"Again the Government is asking us for a favor. Small space ship and everything provided! There have been more mysterious breakdowns of equipment, and strange illnesses reported. So we're going out to Ganymede! Sorry, check out of the U; get your gear together, tighten your belts--because this is it! See a justice, maybe, if that's in your minds. Take a few days off." My hand tightened protectively on Jan's shoulder. Somehow, before the unknown, I felt that marriage would be like a shield for us both, though we were still pretty young. "Time to get hitched, Jan," I said later. "If you've made up your mind. Or should we consult George?" Her eyes twinkled with a flare of recklessness. She lowered her voice and mocked humorously: "'This is a question which I am not permitted to answer. Unghh!'" * * * * * For a few days we were away from Doc Lanvin. Our brief honeymoon was on the Moon with my folks. Jan's parents had died in a rocket crash years before. It was good to see Mom and Dad and the old house again. Out beyond the sprawling buildings of the expanded labs, the skeleton of a huge hull was taking form. The stars, that meant, though the problem of overdrive, speeds greater than light, promised no early answer after all. A journey to the nearest stars would take a long, long time. Within a week Jan and I were back on Earth, packing equipment. Armand Cope, whom I've mentioned, was one of those who came to bid us good-bye. His cynical mouth twisted as if he were both sorry for, and contemptuous of us. "Maybe I was just born too late," he said. "I don't know just what you're after, but there are rumors. Well--honestly--keep safe." "Thanks, Cope," I said. "Yes, from me, too," Jan added gently. Then she threw a mild jibe at him: "Still trying to hold back tomorrow, Cope?" Two guys I knew slightly, Bowhart and Scharber, were selected as crewmen for our ship, the _Intruder_. "Bow and I are trained for simple space stuff, Charlie," Scharber said. "We won't stick our noses into this micro-robot business." Scharber was broad and easy going. Bowhart was short and dark and serious. Jan changed to the rough coverall, acceleration suit, and boots of a space wanderer. Maybe there was a regret for the difference, but it also brought a new jauntiness.