Each Monday the ship placed the jeep rockets on station so that the three vessels would sweep the largest possible volume of space, with their search fields barely overlapping. The placement was made by the mother ship, so that the jeep would be left with full tanks in the unhappy event that she was not picked up-and thereby have enough fuel to shape an orbit toward the inner planets, if need be.
XII P.R.S. PATHFINDER
MATT TOOK ALONG a supply of study spools on his first week of search intending to play them on the jeep's tiny, earphones-type viewer. He did not get much chance; four
hours out of eight he had to keep his eyes glued to the search scopes. During the four hours off watch he had to sleep, eat, attend to chores, and study, if possible.
Besides that, Lieutenant Thurlow liked to talk.
The bomb officer was expecting Earth-side duty in postgraduate study at the end of the cruise. "And then I'll have to make up my mind, Matt. Do I stay in and make physics a part-time specialty, or resign and go in for research?"
"It depends on what you want to do."
"Trite but true. I think I want to be a scientist, full time-but after a few years the Patrol becomes a father and a mother to you. I don't know. That pile of rock is creeping up on us-I can see it through the port now."
"It is, eh?" Matt moved forward until he, too, could see the undersized boulder that Thurlow had been watching by radar. It was of irregular shape, a pattern of sunlight and sharp, dark shadow.
"Mister Thurlow," said Matt, "look-about the middle. Doesn't that look like striation to you?"