Chapter 3

 The time piece on the wall was broken. It had to be. Wade¹ had been watching it for hours and it hardly seemed to move. The Starfrost had disappeared behind the dark side of the Moon and a press release had been duly passed on to the anxious public. The world was electrified². Man had ventured into space. The public hadn't been told that there was no communication with the Starfrost. It was better that way.

Wade fished for another cigarette as he followed the sweep second hand with his eyes. It was ironic³, in a way. Man had ventured to the Moon and could not land. He dared not. To set foot on the cold, dead satellite when there was no possible way of return would be inviting⁴ suicide. The test rocket fired at the silent world, and the Starfrost had eaten up the last of the appropriations⁵ and it would take a battery of ships to carry the supplies necessary for the building of take-off facilities.

That was what Wade wanted, an installation on the Moon before another nation could make it. It was no secret that the nation that controlled the Moon in the next war would be in the driver's seat. It would be a fortress⁶ in the sky. And it was no secret that another nation was almost ready to launch a ship. Wade wanted to get there first.

Wade could feel the sweat on his hands. They felt cold and clammy. The Starfrost should have reappeared on the radar⁷ set an hour ago. He dared not think of what would happen to Ackerson if the big blond man miscalculated while in orbit. To shoot off alone into black, empty space, hurtling out into a void of nothing, where there was only a cold, quiet death awaiting was no way for a man to die.

Damn it. Where was that silver cocoon⁸? Ackerson had to make it. Everything depended on the success of the Starfrost.

"I think I've got something," Major Gormely cried.

Wade came out of his dream world with a rush. His swift steps covered the distance to the radar set in a matter of seconds.

Gormely was bending over working with Piluis. And it was there ... a tiny speck⁹ that could only be one thing.

Wade heard himself mutter: "Thank God!"

The control room became a beehive of excitement. These men were accustomed to success in the face of overwhelming pessimism¹⁰. Yet this was almost the ultimate. They were part of a team that had projected an earthbound object into space. Now it was coming home. "Operation Boomerang" was nearing fulfilment. The long hours of sweat and worry were beginning to pay off. The cork¹¹ was ready to burst out of their bottled up emotions.

Sergeant¹² Meyers' face was beaming. He was exuberant¹³ with excitement. "I guess that calls for a drink." He took Wade by the arm. "I've been saving a quart of homemade corn for just this occasion."

Suddenly Meyers stopped. His tan face became a gray mask.

"... pardon me, Colonel ... sir!" He came to rigid¹⁴ attention.

Wade laughed heavily. "I think one drink would be in perfect order, sergeant. Where do you hide this liquid cob?"

Meyers' face became bright again. He almost tripped as he tried to salute¹⁵, about-face, and run at the same time. He was going out the door when he called back over his shoulder. "In the water closet on one of the thrones in the latrine ... Sir."

1 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

2 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

4 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

5 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

7 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

8 cocoon   

n.茧

参考例句：

• A cocoon is a kind of silk covering made by an insect.蚕茧是由昆虫制造的一种由丝组成的外包层。
• The beautiful butterfly emerged from the cocoon.美丽的蝴蝶自茧中出现。

9 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

10 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。

11 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

12 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

13 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

14 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

15 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。