Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 223: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“detached, scientific” approach as prescribed by Space Medicine work out fine. But | wasn’t. The quietness, Lya- Younger, the given-but-never-proffered information somehow it all tied up together. In an inexplicable knot that wasn't meant for us to untie. But it was there. It was there... . The Teachers had retired for the day, and | was cleaning up a couple of odds and ends on my dicto and getting ready to leave the conference chamber when the messenger came. | was beat, wondering how many more months of this | could take, and a little less gracious than | might have been. The young Martian had a message from Max. It was short and to the point, very Kruger-like. “I’m busy,” the thing read. “Know it’s my turn to track back to ship for contact home, but wish you’d do it. They'll be sore if we miss one. Tell them we’re about half finished, be home in eight months. Thanks.” “Why, that damn—” “Any reply, sir?” | turned, feeling the sudden color at the back of my neck. | got out a weak little smile. “No—no, and thank you very much for your trouble.” The messenger bowed and left, and | fumed inside for a few minutes at Kruger’s scientific tenacity and then got up and left, myself. | KNEW my way to the track, and as | approached it a couple of service engineers hopped into it and had it started up and warming for me by the time | reached it. They helped me into my suit, and with pretty abrupt thanks | clambered in behind the wheel, revved her up like a noise-happy hot- rod and tore out into the desert. CORniclooo SS CO