the guitar skitter through half a dozen chords and Maclarenтs voice come bouncing in its wake. He sighed, pushed the lank yellow hair back out of his eyes, and braced himself.
Maclaren floated in the living section. It was almost an insult to see him somehow clean all over, in a white tunic, when each man was allowed a daily spongeful of water for such purposes. And half rations had only leaned the New Zealander down, put angles in his smooth brown countenance; he didnтt have bones jutting up under a stretched skin like Ryerson, or a flushed complexion and recurring toothache like Nakamura. It wasnтt fair!
уOh, hullo, Dave.ф Maclaren continued tickling his strings, but quietly. уHow does the web progress?ф
уIтm done.ф
уI just clinched the last bolt and spotwelded the last connection. Thereтs not a thing left except to find that germanium, make the transistors, and adjust the units.ф Ryerson hooked an arm around a stanchion and drifted free, staring out of sunken eyes toward emptiness. уGod help me,ф he murmured, уwhat am I going to do now?ф
уWait,ф said Maclaren. уWe canтt do much except wait.ф He regarded the younger man for a while. уFrankly, both Seiichi and I found excuses not to help you, did less out there than we might have, for just that reason. Iтve been afraid you would finish the job before we found our planet.ф
Ryerson started. Redness crept into his chalky face. уWhy, of all theўф His anger collapsed. уI see. All right.ф
уThese weeks since we escaped have been an unparalleled chance to practice my music,ф remarked Maclaren. уIтve even
been composing. Listen.
уIn their golden-masted ships
Princes come a-wooing
Over darkling spindrift roads
Where the gales are brewing.
Lusty tales have drawn them thence,
Much to their undoing:
When they seek the ladyтs hand
She gives them theўф
уWill you stop that?ф screamed Ryerson.
уAs you like,ф said Maclaren mildly. He put the guitar back into its case. уIтd be glad to teach you,ф he offered.
уIф~o.ф
уCare for a game of chess?ф
уIт~o.ф
уI wish to all the hells Iтd been more of an intellectual,ф said Maclaren. уI never was, you know. I was a playboy, even in science. Now . . . I wish Iтd brought a few hundred books with me. When I get back, Iтm going to read them.ф His smile faded. уI think I might begin to understand them.ф
уWhen we get back?ф Ryersonтs thin frame doubled in midair as if for a leap. уIf we get back, you mean!ф
N AKAMURA entered. He had a sheaf of scribbled papers in one hand. His face was carefully blank. уI have completed the calculations on our latest data,ф he said.
Ryerson shuddered. уWhat have you found?ф he cried. уNegative.ф
уLord God of Israel,ф groaned Ryerson. уNegative again.ф
уThat pretty well covers this orbit, then,ф said Maclaren calmly. уIтve got the elements of the next one computedў somewhere.ф He went out among the instruments.
A muscle in Ryersonтs cheek began to jump of itself. He looked at Nakamura for a long time. уIsnтt there anything else we can do?ф he asked. уThe telescopes, theўDo we just have to sit?ф
уWe are circling a dead sun,ф the pilot reminded him. уThere is only feeble starlight to see by. A very powerful instrument might photograph a planet, but not the telescopes we have. Not at any distance greater than we could find them gravitationally. S-s-so.ф
уWe could make a big telescope!ф exclaimed Ryerson. уWe have glass, and . . . and silver andўф
уIтve thought of that.ф Maclarenтs tones drifted back from the observation section. уYouтre welcome to amuse yourself with it, but weтd starve long before a suitable mirror could be ground with the equipment here.ф
уButўMaclaren, space is so big! We could hunt for a million years and never find a planet if we canтt . . . canтt see them!ф
уWeтre not working quite at random.ф Maclaren reappeared with a punched tape. уPerhaps youтve forgotten the principle on which we are searching. We position ourselves in an orbit about the star, follow it for a while, check our position repeatedly, and compute whether the path has been significantly perturbed. If it has been, thatтs due to a planet somewhere, and we can do a Leverrier to find that planet. If notўif weтre too far awayўwe quarter to another arc of the same path and try again. Having exhausted a whole circumference thus, we move outward and try a bigger circle.ф
уShut up!ф rasped Ryerson. уI know it! Iтm not a schoolboy. But weтre guessing!ф
уNot quite,ф said Maclaren. уYou were occupied with the web when I worked out the secondary principle . . . yes, come to think of it, you never did ask me before. Let me explain. You see, by extrapolating from data on known stellar types, I know approximately what this star was like in its palmy days. From this, planetary formation theory gives me the scale of its onetime system. For instance, its planets must have been more or less in the equatorial plane; such quantities as mass, angular momentum, and magnetic field determine the Bodeтs Law constants; to the extent that all this is known, I can draw an orbital map.
уWell, then the star went supernova. Its closer planets were whiffed into gas. The outermost giants would have survived, though badly damaged. But the semimajor axes~ of their orbits were so tremendousўtheoretically, planets could have formed as much as a light-year from this starўthat even a small percentage of error in the data makes my result uncertain by Astronomical Units. Another factor: the explosion filled this space with gas. Weтre actually inside a nonluminous nebula. That would shorten the orbits of the remaining planets; in the
course of millions of years theyтve spiraled far inward. In one way that helps us: weтve an area to search which is not hopelessly huge. But on the other hand, just how long has it been since the accident? Whatтs the density distribution of the nebula now, and what was it back then? Iтve taken some readings and made some estimates. All very crude, butўф Maclaren shruggedўфwhat else can we do? The successive orbits we have been trying are, more or less, those I have calculated for the surviving planets as of today. And, of course, intermediate radii to make sure that we will be measurably perturbed no matter where those planets actually are. Itтs just a matter of getting close enough to one of them.ф
уIf our food lasts,ф groaned Ryerson. уAnd we have to eat while we finish the web, too. Donтt forget that.ф
уWeтre going to have to reorganize our schedules,ф declared Maclaren thoughtfully. уHitherto weтve found things to keep us occupied. Now we must wait, and not go crazy waiting.ф He grinned. уI hereby declare the Southern Cross dirty limerick contest open and offer a prize ofўф
уYes,ф said Ryerson. уGreat sport. Fun and games, with Chang Sverdlovтs frozen corpse listening in!ф
SILENCE clapped down. They heard the air mumble in the ventilators.
уWhat else can we do with our poor friend?ф asked Nakamura softly. уSend him on a test rocket into the black sun? He deserved better of us. Yes-s-s? Let his own people bury him.ф
уBury a copy of him!ф shrieked Ryerson. уOf all the senselessўф
уPlease,ф said Nakamura. He tried to smile. уAfter all .
