He debated heading for Earth. And then another question arose as he thought of her burned and tortured body. Even if she could live would she want to? On Earth her existence would be in the double prison of iron bars and her own damaged body.
He set the course for the asteroid, Luline.
V
Slowly, in the depths of black space there swelled the blob of rock that was the half mile diameter of Luline.
As the ship approached, Nathan examined the surface through the screens for a clue to Firebird's reason for wanting to go there. But it looked the same as any other of the thousands of rocks floating through the spacelanes. The only unusual feature was a small bright spot that appeared to be about ten feet in diameter. It was centered in the bottom of a large depression on one side of the rock.
Firebird seemed to sense the presence of the asteroid as they neared. Her body twitched nervously. Or perhaps it was only her increasing battle with the powers of death.
When Nathan told her they had arrived she struggled to rise. She fell back helplessly. "The pool," she mumbled through lips that barely moved. "Bury me in the pool of Luline."
Though he had guessed it, Nathan was moved to pity because Firebird had known for so many hours that she was going to her own grave.
But he wondered what she meant by the pool of Luline. Was it that bright spot he had noticed? There could be no liquid out here in the depths of space.