"Take it easy, Roger," said Tom. "The investigation will be over and we'll be on our way to Tara before you know it."
"Yeah, you space Romeo," growled Astro, "crawl in the sack and rest your bones. You're lucky you can miss this."
Roger managed a weak smile. "I'll be O.K. Go ahead and learn about that hyperdrive before you explode."
There was an awkward moment while the three cadets stared at one another. The deep friendship between them didn't need to be expressed in words. Abruptly, Tom and Astro turned and left the room.
Roger stared at the closed door for a moment and then flopped on his bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Whatever happened, he thought, it wouldn't do any good to knock himself out.
As he lay there thinking back to the first months at Space Academy when he had met Tom and Astro, he heard a knock on the door and he turned to see the steel hatch slide back stealthily. He jumped up.
Loring stuck his head inside the door. "You alone, Manning?" he asked.
"Yeah. Who're you?" asked Roger.
"My name's Loring, and this is my space buddy, Al Mason. We were on the Annie Jones."
Roger's eyes lighted up. "Then you know I'm not responsible for the crash!" said Roger.