Blish,James – And all the Stars a Stage

them. The rest would be likely to be still unconscious when the Javelin

left.

“A clean take-off,” Ertak’s voice said calmly. ‘Ship’s officers, begin

countdown. We will follow in eight minutes.” He paused and seemed to check

some board bidden by his chest. Then he added, “To all bands:

congratulations. The Javelin is the last ship able to leave, and the last

of these still on the ground. Twenty-nine others are all already on their

way.”

Thirty ships, Jorn thought numbly. Thirty ships.

“Correction, we are thirty-one in all. We have a signal from the Kestrel.

She is damaged but off safely.”

There was a ragged cheer in the earphones. Jorn did not join in it. What

difference could one ship make? What difference would ten have made?

“Census … thank you. To all hands: we now have a final population check.

We are carrying seventyfive thousand people, give or take about a hundred.

We have escaped-and by that token, we know that we will survive. Take-off

in thirty seconds.”

We have escaped … we will survive. And yet… how many died when the

Quarrel vanished, and the lights were stilled on Salt Flats? How many more

would die to the departure of the Javelin? How many had been killed to keep

them out of the ships, A over the world?

We will survive. But who are we to survive?

6

Doubtless some such question was on many minds, but the first month of

flight afforded nobody any time for brooding, least of all jorn. Like all

the officers, he was standing two watches out of three, and hit his bunk so

exhausted that he frequently went to sleep while still in the midst of