_Mars was strewn with the human wrecks of
halftrippers--terrorized cowards of space travel.
But perhaps the saddest, and the most fearful of
all was the immortal spacebum called Micheal._
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories November 1951.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
This section of New Sante Fe was off my beaten track. I've been on Mars
a long time and am more than usually familiar with the various centers
where we Terrans do our congregating. However, it'd been years since
I'd come through here.
I was sitting in an obscure tavern, called, with commendable restraint,
simply Sam's Bar, lapping up Martian brandy and facing the prospect of
returning to the spaceport in a few hours with no particular enthusiasm.
I only half-noticed the old man who got up on the stool next to me. Sam
came over and asked him what he'd have.
The oldster carefully counted out some coins on the bar and said,
"Wine, Sam; a glass of Martian wine."
"You know I don't want your money, Joseph," Sam told him.
The old man answered reproachfully, "The wine would taste that much the
less, my friend, if I had not earned it by the sweat of my...."
"Okay," Sam sighed. He poured the wine and rang up the money and went
off to wait on someone else.
A halftripper sidled up to me. "How about a drink, spaceman?" he
whined. "I'm a graduate of the academy myself, class of '72." He must
have noted my United Space Lines uniform.
"Sorry," I said gruffly, keeping my back to him. Any spaceman can tell
you that if you talk to a halftripper for long you'll soon be showing
symptoms of space cafard yourself. The underlying terror in him; the
mind shattering fear of space; the way he stares at you, thinking that
you can go home, while he is afraid to risk the trip. There are few of
them that can hide their disease.
"I need a shot bad," he whispered urgently. He probably did, too. Few
halftrippers are able to secure jobs on the planets of their exile.
Most of them become beachcombers of space. Of course, there are some
exceptions, especially if they have money and connections.