The Colors of Space

But when the stars steadied and took on their own colors, the blaze of a

small green sun was steady in the viewport.

"Meristem," Vorongil said, taking the controls himself. "Let's hope the

place is really uninhabited and that catalogue's up to date, lads. It

wouldn't be any fun to burn up some harmless village, or get shot at by

barbarians--and we're setting down with no control-tower signals and no

spaceport repair crews. So let's hope our luck holds out for a while

yet."

Bart, feeling the minute, unsteady trembling somewhere in the

ship--Imagination, he told himself, you can't feel metal-fatigue

somewhere in the hull lining--echoed the wish. He did not know that he

had already had the best luck of his unique voyage, or realize the

fantastic luck that had brought him to the small green star Meristem.