Two hours the observatories had said. Two hours before the ship, if it did not alter course, could be seen again. There would be a short while before radio contact was broken, before the ship had speeded beyond the point where its signal could be picked up and amplified, and after that…
Comain didn’t like to think about it.
He sat before the radio, conscious of the eyes of the waiting men as they stared at him, and for the thousandth time he cursed himself for forgetting the unsuspected. Adams sat beside him and the n***d glare of the electric fights shone on his grizzled hair, accentuating the deep lines running from nose to mouth, making him seem suddenly old and feeble.
“How soon will we know?”
“If Curt can fire the rockets we should know within an hour. If not…” Comain shrugged.
“
