"Yeah, and the lives of a billion like us. What if it isn't?"
"Venus' spectrum shows its presence. It's not an emanation that is easily duplicated. If it isn't, it's too much of a grim joke—because the money in this ship could have paid for a thousand experiments. My Mary's got a touch of blue coloring in her skin—the first symptom, y'know."
"Sorry," Bairn said, and his voice was soft.
"Beautiful," Arden said. "I hope Mary can see it sometime." He was looking out at space, his arms clasped behind him. "It's not like I thought, though—this being the first humans to see the stars away from earth." He stopped.
"It's so damn big and beautiful it hurts," he said at last.
"Yeah, I know," Bairn put in. "It makes guys like us feel cheap and small."
"No!" The word was explosive. Bairn jerked around in the pilot's cradle and stared. Arden had a frown on his forehead.
"And who in blue blazes are you?" Bairn snapped.
"Joe," the big blocky youngster said, as if that explained everything.
"Joe, huh?" Bairn grunted. "How did you get on this ship?"