THE NEXT TWO YEARS, objective time, were crowded ores.  As the Signatory made his long journey, stage by stage towards Earth, the various factions on that planet prepared to receive him, each in its different way.

For Synvoret and his party, the subjective time of the voyage was only four months.  And at least half of that period was passed at spaceport hotels dotted across the universe, waiting to catch a connection headed in their desired direction.  Even with a high priority ticket, it took the party five hops to reach Earth.

At the end of the fourth hop, grounded on a planet named Appelobetnees III, Synvoret was lucky.  He was due to catch an Official Lines ship in two days which would take him to Earth via Castacorze.  Then he learnt of a warp freighter leaving for Partussy via Saturn.

Synvoret summoned the freighter captain and quickly made his arrangements.

"Sure, I can put your party of on Earth and collect you on the way back from Saturn," the captain said.  He was a heavily whiskered creature, tall as a nul, shaped like a shrimp.  "Since we shall be in ordinary space for most of that intersystem hop, you should get eight or nine clear days on Earth.  After which I will have you back in Partussy in eight weeks subjective time."

"Excellent," Synvoret said.

"Get aboard the Geboraa this evening, and we clear Appelobetnees III at ten chimes tomorrow."

"Excellent," Synvoret said again.

Before informing the rest of his party of this change of plans, he took a reflective turn around the spaceport.

It disturbed him to find how relieved he was to have a way home planned before he had reached his destination.  Although he solaced his conscience by telling himself that nine days was ample to prove or disprove Par-Chavorlem's guilt, he could not so easily forget that only a short while ago he had been promising himself the longest possible time away from home.

"I'm getting old, missing my own hearth," he muttered.

Relieved, he began to go back to the hotel, simply reversing like a locomotive, instead of actually turning arounf like a man.  As he skirted the spaceport barrier, a nul outside called to him.  Swiveling an eye-stalk, Synvoret saw a ragged fellow detach himself from the multishaped crowd of passers-by and come up to the fence, obviously attracted by the signatorial uniform.  Synvoret halted agreeably.