"That would have been useless," he grinned. "As useless as trying to teach a Hottentot the full science of electronics without giving him the rest of physics as a basis. No, little lady, I got the full curriculum, including a full training in how to think logically! How else?"
"You win," she said solemnly. "Fudge up your true square wave, and I'll buy a ticket back home in your crate!"
"Thanks, Edith," he said. "That's a high compliment. But there's more of us than we-all. I'll have to take a vote."
There was a roar at Barden's explanation. And his head technician stood up, waving for silence. "There's enough lifecraft aboard," he shouted over the noise. "Anybody who wants to get out can take 'em. They can make Terra from here in a couple of months in a lifecraft if they want to."
That got a roar of approval.
"Lucky I had two ships all fitted out," said Tom. "Also, with all this spare junk for radio-controlling the other crate we've got a shipload of spare parts. Probably take about a week flat to tinker it together, but it is far better to do it out here than to go all the way home to Terra—that'd take about four weeks."
"I wonder why they didn't think of that square-wave idea," said Edith.
"Lord only knows."
"That's what bothers me," she said.