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The hospital was part of the interconnected complex of buildings that comprised Ted Dov’s city center.   He could see that the elevated walkways leading to it appeared crowded.   He shook his head.
    “That is so . . . crazy.”
    Loj, seated across from him, smiled.   “Most of them are very young and in their lifechange.”
    “So they really aren’t in their right minds?” asked John, amused.
    The peacekeeper chuckled.   “You could say that.”
    John glanced out the window again.   “It’s strange.   Back home, the only people who had this kind of celebrity were entertainers and politicians.”   He glanced at Loj.   “Why am I famous?   Because I survived.”
    Loj frowned.   She looked as if she wanted to lean forward and touch his hands, to offer the sympathy of contact, but she hesitated.   “Do you miss it? Your home?”
    John frowned.   “Sometimes. There are nights that I dream about it, the way it was, before the plague.   I wake up and I think it’s all been a dream.   A strange dream.”   He shut his eyes.   “Then I remember it’s not a dream.”
    He felt the seat shift, opened his eyes to find Loj sitting next to him.   Tentatively, she took his hand.   “I’m sorry.   I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “I know,” said John.   He squeezed the peacekeeper’s hand.   “You were just curious.   It’s natural.”
    “If it helps,” said Loj, quietly, “I know a little of what it feels like, to lose your world.”
    “Oh?”
    “I wasn’t born on Juni.   My family immigrated to Nesup Colony before I was born.   I grew up there.”   Loj smiled, her gaze far away.   “Running through fields of cisep as high as my head.   Swimming in Lake Sem.   Playing with my house-sisters.”
    “What happened?” asked John.
    “There was a solar event,” said Loj.   “The planet was irradiated.   The only people who survived were the ones who could reach the emergency shelters in time.   Fifty-five people survived out of a colony of almost three-thousand.”
    “I’m sorry,” said John.   “Your family?”
    “My mother survived.   So did two of my house-sisters.   Afterwards, we moved to Juni, but it wasn’t the same.   Everyone was very kind, but Juni wasn’t home.   In the heart of my soul, that will always be Nesup Colony.”   She smiled and squeezed his hand.   “So I understand a little of what you must feel, Mr. Epcott.”
    John nodded.
    * * * * *
      Kesip brought the aircar down in a wide, spiral pattern and landed on a peacekeeper substation’s roof.   They were well outside the city center and Loj assured John that he shouldn’t have any problems with enthusiastic well-wishers.
    “Gathering spontaneously in the city center is one thing,” said the peacekeeper.   “There’s no law against that.   But it’s quite a different matter to do something like that in a residential district, and only the most addlebrained group would even contemplate it.”
    “I’ll take your word for it,” said John.
    Inside the substation, Olu and Vesu were waiting.   Grinning, Vesu welcomed John with a powerful hug, while Olu held his hand and squeezed his fingers so tightly that John feared she might cut off his circulation.
    “We’ve got a groundcar waiting,” said Vesu.   “And the house is set for full privacy.”
    “So you won’t need to worry about the newsmakers,” said Olu, firmly.   “If anyone breaches privacy, we’ll report them to the peacekeepers and demand judgment.”
    Loj looked impressed.   “Well, I can see you’re going to be in good hands, Mr. Epcott.”   She produced a slip of paper and handed it to him.   “My personal comm-code,” she said, quietly.   “If you ever want to talk.”
    John nodded, touched her hands and slipped the paper into a pocket.   “Thank you, Officer Loj.”
    “Call me Musin,” she said.
    Olu and Vesu bundled John out of the substation, into the waiting groundcar.   Vesu set the dome to