It was a long way from what they wanted, but it was about fifteen times better than anything that had been attained before. “Not bad,” Talbot said, cautiously. “Maybe we should settle for this. One sixth the speed of light. Twenty-five years to the nearest star.” Frescura scowled at him. “Make it thirty,” he said. “They’ve got to get up speed and slow down. Thirty to the star and thirty back. Sixty years for the round trip, not counting exploration time.” “I understand,” Talbot said. “But with a young crew--boys not over twenty-two or three--it’s possible to send a ship to the nearest star and reasonably expect it to return.” “They’ll be eighty when they come back,” said Frescura. “Their friends will all be dead.” “There are some lads who will volunteer--if the rewards are high enough.” “No doubt,” said Frescura. “But there’s one detail which prevents it--building a rocket motor which will last for more than a few seconds.” “You’ve already accomplished a great deal,” said Talbot. “This?” Frescura laughed. “No good at all. You saw what just happened.” “I did. You shut off the motor.” Frescura looked at Talbot with sour amusement. “It was the automatics that cut off the flow of fuel. Didn’t you see it? The inner charge repelled matter, but it _couldn’t stop radiation_. Radiation heated the tube. As it grew hot beyond a certain temperature the thermocouple charge diminished, intensifying the heat transfer to the tube. When it went, it fell apart in a hurry.” Talbot frowned. “There’s no way around it?” “None I know of. I’ll keep trying of course. With another hundred million dollars we might make this work even though it’s far from what we’re after.” Talbot shook his head in admiration. Frescura tossed huge sums about with utmost ease. “Keep with it,” he said. “We’ve got to lick this or it will finish us.” “We’ll come out on top,” said Frescura optimistically. Unfortunately Talbot didn’t have the same confidence. “Economize where you can,” he cautioned. “There is no such thing as economy in research,” Frescura affirmed. “There had better be. We’re running low. Accounting is beginning to ask questions. We’ll have to go to the board of directors before long.” “I guess so. The accident cost plenty.” Frescura leaned against the enclosure, rubbing it with unconscious affection. “If you need help, let me know. I’ll add my weight to yours.” “I’ll let you know,” said Talbot as he walked away. The trouble with Frescura was that he was a theoretical scientist, completely indifferent to cost. As he went through the plant he saw countless examples of waste. There was endless duplication, and the place seemed overstaffed. But, though he could undoubtedly reduce costs with efficient administration, that was not the most vital problem.