"Won't that be in our favor?" Jak asked. "If they can't hear any signals at all, our records ought to be enough."
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Mr. Carver answered with a tired smile.
"And after all our hard work, too." Jon's tone was dispirited.
"And the dangers you were up against." Mrs. Carver's eyes were tear-dimmed.
Their father caught himself and looked at each with a disarming grin. "Hey, we're all crossing bridges where maybe there isn't even a creek to be spanned." He made his voice mockingly cheerful. "What's happened to the good old Carver spirit?"
"You're right, Pop." Jon shook away his dismay and began to smile. "We're not licked yet."
But while they were eating, a short time later, Jon turned his seat to face his father.
"Don't like to start worrying again, Pop," he said in a low voice, "but our receptor is picking up atomic activity behind us again. Of course," he added quickly, "this close to Terra it could be some other ship, not Bogin's."
"Could be, and probably is." His father stroked his chin reflectively.
"I don't see how he could've caught up with us, but we don't know what his ship can do."