I got to my feet and we started the march again. Joe was still fresh, a brilliant contrast to me, weary and dejected. Somehow, I had the same feeling I'd had a long time ago on my sixteenth birthday. One of my friends had taken me all over the city, finally dropping me off at my own house where the whole gang was gathered for a surprise party. Joe reminded me of that friend.
"There's a village ahead," he said, and the grin on his face was large now, his eyes shining.
Something was missing here. Natives. There were no natives rushing out to greet us. No cries of "Cigarettes? Cigarettes?" I caught up with Joe.
"What's the story?" I whispered.
He shrugged knowingly and continued walking.
And then I saw the ship, nose pointing into space, catching the rays of the sun like a great silver bullet.
"What...?" I started.
"It's all right," Joe said, smiling.
The ship looked vaguely familiar. I noticed the crest of Space II near the nose, and a lot of things became clear then. I also saw Walsh standing near one of the huts, a stun gun in his hand.