I was to study the charts and manuals. It was better than doing nothing, and I went into the navigation room and sat down. Earth was an infinitesimal point somewhere behind us on the galactic plane, and no one else was trained to navigate. The ship thundered to life as I sat there. The blast roared once ... twice, then settled into a muted crescendo of sound that hummed through the walls. I went into the control room and watched John at the panel.
"I wish I knew what you were doing," I said savagely.
"Give it time."
"We can't spare any, can we?" I asked.
"I wish we knew. What about her—Dr. Thiesen?"
"She's in the lab. I don't think that will do much good. She's got to be shocked out of a mental state like that."
"I guess you're right," he said slowly. "She's trained to administer the suspension on the return trip."
I let my breath out slowly. "I didn't think about that."
"We couldn't even get part way back in a lifetime," he said.
"How old are you, John?"