“Oh.” Reymont fell into a normal posture. “His order to recruit a police reserve. He gave me something stupid about my not trusting my fellows.”

Their eyes clashed. “And not letting them alone in what may be their final hours,” she said. It was the first occasion since their breach that they had stopped addressing each other with entire correctness.

“I know.” Reymont spat out his words. “There’s little for them to do, they think, except wait. So they’ll spend the time… talking; reading favorite poems; eating favorite foods, with an extra wine ration, Earthside bottles; playing music, opera and ballet and theater tapes, or in some cases something livelier, maybe bawdier; making love. Especially making love.”

“Is that bad?” she asked. “If we must go out, shouldn’t we do so in a civilized, decent, life-loving way?”

“By being a trifle less civilized, et cetera, we might increase our chance of not going out.”

“Are you that afraid to die?”

“No. I simply like to live.”

“I wonder,” she said. “I suppose you can’t help your crudeness. You have that kind of background. What about your unwillingness to overcome it, though?”

“Frankly,” he answered, “having seen what education and culture make people into, I’m less and less interested in acquiring them.”

The spirit gave way in her. Her eyes blurred, she reached out toward him and said, “Oh, Carl, are we going to fight the same old fight over again, now in what’s maybe our last day alive?” He stood rigid. She went on, fast: “I loved you. I wanted you for my life’s partner, the father of my children, whether on Beta Three or Earth. But we’re so alone, all of us, here between the stars. We have to give what kindness we can, and take it, or we’re worse than dead.”

“Unless we can control our emotions.”

“Do you think there was any emotion… anything but friendship, and wanting to help him get over his hurt, and— and a wish to make sure he did not fall seriously in love with me— with Boris? And the articles state, in as many words, we can’t have formal marriages en route, because we’re too constricted and deprived as is—”

“So you and I terminated a relationship which had become unsatisfactory.”

“You made plenty of others!” she flared.

“For a while. Till I found Ai-Ling. Whereas you’ve taken to sleeping around again.”

“I have normal needs. I’ve not settled down… committed myself” —she gulped— “like you.”

“Nor I, except that one does not abandon a partner when the going gets bad.” Reymont shrugged. “No matter. As you implied, we’re both free individuals. It wasn’t easy, but I’ve finally convinced myself it’s not sensible or right to carry a grudge because you and Fedoroff exercised that freedom. Don’t let me spoil your fun after you go off watch.”

“Nor I yours.” She brushed violently at her eyes.

“As a matter of fact, I’ll be occupied till nearly the last minute. Since I wasn’t allowed to deputize, I’m going to ask for volunteers.”