Finally, Kroll exhaled. "Turn the ship around," he said. "Go back to Mars." The crew stood with their limp hands at their sides. They were tired. They didn't want to live any more. They just stood with their feet on the deck. Then, one by one, they began to walk away like so many cold, dead men. "Hold on," cried Nibley, weakening. "I ain't through yet. I got two orbits to fix. I got one to lay out for this ship to Jupiter. And I got to finish out my own separate secret personal orbit. You ain't turnin' back nowhere!" Kroll grimaced. "Might as well realize it, Grandpa. It takes seven hours to get through the Swarms, and you haven't another _two_ hours in you." The old man laughed. "Think I don't know that? Hell! Who's supposed to know all these things, me or you?" "You, Pop." "Well, then, dammit--bring me a bulger!" "Now, look--" "You heard me, by God--a bulger!" "Why?" "You ever hear of a thing called triangulation? Well, maybe I won't live long enough to go with you, but, by all the sizes and shapes of behemoths--this ship is jumpin' through to Jupiter!" Kroll looked at him. There was a breathing silence, a heart beating silence in the ship. Kroll sucked in his breath, hesitated, then smiled a grey smile. "You heard him, Douglas. Get him a bulger." "And get a stretcher! And tote this ninety pounds of bone out on the biggest asteroid around here! Got that?" "You heard him, Haines! A stretcher! Stand by for maneuvering!" Kroll sat down by the old man. "What's it all about, Pop? You're--sober?" "Clear as a bell!" "What're you going to do?" "Redeem myself of my sins, by George! Now get your ugly face away so I can think! And tell them bucks to hurry!" Kroll bellowed and men rushed. They brought a space-suit, inserted the ninety pounds of shrill and wheeze and weakness into it--the doctor had finished with his probings and fixings--buckled, zipped and welded him into it. All the while they worked, Nibley talked. "Remember when I was a kid. Stood up to that there plate poundin' out baseballs North, South and six ways from Sundays." He chuckled. "Used to hit 'em, and predict which window in what house they'd break!" Wheezy laughter. "One day I said to my Dad, 'Hey, Dad, a meteor just fell on Simpson's Garage over in Jonesville.' 'Jonesville is six miles from here', said my father, shakin' his finger at me. 'You quit your lyin', Nibley boy, or I'll trot you to the woodshed!'" "Save your strength," said Kroll. "That's all right," said Nibley. "You know the funny thing was always that I lied like hell and everybody said I lied like hell, but come to find out, later, I wasn't lyin' at all, it was the truth. I just _sensed_ things." The ship maneuvered down on a windless, empty planetoid. Nibley was carried on a stretcher out onto alien rock. "Lay me down right here. Prop up my head so I can see Jupiter and the whole damned Asteroid Belt. Be sure my headphones are tuned neat. There. Now, give me a piece of paper."