an is immune from everything?"

Lance smiled, a little wryly. "Any pilot can make boo-boos, Carolyn. I'm
determined to try awfully hard not to." He added a slight qualification
to his statement. "I've always been pretty lucky up to now, at not
getting lost."

"I thought the guidance systems and the autopilot computers took care of
all the astrogation corrections?"

"On a theoretically perfect flight, yes. It's equally true, however,
that hyperspace's geometry doesn't always resemble the sort of lines and
angles you find in our own universe--"

* * * * *

Lance abruptly stopped, realizing he was quoting text; his mind groped
for a better way to explain. But Carolyn plunged in first:

"You see, there do sometimes develop special situations."

"Sure, sometimes." An exasperation crept into Lance Cooper's voice,
despite his effort to keep it out. Hell, he was just a pilot; not a
rated mathematician. He'd fly hyperspace by the seat of his pants, if he
had to.

"Lance," said Carolyn.

"Yes?"

"You feel it too, don't you?"

"Feel what?"

"That there is danger involved. That something dreadfully, dreadfully
wrong _can_ happen to you while you're out there. No matter what the
eggheads say about it." A paroxysm of sobs suddenly racked the girl's
slender body. "Oh, darling, don't go!"

"Honey, honey!" Lance patted her thin shoulders.

"I love you so much."

"Love you, too, Carolyn. You know that."

"We shouldn't have postponed the wedding. It was wrong to set the date
back."

Lance shook his head. "Sorry. I couldn't see it any other way."

He hugged the girl to him; she seemed more desperately frightened than
he had realized. And again, as always when it came to comforting
somebody, he felt as awkward and clumsy as some big lumbering repair-tug
out in space--say--trying to patch a small trim patrol craft.

But especially, he felt helpless in the presence of this frail,
clinging, lovely piece of femininity he wanted so dearly. Nevertheless
he could keep on trying--blundering though his words and gestures might
be.

"Carolyn, you think I wanted to chance making you a widow twenty-four
hours after you became a bride?" Lance took a deep breath. "So I did
maintain the percentage wasn't great. Still, it does exist. I'm aware of
that. I just don't let it concern me. But you, Carolyn--don't you see,
hon? Lance Cooper couldn't let anything bad happen to his best girl."

"I'm trying