*

Gregory continued almost dreamily, "Remember the last night out? We were
all gathered around the viewscreen. And there was Earth, getting bigger
and greener and closer all the time. Remember what it felt like to be
going back, after thirty years?"

"Thirty years cooped up in this ship," grumbled Frankston. "All our
twenties and thirties and forties ..."

"But we were coming home." There was a rapt expression on Gregory's
lined and weathered face. "We were looking forward to the twenty or
maybe thirty good years we had left, talking about what we'd do, where
we'd live, wondering what had changed on Earth. At least we had that
last night out. All the data was stashed away in the microfiles, all the
data about planets with air we couldn't breathe and food we couldn't
eat. We were going home, home to big, friendly, green Earth."

Frankston's face suddenly crumpled as though he were about to weep and
he cradled his head against his arms. "God, do we have to go over it all
again? Not again tonight!"

"Leave him alone," ordered James with an inflection of command in his
voice. "Go to the other section of the ship if you don't want to listen.
He has to keep going over it, just like Ross has to keep watering his
geraniums."

Frankston remained motionless and Gregory looked gratefully at James.
James was the steady one. It was easier for him because he understood.

Gregory's face became more and more animated as he lost himself, living
again his recollections: "The day we blasted in. The crowds. Thousands
of people, all there to see us come in. We were proud. Of course, we
thought we were the first to land, just like we'd been the first to go
out. Those cheers, coming from thousands of people at once. For us.
Ross-- Lt. Ross--was the first one out of the lock. We'd decided on
that; he'd been in command for almost ten years, ever since Commander
Stevens died. You remember Stevens, don't you? He took over when we lost
Captain Willers. Well, anyway, Ross out first, and then you, James, and
you, Frankston, and then Trippitt, and me last, because you were all
specialists and I was just a crewman. _The_ crewman, I should say, the
only one left.

"Ross hesitated and almost stumbled when he stepped out, and tears began
pouring from his eyes, but I thought--well, you know, coming home after
thirty years and all that. But when I stepped out of the lock, my eyes
stung like fire and a thousand needles seemed to jab at my skin