 Which word doesn't describe Jordan?
But with the Procyon shuttle arriving yesterday, there was no telling what might turn up. For eighty years now, they’d been sending out the little ships that vanished at greater than the speed of light, equipped with every conceivable device to make them return automatically after taking pictures of wherever they arrived. This was the first hope they’d found that the century-long trips between stars in the ponderous shuttles might be ended and he should have been filled with excitement at Jordan’s hasty preliminary report. He had no desire to spend ninety years cooped up with a bunch of callow young emigrants, even in one of the improved Exodus shuttles. The discovery that men could live practically forever had put an end to most family ties; sentiment wore thin in half a century—which wasn’t much time now, though it had once seemed long enough. If he looked that bad— But Jordan wasn’t looking at him; the man’s interest lay in the projected picture from Harry, across the desk from the communicator. Pre-setting a course may take centuries, if we can ever master it. Jordan opened his mouth and for a second Giles’ heart caught in a flux of emotions as the man’s offer hovered on his lips. Usually it was too easy to realize that, and the sight of the solid, time-enduring buildings outside should have given him a sense of security. Dubbins was at his side almost at once, with a hand under his arm to guide him toward his suite.
 heroic
 intelligent  motivated  impatient  heroic