of deepsleepers who'd agree with you, who'd think their chances
are actually better on Rustum. Why can't we take them there first? It
seems only fair."

"Uh-uh." Her hair was short, but it floated in loose waves when she
shook her head, and light rippled mahogany across it. "You've been there
and I haven't, but I've studied your reports. A handful couldn't
survive. Three thousand is none too many. It will have to be unanimous,
whatever is decided."

"I was trying to avoid that conclusion," he said wearily, "but if you
agree--Well, can't we settle the argument at Rustum, after they've
looked the place over?"

"No. And I'll tell you why, captain," she said. "I know Coenrad de Smet
well, and one or two others. Good men ... don't get me wrong ... but
born politicians, intuitive rather than logical thinkers. They believe,
quite honestly, it's best to go back. And, of course, the timid and lazy
and selfish ones will support them. They don't want to risk having
Rustum there, a whole new world for the taking--and the vote to go
against them. I've seen plenty of your photographs, captain. They were
so beautiful, some of them, that I can hardly wait for the reality. I
know--and so does de Smet--High America is a magnificent place. Room,
freedom, unpoisoned air. We'll remember all that we hated on Earth and
that isn't on Rustum; we'll reflect much more soberly how long a time
will have passed before we could possibly get back, and what a gamble
we'd be taking on finding a tolerable situation there. The extra quarter
gee won't seem so bad till it's time for heavy manual labor; the alien
biochemistry won't bother us much till we have to stop eating rations
and start trying to farm; the isolation won't really be felt till your
spaceships have departed and we're all the humanity there is for more
than twenty light-years.

"No ... de Smet won't risk it. He might get caught up in the glamour
himself!"

Coffin murmured thoughtfully: "After only a few days of deceleration,
there won't be enough reaction mass to do anything but continue home."

"De Smet knows that, too," said Teresa. "Captain, you can make a hard
decision and stick to it. That's why you have your job. But maybe you
forget how few people can--how most of us pray someone will come along
and tell us what to do. Even under severe pressure, the decision to go
to Rustum was difficult. Now that there's a chance to undo it, go back
to being safe and comfortable--but still a