Robert Silverberg

“ Kent said in blunt tones. "You see, we're going to turn the ship around. If you don't navigate, the ship will never get back to Earth." He smiled coldly. "Surely, an idealist like yourself would never allow a shipload of innocent people to drift through space for all eternity."
Conroy felt a chill at Bayliss Kent's words. He knew that Kent was right. He had to do it—unless he could stop Bayliss Kent first. ”

“ There wouldn't be any water in the irrigation tubes now.
The tube was a little over three feet across and dropped down into the sub-levels of the ship, where the water-purifiers were. Conroy peered into the tube's depths for a moment, then lifted up the hinged cover, lowered himself into the tube, and braced his feet against one side and his shoulders against the other.
Closing the cover, then, in total blackness, he began to lower himself down the tube. Hands, shoulders, feet; hands, shoulders, feet. Over and over again, as mountain climbers work their way up and down crevasses. ”

“ But Peter Conroy didn't dare trust his message to one of the underlings; he had no way of knowing how many of them were already sympathizers with Bayliss Kent. Undoubtedly, many of the younger officers were with him.
Kent's idea was simple. Why should the younger generation spend their entire lives cooped up on the Starship I, he asked? If the ship were turned around now and full power were applied, they could make it back to Earth in a little over ten years. ”