The Prophet and his cohorts were not fools; they included some of the shrewdest applied psychologists this tired planet has ever seen. Furthermore, he was always cheerful; nothing seemed to bother him. The ship dropped free for a few moments -- a final quick blast -- five seconds of falling, and a short, light, grinding bump. You'll need fifty or sixty stretchers.
Married couples were quartered where they pleased-about a third of us were female-and usually chose to set up their houses (or pens) well away from the central grouping. In those days all ships had landing wings. Our gun spoke again, at point-blank range, right into the inner Palace. Towers switched it off.
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