Excerpt: …faces, most of them unshaven, and most with thick, shaggy eyebrows. Even in that air-cooled room their generally unwashed condition was noticeable. Hanlon knew instinctively he would make no friends among them. I only hope I make no enemies. Why was I, so drastically different from them, chosen as a guard? What’s that leader got in his devious mind, anyway? There were four mining engineers, and these men were keen, alert fellows. One seemed about forty-five, another in his late thirties, and the two others young men evidently not long out of school. They were clean-shaven, and friendly where the guards were surly and sneering at Hanlon’s youth and slimness. There was an accountant, the store clerk, two checkers who tallied ore brought up each shift. A half dozen others, who apparently were truckmen and hoistmen, completed, with Philander, the cook and the bunkhouse cleaner, the human crew at this mine. Hanlon had been seated between one of the guards, a huge man by the name of Groton, and one of the young engineers. The latter made him welcome, and asked where he came from. I’d just moved to Simonides when I got the chance to come here, Hanlon explained. I was born and raised on Terra.
Terra! the young man’s voice was interested, and several others about the table raised their heads at that name. I’ve always wanted to see the Mother World. When all had finished eating, several of the other men who had never seen Terra moved closer to Hanlon, asking many questions. I understand Terra has the best technicians in the universe, one of the hoistmen said. That used to be the case, Hanlon answered honestly, but now I understand Simonides has, just as she is the wealthiest planet. Of course, Terra being the original world, was bound to have the best the race could breed in all lines of endeavor. But when so many people migrated to other planets, she gradually lost many of her finest brains. Later, those other planets offered such fabulous…