"They've just grown up, Mr. C.--but we have some pretty wonderful men in their place." Her eyes shone. "It was pretty hard, at first, after you got hurt and they had to take charge of everything, to realize that they had grown away from us. But I soon found that they hadn't, really," she continued hastily as the boys gave cries of dismay. "They have matured wonderfully, but we have not lost our boys at all." "Well I should say not!" Jak cried hotly. "We're still kids, not men," Jon declared. "Why, there's still so much to learn--and experience to gain--we've barely started growing up." "You can keep learning back on Terra," their mother said. "As for me, I'm glad we're going to be there a year or more. I want to live in a house again, on land I know." "Then we'd all better get to bed," their father said with his old-time roguish smile. "Otherwise we'll all be too fagged out to take off for home tomorrow." * * * * * As soon as breakfast was finished the next morning the Carvers all assembled in the control room for the start back to Terra. Jon had already made the astrogational calculations for their trip, having worked on them off and on during many evenings of the past several weeks. But just as they were all strapping down, his father stopped Jon with a sudden exclamation. "Wait, Son! I think we'd better go back close enough to all the planets and the sun to make sure all the signals are working right. That's one of the most important things the Colonial Board will check." "Oh, I'm sure they're OK, Pop. We listened to each one after we'd placed it." "But cases have been known where a sender failed--especially those on extremely hot or exceptionally cold planets. I'm not doubting that you handled them all right--it's just that I think it worth the time and effort to check them and make sure while we're still out here." "All right, you're the captain." Jon opened the drawer in the control desk and hunted out the sheets on which he had figured his former flight plans to the various planets. "We won't need to land if the signals are working," his father said. "Just get us close enough in line so we can receive the messages." "In that case, we can fly almost by sight, merely taking into consideration the direction and speed of the planets." Jon shoved his papers back into the drawer. "Let's see ... we'll make the best time going to One, then the Sun, then Three, Four and Five, and then circling about and heading for home." "Fine! Get going." "Strap down, everybody." A quick glance to see that they were all secure, then Jon closed the master switch of his new interlocking controls. Smoothly, with increasing acceleration, the _Star Rover_ lifted upward through the atmosphere on the planet Marci--Carveria Two. Ever more swiftly it flew, and a special sort of gladness was in each heart at the thought that soon they would be once more speeding toward their home on far distant Terra.