The captain shook his head. "No, sir."
"Doesn't your ship carry a lifeboat?"
"It does, but you couldn't make the earth in that—and survive. The lifeboat carries just enough fuel to land on a planet. That fuel would be used on the takeoff."
"But if you got off Venus and aimed the boat toward the earth, nothing would keep it from getting there, would it?"
"No, I suppose not, sir."
"Then we've got to do it. Yes, yes, I know. It's suicide. But it's suicide not to try it. We simply must get a message through to the earth. We'll ask for volunteers."
"No need of that, Major," the captain said. "I'll make the trip."
"One man couldn't do it," broke in Lieutenant Riley. "I'm going along."
"You know what it means?" the captain asked his friend.