The moment I saw the man standing there, registering respectful attention, a weight seemed to roll off my mind. I felt like a lost child who spots his father in the offing. There was something about him that gave me confidence.

Kadara was of great interest to the Andromeda Initiative after it appeared on long-range surveys. Seemingly abundant liquid water and an oxygen-mix atmosphere made it a strong candidate for settlement, earning it the designation Habitat 4. Closer range surveys now reveal that Kadara's water sources are tainted and unpotable.

Uncle Nick was this old fizzler on the Hill. The grownups called him Nicholas Baker and the kids all called him Uncle Nick, but the army couldn't fool me. I knew he was Niels Bohr, the world's greatest atomic scientist, all the way from Denmark.

He was arrested for fomenting a riot; after all, it's bad enough being in a riot but starting one is much worse.