And still she did not feel any desire. And for what? 
she asked herself. Why torment herself unnecessarily? 
It all had no more purpose anyway. 
   She turned away from the door of the gymnastic area. 
Actually she only needed to stretch out and simply 
remain lying for a long time. She made her way to her
private accomodation, strongly doubting that she came 
so far at all. 
   And that's when it happened. The right leg suddenly 
felt strangely deaf, as if dead. It buckled, was no 
longer capable of carrying her body. With a sound of pain, 
Ellen Kosinsky fell on the smooth plastic floor of the 
corridor. 
   Assistance immediately showed up. Two Alphans, which 
had come to aide her, hurried to her side. 
   "What happened? Are you ill? Should we to bring you to 
the hospital ward?" 
   Hospital ward? No, what would she do there? She wanted 
only to go to her quarters. 
   "No, no", she repelled. "I'm ok. Only my leg does not 
work correctly. You understand chronic myasthenia? If 
you could just bring me to the B residential complex. . ."
   The two men helped her up. Then they grabbed her under 
the shoulders and more or less carried her. Ellen Kosinsky 
let her right leg hang flabbily downward. 

                           *


   Commander John Koenig looked contemplatively on the 
Big Screen in the Command Center. 
   Night, abyss-deep night. . .
   And resting through this night, in the middle of the     

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