 What was the monstrosity that Moran cut apart with his torch?
I. Moran cut apart the yard-long monstrosity with a slash of flame. Moran, naturally, did not mean to help in the carrying out of the plans which would mean his destruction one way or another. The plans were thrashed out very painstakingly, in formal conference on the space-yacht Nadine , with Moran present and allowed to take part in the discussion. From the viewpoint of the Nadine's ship's company, it was simply necessary to get rid of Moran. Now it lay astern, and Moran could see the planet that had been chosen for his marooning. Moran observed these things from the control-room of the Nadine , then approaching the world on planetary drive. Without rigid control of space-travel, any criminal anywhere could escape the consequences of any crime simply by buying a ticket to another world. Moran, at least, would be picked out as a fugitive from Coryus Three. The others were fugitives too, from some unnamed world Moran did not know. Blaster in hand, he'd made the Nadine take off from Coryus III with a trip-tape picked at random for guidance. It could have travelled at almost any speed in practically any direction for a length of time that was at least indefinite. Only people accustomed to desperate actions would have remained so calm when Moran had used desperate measures against them. Moran wondered, momentarily, what sort of world they came from and why they had revolted, and what sort of set-back to the revolt had sent the five off in what they considered a strategic retreat but their government would think defeat. Moran's own situation was perfectly clear. His victim would not be mourned by anybody, and somebody formerly in very great danger would now be safe, which was the reason for what Moran had done. But the dead man had been very important, and the fact that Moran had forced him to fight and killed him in fair combat made no difference. Moran had needed to get off-planet, and fast. But Moran had waylaid the messenger carrying the Nadine's fuel-block back to that space-yacht. He surrendered, stipulating that he wouldn't be landed back on Coryus; he still clung to hope of avoiding return—which was almost certain anyhow. The yacht descended as if in the center of a sphere in which one could see clearly nearby, less clearly at a little distance, and not at all beyond a quarter-mile or so. When the rockets went off, she lay in a burned-out hollow some three or four feet deep with a bottom of solid stone.
 A worm that had grown out of control.
 A worm that had grown out of control.  A roach that had grown out of control.  A mosquito that had grown out of control.  A beetle that had grown out of control.