 Where was the space craft heading in the end?
By H. B. FYFE [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961. The glowing semi-disk of Jupiter was more than half a million miles distant. "A little percentage here and there on the cargoes never shows by the time figures get back to Earth. Maybe they live soft back on Earth since the mines and the Jovian satellite colonies grew; but they were out here in the beginning, most of them. "You know I took this piloting job just to scrape up money for an advanced engineering degree back on Earth. It had been built for Ganymede, but not for Jeffers. Five hundred credits a week base pay, five hundred for hazardous duty. How else can you get pilots out to Jupiter?" Tolliver began to have his doubts the next day; which was "Tuesday" by the arbitrary calender constructed to match Ganymede's week-long journey around Jupiter. His contract guaranteed a pilot's rating, but someone had neglected to specify the type of craft to be piloted. On the bulletin board, Tolliver's name stood out beside the number of one of the airtight tractors used between the dome city and the spaceport, or for hauling cross-country to one of the mining domes. He soon found that there was nothing for him to do but hang around the garage in case a spaceship should land. The few runs to other domes seemed to be assigned to drivers with larger vehicles. Sometimes there's no reason but them for sending a ship back with a crew instead of in an economy orbit. Under a portable, double-chambered plastic dome blown up outside the ship's airlock, a crewman helped him load two trunks and a collection of bags into the tractor. Trying already to be just one of the gang, instead of Lady Betty! "Were they ribbing me, or is it true that none of the four of them goes back with the ship?" They found they could send back loaded ships by 'automatic' flight—that is, a long, slow, economical orbit and automatic signalling equipment. Then they're boarded approaching Earth's orbit and landed by pilots who don't have to waste their time making the entire trip." He followed the signals of a spacesuited member of the port staff and maneuvered out of the dome. Then he headed the tractor across the frozen surface of Ganymede toward the permanent domes of the city. "Any square inch of Ganymede is likely to be dangerous." In the light gravity, the tractor responded with a weird, floating lurch.
 In orbit around Ganymede
 In orbit around Ganymede  To the Space Patrol ship  To Koslow Spaceways headquarters  A 6-month journey back to Earth