by Roland Starr
“This is a great moment, Max,” she said softly. “Do you realize that Omina is the only planet capable of maintaining human life that has been found?”
“I know.” He nodded. “I’ve had a feeling, despite the setbacks of the past few days, that this was it. There’s still a lot to do, and we’ve got a month in which to do it. You’re going to be very busy, along with the others. But my work is done for the time being. And I have a feeling that there’s a lot for me to consider.” He looked around and saw Ed Bardo sitting upon the ground, handling the grass and the Earth as if he had never seen such things before. “Setting my feet back on soil has done something to my mind, Adah,” he went on more slowly, thinking deeply, trying to lift the mental curtain a little higher. “I know that I love you, that we meant a great deal to one another back there on Earth. Don’t you agree that this is the most wonderful moment in your life?”
“Up till now,” she retorted, a soft smile upon her face. “But you wait until we get back to Earth, Max. Do you realize that you’ve got as much exploring there to do as you have here? Two new worlds to look over, and there’s a great deal of promise in each.”
“I know what you mean.” Vonner sighed as he relaxed and sat down upon the grass. “Let’s take a couple of minutes before we start. We’ll get the rest of the crew down here from the Orion and start establishing a base.” He shaded his eyes against the glare of the brilliant sun and stared out across the plain. “Looks to me as if there are animals over there,” he commented. “Let’s hope the natives, if any, are friendly.” He placed an arm about her shoulders, and they sat resting, a warm, deep feeling inside them. He felt as if his work had been completed instead of about to begin. But the unknown parts of it were at an end, and what came next could be handled from experience. So his mind was leaping ahead, bridging the limitless space that existed between them and Earth, and he knew that the wonderful feeling of achievement now in his heart would be matched by the thrill of returning and laying claim to more than the glory which would be theirs. There was more than a world to conquer, he knew. Man had to understand himself before he could hope to understand creation, and man, although infinitesimal in space, was the most important atom in the universe.