'

‘Or to any of us in the Solar System,’ added Vargo. ‘The people on that ship were not trying to cause harm, but were simply trying to escape.’

Tiger looked dubious. ‘In that case, why did they here? We don’t have any uninhabited planets available.’

Borron intervened. ‘I have just been discussing this point with Vargo. The raiders, if you wish to call them that, were probably passing through this system, on course for a double star system very close to our own. I don’t know what you call it, but it is visible from your Southern hemisphere –‘

‘Alpha Centauri’, suggested the Professor. ‘There are actually three stars, two about the size of our Sun, and a very dim, red one.’

‘That is the system I mean. According to our surveys, it contains two planets that are uninhabited.’ Borron looked around. ‘When we were on Krona, we discovered what seems to be the home of these people. It is quite some distance away, and it lies in exactly the opposite direction to this Alpha Centauri. For all we know, there may have been many spaceships sent out from the central planet, and in many different directions. Perhaps many of them have been destroyed in the same way.’

Tiger agreed. 'If you were to get any more crashed ships here,' he advised, 'you could cordon them off like this one, until you could confirm that the problem is the same. But I don't think you have anything to worry about.'

'With due respect, Group-Captain,' put in the Professor, 'I do feel that there is something else to worry about. For all we know, this particular variety of the common cold may have caused devastation on the raiders' home planet, and it is up to us to help out where we can.'

'I don't follow you,' replied Tiger, looking surprised. 'Surely these people are either getting wiped out, in case we can't do anything to help them, or they are still healthy, in which case we shouldn't be going anywhere near them.'

'It may not be as simple as that.' The Professor took off his glasses and wiped them on a none-too-clean handkerchief. 'Suppose, just suppose, that this illness has decimated the slave traders. What will have happened to their slaves, that is, the people they have captured in the past? These people may now need our help. I feel that we should at least investigate, and see whether we can be of any assistance.'

'That is true,' put in Thormin. 'We cannot knowingly ignore the possibility that people somewhere may be suffering. We should do what we can to help.'

‘That does make sense,’ interposed Toby. ‘Speaking as a doctor, I have to do all I can to alleviate suffering.’

'May I speak?' asked Gator.

‘Of course,’ replied Thormin, looking surprised. ‘Everyone’s opinion is valuable.’

'I would like to know something about these people, as well.’ Gator was obviously intrigued by what he had seen. ‘That spaceship has far better motive power than our own. If we could discover exactly how it worked, we could modify our own ships in the same way.'

The Professor looked interested. 'I would have thought that your ships already went fast enough for your every need.'

'There is a top speed for our spacecraft that we cannot exceed,' rejoined Vargo thoughtfully. 'If there were a way of increasing that, then this would have great benefits. There are certain plants and minerals that we need, that we cannot easily get from worlds nearby. If we had more speed, we would have less difficulty in gathering these resources.'

‘You have a working ship here now,’ pointed out Rex. ‘Is that enough, or do you need more information?’

‘More information, unfortunately.’ Gator looked across at Professor Brane. ‘Professor, you are familiar with the way our ships work?’

The Professor nodded. ‘To a large extent; though I confess I would not have been able to work everything out, without having things explained to me.’

‘I believe that the slave traders have ships with active coronas. That is how –‘

‘Of course, my dear fellow.’ The Professor obviously understood what Gator was saying, though Rex was baffled, as were the others, at least judging by their facial expressions. ‘But how have they managed that? Do they use molecular chargers in the intakes, or –‘

‘I think what you’re saying,’ interposed Tiger practically, ‘is that you can’t work everything out from this one damaged ship. You need more information, ideally something like a repair manual.’

‘A repair manual?’ Vargo had obviously never come across the term.

‘Yes – a book, instructions written down, and diagrams, showing exactly how something is put together –‘

‘Ah, yes. We have everything like that in our own workshops. Everything is printed very small, and we use a magnifying device to look at the details we want.’

‘Sounds like microfilm.’ Tiger nodded. ‘Every civilisation must have ways of storing useful information.

‘If we can learn exactly how the slave traders have built their ships, that could have great benefits.’ Gator was evidently excited at the prospect. ‘With extra velocity, we would easily be able to keep in touch with distant planets.’

'Not to mention the fact,' pointed out Tiger drily, 'that the spacecraft here would easily be able to explore regions further away than before. I'm sure that would appeal to you, Professor.'

The Professor's eyes twinkled. 'You're quite right, Group-Captain.’

Rex joined the discussion again. ‘Another possible advantage to this, is if we ever meet somebody in outer Space who is hostile. So far there has only been the civilisation who built the big white ships, along with their enemies in the smaller craft. If we had more speed, it would give us an advantage.’

‘A good point, my boy,’ agreed the Professor. ‘As everyone knows, I am not in favour of confrontation; but, should we encounter unfriendly people, it would certainly help if we could remove ourselves from their presence.’ He took off his glasses and cleaned them. ‘It does seem, to me at least, that there are good reasons for investigating planets in the region of these rather unpleasant people, as long as we can do that safely.'

Vargo looked grave. 'Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee safety in this case,' he commented. 'I would say that anyone going on such a voyage of this sort should be told that there are definite dangers.'

'We have always accepted that,' riposted Toby. 'When I look back to the first trips I made in the Professor's Spacemaster, I am quite alarmed at the risk we all took. Not that I am blaming you in any way, Professor,' he went on as the Professor's face looked somewhat nonplussed, 'but our knowledge of spacecraft technology was so far behind that of the Martians, Minoans and Lentoans, that it was hardly surprising that the ship broke up as we were coming home from that trip.'

'If it hadn't been for Vargo deciding to follow us,' Rex reminded him, we should all have been killed.'

'Exactly.' Toby smiled. 'What I'm saying is, we all know the risks, and we all accept them. I'm perfectly willing to go on such a trip. And, as I’ve already mentioned, I feel that it's my job to give medical help to anyone who needs it.'

Tiger sighed. 'Of course I'll go,' he agreed. 'How about you, Professor?'

Professor Brane chuckled. 'I could hardly refuse, after arguing for such an expedition. Also, I think that everyone knows that I am very much driven by my desire to know more.'

'Rex?' Rex jumped as Tiger spoke to him directly. 'How about you? After all, you have responsibilities now - '

'I shall come as usual, sir.' Rex responded immediately. 'Morino and I have talked about this. Borron will be away as well, of course, but she says she has accepted the way things have to be.' He smiled faintly, and then continued, 'I just feel that I should be with you all.'

'We others shall of course be happy to come with you,' interposed Vargo. 'Borron, Gator and myself took on these positions many years ago, and we shall go wherever you wish - within reason.' He gave the Professor a kindly glance. 'In the past, Professor, your sense of curiosity has sometimes been too strong.'

The Professor nodded apologetically. 'That may well have been the case. Borron, will you be able to devise a suitable course?'

'Certainly. I shall discuss this with Vargo, so that we can look at the most suitable planets. However, we shall have to wait a couple of days to depart.' Borron leafed through the file of astronomical calculations he always carried with him. 'There is a comet passing close to Mars, and it may throw off a meteor shower. It would be risky to take off under those circumstances.'

The Professor nodded. 'As always, I shall leave the details to those who are the experts. Please let us know when we can proceed.'