THE SHIP, in overdrive, went farther and farther into the vast wilderness of Argo Spur.  It went over great drifts of dust-choked suns whose haggard witch-fires extended for many parsecs.  It passed dark shoals where dead stars had long ago collided and filled space with wheeling debris.  It skirted a huge tornado-like whirl of dead and living stars that spun ever faster in a mad maelstrom that had a core of neutron stars.

The old Starwolf road, thought Chane, and he knew every star and swarm and dark nebula along the way.  And far ahead, on the simulacrum in the bridge, the sun of Varna was a tawny eye watching him, and he looked at it and dreamed.

Presently, over the creaking thrum of the faulty overdrive, Dilullo spoke from behind him.

"I've got half a mind to give up the whole thing and go back to Earth."

"Losing your nerve?" said Chane.

"I've told you before, don't try to needle people.  You're no good at it.  I've got more nerve than you when the chips are down."

Chane thought about that and then said seriously, "I believe you're right.  I can do anything as long as it's fun doing it, but you've got some kind of repression and drive...."

"Call it the Puritan conscience," said Dilullo.  "And I don't need any amateur psychoanalysis, either.  How much chance do we have of getting the six Suns that Eron or Rith has?"

Chane shrugged.  "I've never been to Rith but I've heard about it from Varnans who were there.  Eron is a tough character.  He'd have to be, to live on that planet....  It's nothing but storm all the time, they say.

"Nice," said Dilullo.  He was about to add something sour, but Gwaath came lumbering into the bridge.

"Oh, for God's sake," muttered Dilullo in English.

"He loves you," said Chane.  "You saved his life, remember?  That's why he keeps following you around all the time."

Gwaath's large form seemed to crowd the whole bridge.  He patted Dilullo on the shoulder in breezy camaraderie, almost knocking him to the deck.

"How's it going?" the Paragaran asked, in English.  "How's everything, old boy?"

Dilullo stared at him.  "So you've been picking up things?"

Gwaath nodded, then switched to galacto to explain.  "The men down in the crewroom have taught me a little of your language.  Listen to this...."  And in English he started off a stream of expressions that made Chane grin and brought from Dilullo a hasty demand to stop.

"They would teach you things like that," said Dilullo.

"Why, man, children know stronger language than that on Paragara," said Gwaath.  "On Paragara -"