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was reasonably able to Jump.
They had survived and that was a quarter-year cruise. Of course,twenty years
But that was impossible.
The signal light flashed three times before he was fully aware of it. If that was the captain coming to see
him personally, he would leave at a rather more rapid rate than he had come.
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Anton!
The voice was soft, urgent, and part of his annoyance seeped away. He allowed the door to recede into
its socket and Cheryl came in. The door closed again behind her.
She was about twenty-five, with green eyes, a firm chin, dull red hair, and a magnificent figure that did
not hide its light under a bushel.
She said, Anton. Is there something wrong?
Viluekis was not caught so entirely by surprise as to admit any such thing. Even a Fusionist knew better
than to reveal anything prematurely to a passenger. Not at all. What makes you think so?
One of the other passengers says so. A man named Martand.
Martand? What does he know about it? Then, suspiciously, And what are you doing listening to
some fool passenger? What does he look like?
Cheryl smiled wanly. Just someone who struck up a conversation in the lounge. He must be nearly sixty
years old, and quite harmless, though I imagine he would like not to be. But that's not the point. There are
no stars in view. Anyone can see that, and Martand said it was significant.
Did he? We're just passing through a cloud. There are lots of clouds in the galaxy and hyperships pass
through them all the time.
Yes, but Martand says you can usually see some stars even in a cloud.
What does he know about it? Viluekis repeated. Is he an old hand at deep space?
No-o, admitted Cheryl. Actually, it's his first trip, I think. But he seems to know a lot.
I'll bet. Listen, you go to him and tell him to shut up. He can be put in solitary for this. And don't you
repeat stories like that, either.
Cheryl put her head to one side. Frankly, Anton, you sound as though therewere trouble. This
Martand Louis Martand is his name is an interesting fellow. He's a schoolteacher eighth grade
general science.
A grade-school teacher! Good Lord, Cheryl
But you ought to listen to him. He says that teaching children is one of the few professions where you
have to know a little bit about everything because kids ask questions and can spot phonies.
Well, then, maybe your specialty should be spotting phonies, too. Now, Cheryl, you go and tell him to
shut up, or I will.
All right. But first is it true that we're going through a hydroxyl cloud and the fusion tube is shut
down?
Viluekis's mouth opened, then shut again. It was quite a while before he said, Who told you that?
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Martand. I'll go now.
No, said Viluekis sharply. Wait awhile. How many others has Martand been telling all this?
Nobody. He said he doesn't want to spread panic. I was there when he wasthinking about it, I
suppose, and I guess he couldn't resist saying something.
Does he know you know me?
Cheryl's forehead furrowed slightly. I think I mentioned something about it.
Viluekis snorted, Don't you suppose that this crazy old man you've picked up is bound to try to show
you how great he is. It's me he's trying to impress through you.
Nothing of the sort, said Cheryl. In fact, he specifically said I wasn't to tell you anything.
Knowing, of course, that you'd come to me at once.
Why should he want me to do that?
To show me up. Do you know what it's like being a Fusionist? To have everyone resenting you, against
you, because you're soneeded, because you
Cheryl said, But what's any of that got to do with it? If Martand's all wrong, how would that show you
up? And if he's right Is he right, Anton?
Well, exactly what did he say?
I'm not sure I can remember it all, of course, Cheryl said thoughtfully. It was after we came out of the
Jump, actually quite a few hours after. By that time all anyone was talking about was that there were no
stars in view. In the lounge everyone was saying there ought to be another Jump soon because what was
the good of deep-space travel without a view. Of course, we knew we had to cruise at least a day. Then
Martand came in, saw me, and came over to speak to me. I think he rather likes me.
I think I rather don't like him, said Viluekis grimly. Go on.
I said to him that it was pretty dreary without a view and he said it would stay that way for a while, and
he sounded worried. Naturally I asked why he said such a thing and he said it was because the fusion
tube had been turned off.
Who told him that? demanded Viluekis.
He said there was a low hum that you could hear in one of the men's rooms that you couldn't hear
anymore. And he said there was a place in the closet of the game room where the chess sets were kept
where the wall felt warm because of the fusion tube and that place was not warm now.
Is that all the evidence he has?
Cheryl ignored that and went on, He said there were no stars visible because we were in a dust
cloud and the fusion tubes must have stopped because there was no hydrogen to speak of in it. He said
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there probably wouldn't be enough energy to spark another Jump and that if we looked for hydrogen we
might have to cruise years to get out of the cloud.
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