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Chapter 6 Placing her hand over Adam’s eyes had no special significance. It was merely a whim on Vega’s part. She did, however, feel that she wanted him to see the interior of her huge space ship suddenly, not gradually. Thus she had hidden from him the details of the entry from outer space into the safety of Andromeda. He had entered into a strange civilization with only Vega as his identifying requisite. He was not asked for his credentials by anyone. Their small craft was now gliding at less than twenty miles per hour, gracefully weaving and dipping toward the center of this little artificial world. Adam saw the area below him as they soared in midair over the beautiful city; a city inside a huge space ship. Vega threw kisses with her hand to the waving throng just below. By the thousands they kissed back, with graceful hands and child-like smiles. Adam was in the fifth estate. It was like looking upon his earth fellows transformed into angels, viewed from his “magic carpet.” Their craft was overtaken by a long ship which went forth as if oblivious to the waving people below. “That is the ship which monitored us here from earth,” Vega announced. “It is going to its hangar.” Their own little craft descended to barely ten feet above the grassy streets, and slowed to a glide. The people cheered by song as they waved, bowed gracefully, or danced about. It was one grand symphony of welcome for Adam, the earthman, and for the historic adventure that was Vega’s. Here indeed was an interstellar floating island containing a beautiful city of half a million population. Full ten miles in diameter, it encapsulated a small, self-sufficient world. The ship was now nearing the center of the city which seemed to be entirely engulfed by a slow, lazy fire as the buildings mar- The 77 LANDING ABOARD ANDROMEDA