"You were willing to sacrifice mankind just to see the stars yourself, Joe?"
It was Arlie Arden who came in quietly, then.
"No," said Joe, and then he looked at the two of them.
"Believe me," he said, and his voice was deep, vibrant. "I was drawn to the ship by a power greater than any of us. I knew the terrible gamble. For if this ship crashes before it gets back to Earth with that Venus ore, it means the end of man.
"I knew that. Everything my mind said pointed out the consequences. My mind said no in every possible way. But ... my mind had no chance against the impulse that drove me aboard ship.
"Somehow I know that my presence on board this ship means the salvation of mankind...." He shook his head at Arden whose lips were pursed to speak.
"It's not egotism or some crack-brained idea. I couldn't rest until I was aboard ship. I'm chosen to do something to preserve mankind, not destroy it. It's just as if something bigger than me or you or the universe had taken hold of me, placed me here."
Arden said: "Do you know what we're going to do to you, Joe?"
Joe looked at him steadily as Arden drew a gun from his pocket. "We're going to kill you and throw you out in space. It's the only way to keep you from contaminating the rest of us."
Joe said: "You can't." Simply, he said it.