"Go away, Magill. Maybe tomorrow." "But look--" "You look. I said--" A white-yellow circle appeared on the dome with a red line cross on it like a telescope reticule. Halligan was aiming a flashlight pointer at the dome and talking into the floor mike at the same time. "Hey, Allison! Maybe that's it?" * * * * * In the circle was a pinpoint that came and went. It danced now and then, and it sloughed into flowing shapes as it merged with the rest of the flickering on the dome. It would have been lost in the ever-changing light pattern of the dome if there had been no reason to suspect it. The spot lay on a dead line across the dome from the course of the other spots. "All right," Wilson said grimly. "We've got no more scouts to go look. Turn this crate head-on for that trace and we'll barrel!" Slowly the presentation in the dome shifted. The almost lost spot rose until it was dead above. "Pour on the coal!" yelled Wilson. "We've got to get there first!" He grabbed for the infrawave phone and cried, "Hello, out there! Lifeship Three, we've sighted you! We'll be with you in--" He glanced at Allison. "How far are they?" Allison shook his head. "That's one of the limitations. We can detect, and display in solid angle azimuth, but we haven't got to the ranging yet." Wilson said a few words that should never have gone out over the infrawave. Then he said into the phone, "Well, we've sighted you, anyway, and we'll be with you soon." And to Manning he said, "I hope to God they've got their receiver on...." Linus Brein said, "I didn't catch part of that. New words for the files, I guess." Viggon Sarri said, "Probably a few words of condemnation over the fact that their detector doesn't range." "I'll catalogue them so." "Do that. Maybe we can ask their specific meaning at some later date. But I'd not be inclined to bark those words at one of them to see what happens. It might happen. Linus, how do we stand with them?" Linus consulted a chart. "They're a little closer to the life ship than we are. But we're faster." "Faren, can't we get any more speed?" Faren Twill shrugged. "We've a destroyer escort," he said. "If we don't mind leaving the destroyers behind." "Pour it on," said Viggon Sarri sharply. "Then have the destroyers fan out in an intercept pattern just in case...." "Cold," said Alice in a thin voice. But it was not really cold; it was the giving up of all hope, the turning off of all will to live, that made her cold. Norton cradled her in his arms and thought of how this would have been if they had been snug and warm a-planet, instead of lost and alone in space. Her slender body against him did not bring passion, but compassion. He stroked her head and tried to warm her shivering body. Andrews still lay in a coma.