We radiated the danger area, left 231 for a pick-up team, and headed
for home.
* * * * *
Moya walked with me from Quarantine to the Terra Ramp. The leg still
wasn't right.
"Did you mention me kindly in your report?"
"Of course not," I told him.
He chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder.
"About Ben Stuart--"
"It's a nasty job," I said.
"Did he rate getting cashiered?"
"He did, Tony."
"Well, take care of yourself, Ivy."
The redhead again was on duty at the outbound desk. She ignored me.
_Xanadu!_
It was night, and there was a heavy fog. Standing alone on the open
promenade outside the dome, I was grateful that I couldn't see the
sky--and the ominous stars that were not so far away.
A couple of months later, I heard that Epsilon-Terra had received its
official name: _Atri-Terra_. _Atri_ from attrition. I've wondered ever
since whether GS based the choice upon the secular or the theological
definition.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Analog_ November 1961. Extensive
research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on
this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical
errors have been corrected without note.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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