ever offered."

Jadiver drew away from that eagerness. "What is this bargain?"

"Did you notice the fare to Mars? Four-fifths of that to Earth, and yet
it's farther away. Did you stop to think why?"

* * * * *

He had noticed and he thought he knew why. It was another side of the
citizenship program. Get them away from Earth, the farther the better,
and don't let them come back. If necessary, shuttle them between
colonies, but don't let them come back.

"I hadn't," he said. "Why?"

The voice throbbed throatily and robot eyes grew round. "To induce
people to travel. Travel is wonderful. I love to travel."

Pathetic thing. Someone had erred in building it, had implanted too much
enthusiasm for the job. It loved to travel and would never get farther
than a few feet from the counter. Jadiver dismissed that thought.

"What's this wonderful offer?" he asked.

"Just think of it," whispered the robot. "We have another destination,
much farther than Jupiter, but only one-tenth the fare to Earth. If you
don't have the full fare in cash, just give us verbal assurance that
you'll pay when you get the money. No papers to sign. We have confidence
in your personal integrity."

"Sounds intriguing," Jadiver said, backing away. It sounded more like a
death sentence. Alpha Centauri or some such place--hard grubbing labor
under a blazing or meager sun, it didn't matter which. Exile forever on
planets that lagged and would always lag behind Earth. It took years to
get there, even at speeds only a little below that of light, time in
which the individual was out of touch.

"I hope you won't forget," said the robot. "It's hard to get people to
understand. But I can see that you do."

He understood too well. He ducked out of the flight office. He'd stay
and take it here if he had to, escape some way if he could. Nothing was
worth that kind of sacrifice.

He went slowly back to the apartment. It was not so strange that the
police hadn't arrested him. They knew that he'd stay on the planet, that
he had to. They'd had it figured out long before he did.

He fell into the bed without removing his clothing. The bed made no
effort to induce him to sleep. It wasn't necessary.

* * * * *

In the morning, Jadiver awakened to the smell of food. The room he slept
in was dark, but in the adjacent room he could hear the Kitch-Hen
clucking away contentedly as it prepared breakfa