A voice said: "Lad, what have you done!"
Jon said: "I have killed a man. I have killed my friend."
And he swung around to face the footsteps and the voice, because neither one was ghost.
Joshua said: "There was a reason for it, lad?"
"A reason," said Jon Hoff. "A reason and a purpose."
"You need a friend," Joshua told. "You need a friend, my boy."
Jon nodded. "I found the purpose of the Ship. And the destination. He found me out. He was going to denounce me. I—I—."
"You killed him."
"I thought: One life or all? I only took one life. He would have taken all."
They stood for a long moment, facing one another. The old man said: "It is not right to take a life. It is not right nor proper."