midday
The sound of the stern exhaust built up and up to the roaring thunder that meant the blast was opened full ... '' _ Nothing to Be Done _ '' Unmoving , their ship seemed , through the long hours . Yet there were lights that passed swiftly and unnoticed , and the unending thunder from the stern gave assurance that they were not floating idly in the vast sea of space . The sun was behind them , and ahead was Earth in midday glory ; Harkness could not tear his eyes away from that goal . He stood always at the controls , not because there was work to be done , but for the feeling it gave him of urging the ship onward . Diane ministered to Chet and dressed the wound . There were few words exchanged between them .