“You probably were thinking of something on Earth,” said Eddie. “I noticed in your reports—you kept trying to make this world a second Earth. Not only you. All the field-workers. Everything was compared to something at home. Most of the comparisons are going to turn out to be false and wrong. This place is alien.We don’t belong here.”

“That has not been determined,” said Ivanova.

The boat turned in toward the western shore. It was close, and the bluffs were easy to see. They were tall and eroded, topped with forest and cut by deep ravines.

“It really is a lovely planet,” said Agopian. “Earth must have looked like this, before the capitalists got hold of it.”

“Huh,” said Eddie.

There were domes on the shore: tan and soft blue, creamy off-white, celadon-green. In front of them was a dock, extending into the lake. It floated, long and jointed, moving up and down section by section as the waves washed in.

People came out of the buildings. They ran toward the dock. So many!

“Eddie,” said Derek.

“Yes.”

“I don’t think we have the energy for any kind of celebration.”

“Leave it to me.” The boat stopped. Eddie climbed onto the dock and ran toward the people.

The engine stopped. I heard water and the wind. Birds cried. Human voices spoke. I did not understand them. Eddie gestured. The people turned and walked back to the camp.

We climbed out, and Agopian tied the boat. Eddie returned, one person with him: a tall and slender woman. Her skin was dark brown. Her hair was shoulder-length and wavy. Her coveralls were terra-cotta red.

“This is Liberation Minh. She’s a member of the medical team.”

“A pleasure.” She shook our hands. “We’re going to need to do a preliminary examination. It won’t take long. We will take you apart once we have you on the ship. But now—all we need is a few samples. A few tests.” She turned and led the way. Derek and I followed.

“We have found parasites in your colleagues. A few worms or wormlike creatures. A number of microbes. None doing really well, but trying. If they were larger, we’d speak of courage and enterprise.” Her accent was African. That surprised me. I would have bet she came from the Americas. That name and that coloring. Maybe her parents had been American.

“Also, we have found malnutrition. Our microbes—the ones that were supposed to help you metabolize the native flora and fauna—did not work as well as we had hoped.”

We reached the end of the dock. Vehicles had gone over the muddy ground, mashing down the vegetation and leaving deep ruts. I saw one machine: a hillclimber with huge wheels. It was parked next to a dome.

Liberation Mihn said, “That is it, except for a little metal poisoning. The crust of this planet is rich.”

Oh, good, I thought. Our microbes were failing, other microbes had moved in, and we were being poisoned by who knew what? Zinc. Copper. Manganese. Lead.

We followed her into a blue-gray dome. Inside was a pale gray carpet. Hexagonal windows looked out on the evening lake. There were rooms full of medical equipment. I entered one, and a tech came in, tall, with a hawk face. “Please undress, unless you are uncomfortable with nudity or men.”

“No.” I put on a gown. He attached machines to me. They made the usual machine noises. He made the kind of human noises that were usual during a medical examination.

“No trouble there. Or there. You seem to be in the—what is the term?—pink of health. I don’t know if that refers to the color of healthy Europeans. If so, it is another example of racism. How hard it is to get such things out of a language!”

There were more noises, machine and human. Finally he said, “I can see no trouble at all. Except your weight. It’s down a bit, and it is never a good idea to be too thin. Try to eat a little more until your weight is back up to where it should be.”

“Okay.”

“And the problem with menstruation. That is most interesting! I will refer it to the proper committee, along with your test results. The bathroom is next door. Please read the instructions on the monitor and follow them exactly. Thank you for your patience.” He gave me a dazzling white smile. “And welcome back. God is great!”

He left. I found the bathroom, followed the instructions, dressed, and went down the hall. By this time it was night. When I looked out the windows, I saw only my own reflection and the gleam of the corridor lights. I came to a room with chairs. Derek and Eddie sat there. Both looked tired.

“How are you?” I asked Derek.

“Some scratches and bruises. One ugly bite. But otherwise okay.”

“One ugly bite?”

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

I glanced at Eddie. “What next?”

“You are assigned to dome number five. I’ll take you there. Dome three—the big one—has the commons and the dining room.”

“Not tonight. I just want to go to sleep.”

“Yes,” said Derek.

“Okay.” Eddie stood.

We went out. The sky had cleared. Stars gleamed overhead. To the east I saw a planet. It was yellow and so bright that it cast a reflection: a yellow line that barely wavered. The water must be quiet. The air was still. We moved past buildings and machinery. Metal gleamed dimly in the light that came out windows.

Eddie stopped and pushed open a door. We followed him into a corridor made of glazed yellow panels. Lamps shaped like flowers were fastened to the walls. Their stems were ceramic. Their petals were frosted glass. A light blue carpet covered the floor. I felt its texture through my slippers. Soft. Our feet made no noise as we followed Eddie.

“Here.” He opened another door. A light came on. I saw a bedroom: blue walls and a pale tan carpet. There was a hexagonal window over the bed. The window was at an angle, set in a wall that curved.

“This is yours, Lixia.”

I made the gesture of gratitude.

“Derek will be next door. The bathroom is down the hall. I can get you food, if you’re hungry.”

“No.” The bed had a cover: a floral pattern done in white, dark blue, and tan. It looked comforting. Was that the right word? Comfortable. Like home.

“Good night,” said Eddie.

They left me. I dimmed the light, undressed, and lay down. The bed was soft. The cover felt cool and smooth. I thought of getting under it, but could not manage the effort. I closed my eyes.

I woke to darkness. Above me was the window. Stars burned outside. There was someone in the room. I wasn’t sure how I could tell, but I was certain. Where was the light? I didn’t remember turning it off. I reached out carefully, feeling along the wall. Surely there ought to be a switch.

“Relax,” said Derek. “It’s only me.” His voice came from the floor.

“What in hell?”

“The bed was too soft, and I was lonely. I wanted something familiar.”

“Oh.”

“They smell funny, Lixia. I think it’s the difference in diet. And the lack of fur.”

“Could be.”

“And there’s something about the air in these buildings. It doesn’t feel right. It barely moves.”

“If you want to sleep on the floor, it’s okay with me.”

“Thank you.”

“What happened to you, Derek? After you got to the sandbar.”

He laughed. “Nothing much. The nearest land was a marsh. I swam over there. I thought maybe I’d be able to find a trail. I got bit.”

“Is that what you were talking about?”

“More or less. It was a kind of lizard. Not even as long as my forearm. But brightly colored and fearless. I thought those colors had to mean something, and there had to be a reason why the animal was fearless. Either it scared other animals or it tasted like shit.

“I figured I didn’t want to take the chance. I had to get the wound open and bleeding. I didn’t have a knife on me. I’d lost it. I didn’t want to take the time to find something sharp.” He paused. “I chewed the wound open.”

“What?”