THE COSMIC COMPUTER

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But he couldn't even go back to yesterday afternoon in Kurt Fawzi's
office and tell them the truth. All he could do was go ahead. It had
seemed so easy, when he and his father had been talking on the Mall;
just get a ship built, and get out to Koshchei, and open some of the
shipyards and engine works there, and build a hypership. Sure; easy?once
he got started.

He climbed out of bed, knuckled the sleep-sand out of his eyes, threw
his robe around him, and started across the room to the bath cubicle.

They had decided to have breakfast together his first morning home. The
party had broken up late, and then there had been the excitement of
opening the presents he had brought back from Terra. Nobody had had a
chance to talk about Merlin, or about what he was going to do, now that
he was home. That, and his career of mendacity, would start at
breakfast. He wanted to let his father get to the table first, to run
interference for him; he took his time with his toilet and dressed