Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

page 4 ; wes, pts 22 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION knew she was basically a good ship. With minor changes, she could fly the spaceways for scores of years yet. But these minor changes would cost money. One hundred thousand solars would. put her in top shape, would give her the new pre-heating pressure- differential fuel pumps with their lack of moving parts, a factor which made present-day rockets the most efficient of all machines, pumps which would increase her exhaust velocity and enable her to carry more; would give her new brains and nerves of wiring and calculating machinery which re- duced human error to an absolute minimum; would give her the new, lighter, molar-transfer air system ; would give her, in toto, a fresh start. That was her next skipper’s worry. Garver was happy. She’d served him well; she’d gotten him home. The only thing that really fretted him was the fact that this trip was probably the Fafnir’s last also. Nobody wants to put one hundred thousand solars into a newly-purchased ship before he can get it to lift. Vanderhoff’s only customer would probably be the junk dealer. He hated to see any ship scrapped, even one which had nearly killed him. Spaceships were individuals to him; no one likes to see an old friend destroyed because he is no longer of any use. He was attached to the Fafnir, and he hated to see her go. “Did you shut her up tight?” Vanderhoff asked as Garver sat down in the easy-chair next to him. The lobby of the League club was filled with spacemen. Outside, a_ siren shrieked somewhere on the port as a ship prepared to lift. “Yeah, tight as a tank” Garver replied. “‘Winch, I hope you got all your stuff off her.” “Certainly! You think I am not on the stick?”’ “Well,” the skipper sighed, “‘that Winch asked the bartender, looks like the close of our business, then.”” He reached inside his new sport jacket and took out his wallet. ““Here’s checks for your shares, each of you.” He handed one to Winch and the other to Garver. “I hate to see you men go. You were a good crew.” He got up slowly, having a harder time with the gravity field than the younger men. “Now, I think it’ 8 time for a round of drinks— on me.’ They ordered up in the bar, and “Got any cheese?” “Sure. What kind?” “Give me a few slices of Roque- fort,’ Winch told him. Garver recoiled. “Great Space, man, you must like living alone.” “Oh, it ain’t for me,’ Winch grinned back. “It’s for Cosmo. He loves the awful stuff.’ He put the cat up on the bar. Cosmo promptly lay down, looking very disgusted. “He doesn’t like the. gravity. Free fall: suits him better,’- Winch pointed out. “He’s liable to kick off if I don’t get him back in free fall soon.” ‘Are you shipping right out again?” Vanderhoff asked as the bartender brought the drinks and the cheese. “Yeah,” Astrabadi replied, breaking the cheese into small bits at arm’s length and putting it in an ashtray for Cosmo to eat. “I went on the League book yesterday. Today I am told I have a job, shuttle service to Asgard and- back. All there was. Electron pusher on a stinking row- boat,” he snorted. “‘Well, at least Cosmo and I'll be back in space—off and on.” “Great!” sarcastically. Winch shrugged. “It’s a job. Sooner or later some deep space dovar man is going to kick off, and I'll get his couch. I want to go back to New Dallas some day! Fine place! Great Vanderhoff exploded COMEIOONKS com