"I know!" Karin breathed.
"Shall we wait to see what happens?"
"No, Jan. Let's get away fast."
Karin was smiling at him, and Jan could not help smiling back at her. But he was aware of a tenseness of his own as he asked, with seeming casualness, "Still want that divorce?"
Karin said slowly, "We've got at least two weeks to go before we reach our own System. By that time I'll want it. But don't give it to me. Do you understand, Jan? Whatever happens, refuse me a divorce."
"Those are orders?"
"Absolute orders. When we land on Earth, I'll take a vacation from you for about a month. After that we'll spend the rest of our lives together. But always with other people around."
"Always?"
"Almost always. At moments like this, I admit, other people would be in the way."
Green star and yellow star faded into the distance. The bird, thought Jan, had escaped from the battlefield. It was only natural for it to burst into song.