"When you're down there it's even more like Earth," Max said. "And all the way down you could watch it grow larger. It wouldn't be at all like open space."
At the poles of the planet snow gleamed, and cloud masses drifted across the equator. And the people looked, and pointed, their voices growing loud with eagerness.
"Why don't we land the world now?" Trina cried. "Why wait for the ship to bring people up here?"
"Landing the world would take a lot of power," Elias said. "It would be foolish to do it unless we planned on staying for quite a while." He sighed. "Though I would like to go down there. I'd like to see a really Earth type planet."
He looked at Max, and Max smiled. "Well, why not?" he said.
Elias smiled too. "After all, I've been in space once. I'll go again." He turned and pushed his way through the people.
Trina watched him go. Somehow he seemed a symbol to her. Old and stable, he had been head of the council since she was a child. And he had gone into space with her father....
"Please come, Trina," Max said. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
With both Max and Elias along, certainly it couldn't be too bad. Max was right. There was nothing, really, to be afraid of. She smiled up at him.
"All right," she said. "I'll go."