single hope
of surviving such a journey in cold sleep, the secret of which had
been lost. At least, Raf thought, they had escaped the actual
discomfort of the voyage.

Had they found their new world or worlds? The end of their ventures
had been debated thousands of times since those documents had been
made public, after the downfall of Pax and the coming into power of
the Federation of Free Men.

In fact it was the publication of the papers which had given the
additional spur to the building of the _RS_ armada. What man had dared
once he could dare anew. And the pursuit of knowledge which had been
so long forbidden under Pax was heady excitement for the world.
Research and discovery became feverish avenues of endeavor. Even the
slim hope of a successful star voyage and the return to Terra with
such rich spoils of information was enough to harness three quarters
of the planet's energy for close to a hundred years. And if the _RS
10_ was not successful, there would be _11_, _12_, more--flaming into
the sky and out into the void, unless some newer and more intriguing
experiment developed to center public imagination in another
direction.

Raf's eyes closed wearily. Soon the gong would sound and this period
of rest would be officially ended. But it was hardly worth rising. He
was not in the least hungry for the concentrated food. He could repeat
the information tapes they carried dull word for dull word.

"Nothing to see--nothing but these blasted walls!" Again Wonstead's
voice arose in querulous protest.

Yes, while in overdrive there was nothing to see. The ports of the
ship would be sealed until they were in normal space once more. That
is, if it worked and they were not caught up forever within this thick
trap where there was no time, light, or distance.

The gong sounded, but Raf made no move to rise. He heard Wonstead
move, saw from the corner of his eye the other's bulk heave up
obediently from the pad.

"Hey--mess gong!" He pointed out the obvious to Raf.

With a sigh the other levered himself up on his elbows. If he did not
move, Wonstead was capable of reporting him to the captain for strange
behavior, and they were all too alert to a divagation which might mean
trouble. He had no desire to end in confinement with Morris.

"I'm coming," Raf said sullenly. But he remained sitting on the edge
of the pad until Wonstead left the cabin, and he followed as slowly as
he could.

So he was not with the other