Лестер Дель Рей - The Mysterious Planet

looks and laugh together.

Bob turned back at last, with Jakes and Juan following him. “I guess we’ll be going back to Mars next week,” he said. “We’ll have to get back for the fall opening of the Academy. ‘Leftenant Griffith reporting for studies, sir!’ That’s going to be tough to live down for a while.”

“At least you make it sound good,” Simon Jakes grumbled. “When I say ‘Leftenant Jakes reporting for studies,’ I can’t keep my voice from squeaking. I don’t believe it myself, after all the fool things I’ve gotten mixed up in. Hey, imagine me going back to that old Academy to earn a commission when I’ve already got one.”

Juan smiled at them. His face had been restored to its natural color, but he still looked more like an Earth boy than a young man of Thule. “You’ll be back,” he said. “With your father acting as first ambassador to Thule,

Bob, I’ll be seeing you every summer. Maybe we can all take another trip next year in the Icarius.”

“We’ll take you on a guided tour of the whole Solar System,” Simon promised him. “As soon as I get that inertia-free drive of yours installed.”

Juan glanced up at the sky where the sun was already beginning to look bigger, and nodded. “It’s a pretty good Solar System,” he said.

Bob agreed. It was a tine Solar System, and it looked as if it would be an even better one in the years to come.

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