‘Your wife flinched, too?’

‘I never noticed her being affected, but then, she never had a sister Roseanne. Marlene hardly cried at all; she was peaceful. I remember Roseanne was like that as a baby. And Marlene didn't show any signs that she was going to be particularly pretty either. It was as though Roseanne had come back to me. So you see how hard it turned out to be.’

‘Coming back to Earth, you mean.’

‘Doing that and leaving them behind. It was like losing Roseanne a second time. I'll never see her now. Never!’

‘But you came back anyway.’

‘Loyalty! Duty! But if you want the truth, I almost didn't. I was standing there, torn. Torn apart , I was desperately wanting not to leave Roseanne - Marlene. You see, I confuse the names. And Eugenia - my wife - said to me in a heartbroken way, “If you knew where we were going, you wouldn't be so ready to turn back.” And at that moment I didn't want to leave. I asked her to come to Earth with me. She refused. I asked her to let me take Ro - Marlene, at least. She refused. And then, when I might have given in and stayed, she went wild and ordered me out. And I went.’

Wyler stared at Fisher reflectively. ‘ “If you knew where we were going, you wouldn't be so ready to turn back.” Is that what she said?’

‘Yes, that's what she said. And when I said, “Why? Where is Rotor going?”, she said, “To the stars.” ’

‘That can't be right, Crile. You knew they were planning to go to the stars, but she said, “If you knew where we were going-” There was something you didn't know. What was it you didn't know?’

‘What are you talking about? How can anyone know what he doesn't know?’

Wyler shrugged it off. ‘Did you tell this to the Office during the debriefing?’

Fisher considered. ‘I guess not. I didn't even think of it till I started telling you the story about how I nearly stayed.’ He closed his eyes, then said slowly, ‘No, this is the first time I've talked about that. It's the first time I've let myself think about it.’

‘Very well, then. Now that you think about it - where was Rotor going? Did you hear any speculations on Rotor about that? Any rumors? Any guesses?’

‘The assumption was that it would be to Alpha Centauri. Where else? It's the nearest star.’

‘Your wife was an astronomer. What did she say about it?’

‘Nothing. She never discussed it.’

‘Rotor sent out the Far Probe.’

‘I know.’

‘And your wife was involved - as an astronomer.’

‘She was, but she never discussed it either, and I was careful not to do so. My mission would have been aborted, and perhaps I might have been imprisoned - or executed, for all I know - if I displayed an unhealthy curiosity too openly.’

‘But as an astronomer, she would know the destination. She as much as said so. “If you knew-” You see? She knew and if you knew, too-’

Fisher didn't seem interested. ‘Since she didn't tell me what she knew, I can't tell you.’

‘Are you sure? No casual remarks whose significance you didn't note at the time? After all, you're not an astronomer and she might have said something you didn't quite get. Do you remember anything at all she said that set you to puzzling?’

‘I can't think of anything.’

‘Think! Is it possible that the Far Probe located a planetary system around one or both of the Sun-like stars of Alpha Centauri?’

‘I can't say.’

‘Or planets about any star?’

Fisher shrugged.

‘Think!’ said Wyler urgently. ‘Is there any reason for you to think that she meant, “You think we're going to Alpha Centauri, but there are planets circling it and we're heading for those.” Or could she have meant, “You think we're going to Alpha Centauri, but we're going to another star where we're sure there will be a useful planet.” Something like that?’

‘I couldn't possibly guess.’

Garand Wyler's generous lips compressed themselves tightly for a moment. Then he said, ‘I'll tell you what, Crile, my old friend. There are three things that are going to happen now. First, you're going to have to undergo another debriefing. Second, I suspect we're going to have to persuade the Ceres Settlement to allow us the use of their asteroid telescope, and use it to inspect, very closely, every star within a hundred light-years of the Solar System. And, third, we'll have to whip our hyperspatialists into jumping a little higher and farther. You watch and see if that's not what happens.’