Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 118: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“And they’ve knocked off four planets right here,” said Brent coldly, “through a matter-transmitter that must be on Khem IV. They can bribe with the loot of worlds—l wonder how many other places they raid from?” The whole concept was overwhelming in its destructive potentialities. Brent saw red. But then the woman in the kitchen lifted her child down from its stool. She wiped off its face saying bitterly: “At least they ought to let the cooks back!” She led the child out of the kitchen. Brent said curtly: “Let’s go!” His personal affairs, and even the. situation on the Delilah faded into insignificance beside the situation only the three of them on the Deli/ah fully recognized. If this scheme succeeded, civilization—in terms of freedom for men —would be chipped away and chipped away until only an empire swollen with loot and armed past resistance would be left... . The two of them got into the tiny airlock that was the egress from the kitchen into the crew’s part of the ship. And suddenly Brent’s thoughts drew back from the immensities of galactic dangers, and he was acutely conscious of the fact that Kit was pressing close beside him. He knew that she looked up at his face in the tiny cubicle. And he realized with unfeigned astonishment that even with so much more important matters in hand he wanted very badly to kiss her then and there. But he didn’t. Instead, he opened the airlock’s outer door. Then they were in that unearthly area of metal balloons held in place by spidery girders, and dim lights, and danger. Brent led the way. Abruptly, he stopped and sprinted out the way to climb across the girders. Kit followed him without fear. There were many small sounds here: the dynamo whine, and the airplant noises, and now and again faint clickings of relays. CORniclooo SS CO