s.

Two days later, a Patrolman with the insignia of a Commander on his
collar tabs showed up at my cell. He was apologetic. I was a hero, he
said. Seems like the Patrol caught Redman trying to sneak through the
asteroid belt on standard drive and blasted him out of space.

So they gave me the reward and turned me loose.

But it didn't do me any good. After taxes, it only came to twenty
thousand, and Abie grabbed that before I could get out of town. Like
I said, Abie's unforgiving where money's concerned, and Redman had
taken him for over thirty kilos, which, according to Abie was my fault
for lifting him and getting him out of town. After he got my twenty
kilos he still figured I owed him twelve--and so I've never made it
back. Every time I get a stake he grabs it, and what with the
interest, I still owe him twelve.

But I still keep trying, because there's still a chance. You see, when
Redman probed around in my mind to learn how to run the spaceship, he
was in a hurry. He must have done something to my brain, because when
he left me on that asteroid, as he turned and waved at me, I could
hear him thinking that the Patrol would not be able to stop
hyperships, and if he made it to Earth his people could emigrate to
some clean world and stop having to inject their kids, and while they
couldn't make the grade themselves, their kids could crash the Galaxy
without any trouble. I got the impression that it wouldn't be too much
trouble to empty Earth. Seems as though there wasn't many more than a
million people left. The red color wasn't complete protection
apparently.

And there's another thing. About a month after I got the reward, there
was a minor complaint from Centaurus V about one of their officials
who disappeared on a vacation trip to Mars. His ship was a Starflite
class, Serial CY 122439. Get the idea?

So I keep watching all the incoming tourists like you. Someday I
figure I'm going to run into a decolorized Earthman. They won't be
able to stay away any more than the other peoples of the Galaxy. Old
Mother Earth keeps dragging them back even though they've been gone
for over a thousand years. Don't get the idea they want to see Mars.
It's Earth that draws them. And it'll draw an Earthman's kids. And I
figure that if I could read Redman's mind, I can read theirs, too even
though I haven't read a thought since. It figures, does it not?

Hey! Hold on! There's no need to run. All I want to do is collect a
fif