"Goodbye, Albert Hall," said the girl. The aircar zoomed away from me.
I put my gun away angrily. Then I caught an aircar back to the office. On the way I did a lot of thinking. And what I thought made me even angrier. I thought about Kelly—and all the other men like him who signed on the Stardust Overdrive. They were good men, happy men—even married, some of them. But when they came back from deep space they were changed. For they always brought back an Ideal—a beautiful woman on the surface, and seemingly one who was a reflection of their every wish or desire—an Ideal. Human? As far as Earth science could determine. But science and deep space were light years apart and perhaps would always be that way for the men who went out there never talked about it much when they came back. Why? Why!
What made them hate it—like Kelly? And what made them have to return? What turned a happy man into a miserable prisoner? Why didn't Kelly quit the Stardust Overdrive?
When I got to the office I had made up my mind. This had been gnawing at me for a long time and it had to be settled. I had to know....
I filled out my request for transfer from planetary runs to deep space. Then I went to the tele and called my wife.
"Honey, you won't like what I've just done," I told her. I could see her face take on a sudden chilled look. As if she knew....
"What is it, Al?" There was tenseness in her voice and I couldn't blame her a bit.
"The Stardust Overdrive." I said it quickly and then felt like a heel. But it was already too late.
"Al—no—you couldn't—"