The young ones giggled, well out of reach. Lil's thin body was strung tight, quivering to move. "Besides," she demanded, "what have the Officers and the Engineers ever done to you that you should want to kill them—all but the Captain's yellow daughter?"
Kirk's big heavy chest swelled. "Ma," he said, "you make that brat shut up or I'll whale her, anyhow."
Ma Kirk looked at him. "Your Pa's still big enough to whale you, young man! Now you stop it, both of you."
"All right," said Kirk sullenly. He squatted down, holding his hands over the heat. His back twitched with the cold, but it was nice to have his belly warm, even if it was empty. "Wish Pa'd hurry up. I'm hungry. Hope they killed meat."
Ma Kirk sighed. "Seems like meat gets scarcer all the time, like the heat-stones."
"Maybe," said Kirk heavily, "it all goes to the same place."
Lil snorted. "And where's that, Smarty?"
His anger forced out the forbidden words.
"Where everybody says, stupid! Into the Ship."
There was suddenly a lot of silence in the room. The word "Ship" hung there, awesome and accusing. Ma Kirk's eyes flicked to the curtain over the door and back to her son.