Read "Saline Solution" by Keith Laumer online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Retief's feet sank ankle deep into the powdery surface that glinted like snow in the glare of the distant sun.
"It's funny stuff," Sam's voice sounded in his ear. "Under a gee of gravity, you'd sink out of sight. The stuff cuts diamond like butter -- but temperature changes break it down into a powder. A lot of it's used just like this, as an industrial abrasive. Easy to load, too. Just drop a suction line, put on ambient pressure and start pumping."