“Garry, Patch,” Captain Eaton said slowly, “you respect my judgment and my experience, don’t you?”
“Sure,” the boys answered together, puzzled looks on their faces.
“Well then, you do believe I would do the best I knew for all of us, don’t you?”
Garry and Patch nodded again.
“I’ve got something to say to the two of you,” the captain continued, “and it’s very important to me that you abide by my decision. Will you promise to do so if I tell you it will be to your best interests?”
The boys thought a moment, then nodded together, trusting the man they had come to admire and respect.
Just then Garry noticed the pair of space suits lying on the floor nearby, and they looked as if work had been done on them. They seemed to have been made smaller by the adjustable straps with which all such space suits were equipped.
“As you can see, fellows,” the captain said, “the rest of us didn’t sleep much, but we were grateful that the two of you could, because it gave us time to come to our decision.”
Garry and Patch watched the captain’s face intently, the suspense building up in them moment by moment. Garry had a hunch that he and Patch would not like what they were going to hear.
The captain took a deep breath and said, “I’ll come right out with it. The rest of us are forced to face the sad fact that rescue isn’t coming. But there’s no reason for everyone to perish. Garry, we decided that you and Patch....”