Orede--in growing pride in what they came to know.

When Weald was a first-magnitude star, the four were not highly
qualified astrogators, to be sure, but they were vastly better
spacemen than at the beginning. Inevitably, their attitude toward
Calhoun was respectful. He'd been irritable and right. To the young,
the combination is impressive.

Maril had served as passenger only. In theory she was to compare
Calhoun's lessons with his practise when alone. But he did nothing on
this journey which, teaching considered, was different from the two
interstellar journeys Maril had made with him.

She occupied the sleeping cabin during two of the six watches of each
ship-day. She operated the food-readier, which was almost completely
emptied of its original store of food, it having been confiscated by
the government of Dara. That amount of food would make no difference
to the planet, but it was wise for everyone on Dara to be equally
ill-fed.

On the sixth day out from Dara, the sun of Weald had a magnitude of
minus five-tenths. The electron telescope could detect its larger
planets, especially a gas-giant fifth-orbit world of high albedo.
Calhoun had his four students estimate its distance again, pointing
out the difference that could be made in breakout position if the Med
Ship were mis-aimed by as much as one second of arc.

"And now," he said briskly, "we'll have coffee. I'm going to graduate
you as pilots. Maril, four cups of coffee, please."