'I noticed. You just marched off with it.

'It's not the captain's bottle. He simply pilfers it and the consignee looks the other way. He hauls in several cases on every trip, I understand. Special-order shipments for the gnomes at Project Pope.

'Gnomes at Project Pope? What in hell have gnomes to do with it, and what is Project Pope?

'You mean you don't know?

'Not at all, he said.

'Well, I guess they're not really gnomes, although it's a term that is often used for them. Some of them are humans, but the most of them are robots.

'That's no real answer, said Tennyson. 'Tell me what you're talking about. It sounds mysterious and-

'What about you, my friend? she asked. 'What's all your mystery? The captain said you stowed away and then you paid your passage. And if you don't know about Project Pope, why are you heading out for End of Nothing? There's no reason to go there except for Project Pope.

'So help me, said Tennyson, 'before I set foot on this ship, I had never heard of End of Nothing or of Project Pope. What is this End of Nothing?

'In due time, she said, 'I shall be glad to give you all the details that I have. But you give first. I took you in, remember. I am sharing with you. Now, let's each have a drink, then you start.

They each had a drink. He wrested the bottle from her and took another one, then handed it back.

'You know, he said, 'that stuff has authority.

'Give, she said.

'Well, first of all, I really am a doctor.

'I never doubted that. I had a peek into your bag.

'You know about Gutshot, the planet that we took off from.

She shivered. 'A horrid little place, although I was glad enough to get there. It was the last stop on the way to End of Nothing and, working my way out, there've been too many stops. I never dreamed, of course, that I'd have to put up with such a filthy ship to get there. I asked around. Would you believe it, this is the only ship between Gutshot and End of Nothing. This captain of ours has the pilgrim trade tied up.