Exiled to the Stars by William Zellmann Page A

scandal of any kind at the university?"
    The tears stopped as she answered, "Why, yes, as a matter of fact. I had to report my Department Head for putting his name on some of my research. How did you know?"
    Ron shook his head. "Universities are vital to the future of the EarthGov. I'm sure EarthGov would be happy to rid a Department Head of a troublesome faculty member."
    The tears were gone now, replaced by an incredulous stare. "Y…You mean that Doctor Stevens did this to me?" She was obviously shocked.
    Ron shrugged. "I'd almost bet on it."
    The shock began to fade, to be replaced by fear and desperation. "But…but what do I do now ?" The enormity of her plight was beginning to dawn on her. This wasn't all some horrible mistake. It had been planned and implemented with the purpose of removing her from Earth – from her entire life!
    The tears were threatening to return, so Ron hurriedly replied, "There's nothing you can do." He hardened his voice. "Your old life is gone, Dr. James. Gone forever. Your apartment, your office, your cat, all gone. And they will never return. You should have faced this weeks ago, in the Classification Center. But you didn't understand, and thought you'd be rescued." He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
    "But…but surely the Captain…" her voice trailed off as she saw Ron shake his head.
    "I'm sorry, Dr. James. The Captain has no authority here. He's a colonist, just like you are. After we boost out tomorrow, his authority will be absolute. But that will be too late."
    Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't believe you. There must be someone …" Her voice trailed off again as she saw all three of the men's heads shake.
    For a moment, it seemed she would break down again, but she suddenly straightened and gained control of herself. "All right," she said in a normal tone. "The actions of that man back there certainly bear out your statements. So, what do I do now?"
    Ron nodded approval. The woman had had a nasty shock. After weeks of denial, of certainty that it was all a mistake, that she would be rescued, she had been forced to face the loss of the only life she'd ever known. A life of privilege. And now…
    Ron shrugged. "Your choices are very limited, Dr. James. You can return to your assigned bunk in the dorm we just left…" He almost smiled at her shudder of horror.
    "Your only other option is to find someone in another dorm that will trade bunks with you. Now, it happens I was in that dorm looking for people to swap bunks, and you are the type of educated, intelligent person I was seeking. But our dorm is a Drone dorm. Nearly all the residents are poor, illiterate Asians from the ghettos of the Philippines. You are welcome to join us, to spend the next years trying to create a community that can survive on a new planet."
    He shrugged. "Of course, you are also free to visit other dorms, to see if you can find a more suitable position, but every dorm on this ship is assigned to either 'undesirables,' like us and those animals back there, or 'drones,' uneducated ghetto dwellers. There are no other choices."
    She had regained her poise, and a hint of a smile even played around her lips. "So," she said, "you're a recruiter. You're trying to find educated westerners to teach those people." Upon closer inspection, Ron decided that Dr. James was older than she first appeared. Late thirties to mid-forties, he guessed. Still, she was a very attractive woman, in a fashion-model sort of way.
    He grinned. "You could say that. But this is my only recruiting trip. We have only three available bunks, and I will not be going back to the dorm we just left. To tell you the truth, I hadn't expected the thugs to break loose until after we boosted. I'm going to have to hurry back to my new dorm to warn them, and help prepare. So, would you care to join us, or would you rather go off on your own?"
    She shook her head. "Well, I certainly won't go back to that…that zoo back there. And wandering around like