Retief took out the needler and put it on the desk before him.
"If anything happens that I don't like," he said, "I'll wake you up. With this."
"Why don't you let me spell you, Mister?" Chip said. "Four hours to go yet. You're gonna hafta be on yer toes to handle the landing."
"I'll be all right, Chip. You get some sleep."
"Nope. Many's the time I stood four, five watches runnin', back when I was yer age. I'll make another round."
Retief stood up, stretched his legs, paced the floor, stared at the repeater instruments on the wall. Things had gone quietly so far, but the landing would be another matter. The captain's absence from the bridge during the highly complex maneuvering would be difficult to explain....
The desk speaker crackled.
"Captain, Officer of the Watch here. Ain't it about time you was getting up here with the orbit figures?"
Retief nudged the captain. He awoke with a start, sat up.