Read Online Rocket from Infinity by Lester del Rey - Free Book Online

tea. What’s so tremendous about that?”
    â€œPete tells me you had an accident, dear.”
    â€œI hit a ship in the Badlands.”
    The sensational aspects of this statement escaped Rachel completely. Her mind was elsewhere. “Wasn’t it nice to have a strong man come to your rescue?”
    Jane’s eyes narrowed. Pete, watching her, admired the willpower she displayed by not only holding her temper but smiling and replying sweetly, “Yes, Mother—very nice.” Then Jane turned her eyes on Pete, the smile remaining. “You’re probably beginning to understand why we don’t have much company on the Snapdragon.”
    Completely bemused by the Barrys, Pete sipped his tea and wondered what would happen next. His cup empty, he said, “I’ve got to hurry along. It’s been great and I wish I could stay longer, but it’s getting late.”
    â€œDo come again,” Rachel said. Her motherly smile radiated out to include Pete in the family group. “Jane,” she said, “Pete has invited us to moor the Snapdragon on Juno.”
    Jane’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her mother.
    â€œHe— what?”
    â€œHe invited us to moor on Juno. He even volunteered to help us move the ship.”
    Jane turned her gaze on Pete, but he dropped his eyes. “I do have to go,” he murmured.
    â€œI’ll open the lock for you,” Jane said grimly.
    â€œGoodbye, Pete,” Rachel smiled placidly. “It’s been so nice having you.”
    The younger pair had already left in search of Omaha, and Rachel departed also. Jane went to the lock, checked the air gauge, and opened it. She turned and faced Pete.
    â€œWhat really happened?”
    Pete did a pretty good job of looking innocent. “Why, it was like your Mother said—”
    â€œIt was not! Quit trying to be a gentleman. It doesn’t look good on you. She asked to go to Juno and she asked you to help us. Isn’t that right?”
    â€œWell—”
    â€œTell the truth.”
    Pete’s anger flared. He was the victim of this conspiracy. He’d done the decent thing for Rachel Barry and now her daughter was blaming him for it.
    â€œAll right. We’ll forget the whole thing,” Pete said. “It will be a great relief to me not to have to ask Dad about the Snapdragon mooring on Juno. Tell your mother I changed my mind on both counts.”
    Jane’s snapping black eyes glittered dangerously. “We’ve got a perfect legal right to moor on Juno. You didn’t stake claims on the whole surface.”
    In truth, the Masons had staked only one small claim on their home asteroid. Their rights were of a somewhat different nature.
    â€œWe have possessor’s rights to that asteroid, and you know it.”
    â€œThere’s nothing in the law about possessors. They don’t legally exist.”
    â€œEverybody in the Belt recognizes them. The miner who settles a planetoid and puts up a dwelling place has total rights.”
    â€œAll right. Then why isn’t it the same on Parma? Miners live there and don’t claim they own the whole asteroid.”
    â€œParma is a community planetoid—the biggest in the section, as you well know.”
    â€œAnd Juno is the third biggest. There’s no reason why you Masons should have the whole thing.”
    â€œIf that’s the way you feel about it, why did your mother ask permission? Why didn’t she just moor on it?”
    Quite suddenly—without a moment’s warning—Jane burst into tears. This, at best, was a foolish thing to do in the cruel atmosphere—or, rather, lack of atmosphere in the Belt. The heating equipment used outside sheltered areas was constructed to hold against the merciless cold, but tears froze instantly.
    Appalled, Pete exclaimed, “Stop it! Do you want to blind yourself?”
    Acting on instinct, he seized Jane by the arm, opened the