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one.”
    “ Magellan ,” was Pavel’s only reply.
    #
    Lisa observed that docking with a non-rotating structure in space is child’s play compared to the maneuvers required to approach any of the rotating stations. The only maneuver came at the last moment as the dumbbell shaped ferry slewed sideways to present its dorsal airlock to the large airlock at the habitat module’s “equator.” Their arrival was announced by a series of thunks as the station grappled them in.
    There followed a general popping of ears as the orbital craft’s pilot bled his atmosphere down to match that of the 40-year-old habitat. Lisa Arden and Dieter Pavel made their way with their luggage to the airlock antechamber. They hung back until the round hatch swung inward. Beyond was a short tunnel filled with equipment and truncated by a lighted circle some four meters away. Lisa caught a glimpse of someone’s lower torso and legs for a moment before Dieter Pavel cut off her view as he pulled himself forward and disappeared headfirst into the tunnel.
    She waited for Pavel to clear and then followed him. She found a welcoming committee at the other end of the tube. There were two of them. The older was a bald man of about fifty whose lack of hair extended even to his eyebrows.
    “Greetings, new fish!” he boomed out. “Welcome to PoleStar. My name is Hancock Mueller, Station Commander. I am your host, so if you want for anything, give my office a call and we will see if we can accommodate you. Please be patient with us. We do not usually get visitors in this orbit. Between you and the survey ship, we are a little overwhelmed just now.”
    Mueller “swam” to where Pavel clung to a guide rope and thrust out a bony hand. “You must be the Coordinator’s representative.”
    “Dieter Pavel,” Pavel said. “Good to meet you, Commander. I take it that you received Coordinator Halstrom’s message concerning me. I’ll need an office and full access to all data.”
    “An office we can arrange. This old bucket has cubic to spare. As for the data, you will have to handle that with Magellan ’s chief scientist.”
    “Then please show me where I can find him. I am anxious to get started.”
    “Very well. Give your bag to young Adams here. He will take you to Professor Bendagar and then get you settled. The accommodations aren’t the best, I am afraid, but then we’ve had only forty-eight hours to get this show organized.”
    “I am sure the accommodations will be acceptable.”
    Mueller’s companion floated forward, took Pavel’s kit bag, and disappeared with him into the corridor beyond. Mueller turned to Lisa.
    “You must be Miss Arden.”
    She nodded.
    “They didn’t tell me you were such a looker. You will brighten things up around here. I cannot tell you how tired we get of seeing the same old faces in this out-of-the-way orbit. Here, let me have your bag.
    I’ll take you to your quarters.” The bald man turned in preparation to leave. Before he could plant his boots on the nearby bulkhead, however, Lisa asked, “Would you mind telling me what is going on around here?”
    Mueller halted in midair and turned back. “You have an appointment with Professor Bendagar at ten hundred after he finishes up with Pavel. I expect he will tell you what you need to know then. Besides, who am I to spoil the surprise?” With that, he was gone down a curved corridor, leaving behind only a bass chuckle.
    #
    Raoul Bendagar had watched the arrival of the ferry with mixed emotions - defined in this case as observing your mother-in-law fly into a cliff in your brand new sportster. On the one hand, Mercanter’s Wind was bringing the reinforcements he had requested to beef up his research team. On the other, he would have preferred to pick his own people from the staff of High Station. It had been made very clear to him that any additional scientific personnel required would be recruited on Earth, regardless of his personal wishes. Nor was that the