WILLIE'S PLANET
BY MIKE ELLIS
The most fitting place for a man to die
is where he dies for man. Yet Willie chose
a sterile, alien world that wouldn't even
see a man for millions of years....
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, April 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Tom stood in front of the filtered porthole of the tiny cabin andsoaked up the sunlight that came through. It felt good after ten monthsof deep space blackness.
"By golly, Willie, this is luck," he said to the little man standingat the cabin's instruments, "our hundredth and last star, and it's anEarth type sun. How much difference is there from our sun?"
Willie held the color chart up beside the spectrum screen. "Almost on.Couple of degrees difference." He tossed the chart on the desk and cameto stand at Tom's side, the top of his head even with Tom's erectshoulder. His thin face was tense and worried.
"Tom," he said, "I have a hunch about this star." He stared at thescreen morosely.
"I don't receive a thing," Tom chuckled, stretching his flat muscledarms to the low ceiling, his body making a triangle from his narrowhips to his wide shoulders. "What's the hunch?"
"Ever have the feeling you'd been some place before when you'd actuallynever been there? I feel that about this star." Willie glanced at Tomwith his bright blue eyes, then looked quickly away, a bit of a redflush high on his cheeks.
"It's just because it's like our sun, that's all," Tom said.
"No, it's not that, Tom. It's something else. I feel like we ought toget out of here. Maybe it's the planet."
"Planet?" Tom said.
"Yes," Willie said quietly, "an Earth type planet."
"Earth type!" Tom shouted. "Ten thousand credits bonus! Get it on thescreen, Willie. Let's see that spending money baby."
Willie turned on the viewer. Dark and shadowy on one side, bright withblue-green color on the other, the planet floated on the screen.
"The blue must be water and the green continents," Tom murmured in awe."Damn, it's beautiful. We going to pass it close?"
"In about five more minutes of this spiral," Willie answered. "Say,Tom," Willie said hesitantly, "will you check over these figures? I'mnot sure I've allowed enough for the pull of the sun." He shifted thepapers aimlessly.
"My gosh, Willie," Tom said, "the only thing I know about navigation iswhat you've taught me this trip. Your figures are right."
"I just wanted to make sure I'm right," Willie said. "I don't like tonavigate close in." He pushed the papers back on the desk. "I guess I'dbetter call the big shot and let him take over." He pressed the buttonthat rang the buzzer in the Captain's tiny cabin.
"Might as well let Pudge in on it too," Tom said, "or the food will belousy for days."
"Yeah," Willie said, and buzzed the galley.
Captain Bart strode into the cabin, his barrel chest bare and hairyabove the shorts he had been napping in. He went straight to theporthole and stood with his fists on his hips, appraising the sun. Thenhe caught sight of the blue-green ball on the scope.
"Earth type planet! Nice going, Willie," he shouted, and clapped Willieon the back.
Willie flinched slightly, then moved over to the chart desk, a frownmaking vertical creases in his forehead.
Bart turned to Tom without noticing. "Ten thousand credits, Tom. I knewwe'd do it. Even in this forty