For out of the crumbling insanity, up from the measureless ignorance which was his home, his nation, and his time, Diavilev had risen into the only peace and order he had ever known. There down below him was the beautiful Earth and off to his right was the Moon, and above him there was nothing for ever and ever, nothing on out to infinity, the utter open nothing of deep space. He could never go back to the great sickness below. He realized that with great clarity, and a deep calm peace came over him. The decision was simple. To everything there is an end. He thought about it for a long while, and then he smiled and it was done. There was very little time. In the few moments that there were he went to the telescope. Maybe after all, with no atmosphere to hinder, he could really see the canals on Mars.... * * * * * Pyotr Diavilev handed in his figures. The blasting was done in the daytime, so that there was little chance of it being seen from Earth. Bit by bit, the moonlet slowed. After a while there was only one more bomb to go. With Krylov, in the waning moments, Diavilev rode out with the timing equipment. In one of the small, light shuttle craft they went from the station to the main rocket from Earth, which was following the moonlet along its shortening curve. There was one more hour. "Very soon now, eh?" smiled Krylov, looking quite deep into Diavilev's eyes. "Yes," said Diavilev. "We will see it go all the way down. I have arranged for a picture to be relayed to a television screen on the rocket. You will have the seat of honor." "Thank you," said Diavilev. "Yes, you will have the seat of honor." Krylov was still staring at him. Diavilev looked away. Outside the moonlet seemed stationary in space, huge and black and permanent. Diavilev could see the men on one face of her, setting the final bomb, which Diavilev would detonate with a radio signal. There was one more thing which Diavilev wanted to do. "Krylov," he said suddenly. When he turned back he saw that Krylov's eyes were still on him. "Yes?" Krylov asked. "I wonder--would you mind if I went aboard the moonlet? I would like to see what it is like, really, up close. No scientist has ever had a chance like this. Perhaps I might learn something. Would you mind?" Krylov frowned, lowered his eyes slightly. "Is there time?" "There is an hour." Krylov thought for a long moment. Then he straightened, smiling. "Of course. You will go. We will both go." * * * * * Diavilev stepped out onto the surface of the moonlet. That Krylov was with him did not matter. He had set foot on an alien world. He stood upon metal, gazing with wide shining eyes at the crags and the cracks, the dark jagged peaks of the thing out of space. This was something of which, in his life, he had never dreamed. Now that he had done this his life was complete. He moved forward carefully down a ragged cleft, turning to speak to Krylov....