Russ rose to his feet. “That,” he said, “calls for a little drink."
He opened a cabinet and took out bottles and glasses.
"Only three,” said Chambers. “Craven doesn't drink."
Craven interrupted. “Pour one for me, too, Page."
Chambers looked at the scientist, astounded. “I never knew you to take a drink in your life."
Craven twisted his face into a grin. “This is a special occasion."
The Invincible was nearing Mars, heading for Earth, which was still a greenish sphere far to one side of the flaming Sun.
Russ watched the little green globe, thinking.
Earth was home. To him it always would be home. But that would be changed soon. Just a few more generations, and, to millions upon millions of human beings, Earth no longer would be home.
With the new material energy engines, life on every planet would be possible now, even easy. The cost of manufacture, mining, shipping across the vast distances between the planets would be only a fraction of what it had been when man had been forced to rely upon the unwieldy, expensive accumulator system of supplying life-giving power.