He fought. He staggered up from depths of bleak despair, aided by that deep-rooted male instinct which rouses raging fury at danger to his beloved. The innate protective impulse was heightened, strengthened by that emotional desire which is strongest at first contact, undiluted by familiarity and the consequent dissolution of ideals. The prime strength of manhood blasted in a coruscating mental flare against the forces of darkness and the unknown. Tenderly, he encircled her floating body with his arms and drew her close. He soothed her as one might a baby. Slowly her eyes came back from horrific infinity. Slowly they focused on his. And then, comprehension returned, she pressed tightly against him, clung to him, sobbing with the remnant fear of fear remembered. He talked to her for an hour, caressing, reassuring, until her responses were normal beyond any doubt. Then he told her he loved her. She raised her head from where it was burrowed against his chest. "_Love_ me, Ken? Love _me_?" He blinked in astonishment. "Of course I love you. It seems like I've always loved you. I tried to tell you. I--" But she was crying again, shaking her head a little, saying, "Ken, Ken," over and over. This time he continued to hold her intimately close. "What's the matter? Anything wrong with love?" "But Ken--you could have any girl in the world!" "Me? Where'd you get that idea?" "Why, everyone knows the story of your training, and what it was for. The swoon clubs must have sent you tons of letters!" "I never got any." "Censors?" He shrugged. "Could be. I used to drive myself nuts thinking of all the guys you must be going out with. Your story was spread around just as much as mine." "They picked my few escorts with care. I used to lie awake thinking of you running around with hundreds of girls." Ken snorted. "The army kept me too busy. I went out with a few, but I never loved anybody but you. Hell, I'm only nineteen, you know." She nodded, her eyes bright with happiness. She was a year younger. Then her words came in a flood. "I couldn't believe you'd love me. They told me I was to go with you and do anything you said--anything. No explanation, but I knew what they meant and I agreed because you were doing such a great thing for the world and--I wanted you too. But I thought you'd just want me for the trip, and afterward you'd go back to your other girls, and--" He kissed her. Again. And again. Surely there never was, never could be, a greater delight embracing than in the floating, heady, free fall of null-G. Certainly the psychologists knew no other method of retaining sanity in the cruelly endless jet pit engulfing the stars. Which was why they had planned it that way. * * * * *