"Hell's jets!" Deston exclaimed. "Do you mean we'll have to blast normal to a system?"
"It isn't as bad as you think, Babe," Jones said. "Stars are much thicker here—we're in the center somewhere—than around Sol. The probability is point nine plus that any emergence would put us less than point four light-years away from a star. A couple of them show disks. I haven't measured any yet; have you, Doc?"
"Yes. Point two two, approximately, to the closest."
"So what?" Deston demanded. "What's the chance of it having an Earth-type planet?"
"Any solid planet will do," Adams said. "Just so it has plenty of mass."
"That's still quite a trip." Deston was coming around. "Especially since we can't use more than one point——"
"One point zero gravities," Jones put in.
"Over the long pull—and the women—you're right," Deston agreed, and took out his slide rule. "Let's see ... one gravity, plus and minus ... velocity ... time ... it'll take about eleven months?"
"Just about," Jones agreed, and Adams nodded.
"Well, if that's what the cards say, there's no use yowling about it," and all nine survivors went to work.