“Now there’s a job waiting for you, fella,” broke in Kimber. “Come up and tell us what you think of this.”
Kordov spilled out of the third chair and helped Rogan into it. Holding tightly to the arms of the seat, as if be feared any moment to be tossed out of it, Rogan gave his full attention to the screen. He drew a deep breath of pure wonder.
“It’s- it’s beautiful!”
Dard agreed with that. The mingling of color was working on him-just as sunsets back on Terra had been able to do. There were no words he knew to describe what he now saw. But be didn’t have a chance to watch long.
“Better strap down,” came the suggestion from the pilot.”We’re going in ”
Kordov plumped down on one of the acceleration mats, pulling the harness which flanked it up over his body, and Dard did the same. He was flat on his back against the spongy stuff of the pad with his head at an angle from which he could not see the screen. They bored into atmosphere and he must have blacked out, for he never afterward remembered the last part of the furious descent.
The ship shuddered, pushing up-or was it down-upon him. He had a misty idea that this must be full gravity returning. Then there was a shock which tore at the webs holding his body and he gasped, fighting for breath. But his hands were already at the buckles which fastened him down as he heard a voice say:
“End of the line! All out!”
And another replied-in Cully’s dry tone: “Neat, Sim, nice and neat.”