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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
10
A
loudspeaker
voice
called
out,
"Attention!
The
ship
is
now
landing
on
Omega.
We
will
disembark
shortly."
The
last
vibration
died
away,
and
the
floor
beneath
them
gave
a
slight
lurch.
The
prisoners,
still
silent
and
dazed,
were
formed
into
a
long
line
and
marched
out
of
the
auditorium.
Flanked
by
guards,
they
went
down
a
corridor
which
stretched
on
interminably.
From
it,
402
began
to
get
some
idea
of
the
size
of
the
ship.
Far
ahead,
he
could
see
a
patch
of
sunlight
which
shone
brightly
against
the
pale
illumination
of
the
corridor.
His
section
of
the
long
shuffling
line
reached
the
sunlight,
and
402
saw
that
it
came
from
an
open
hatchway
through
which
the
prisoners
were
passing.
In
his
turn,
402
went
through
the
hatchway,
climbed
down
a
long
stairway,
and
found
himself
on
solid
ground.
He
was
standing
in
an
open,
sunlit
square.
Guards
were
forming
the
disembarked
prisoners
into
files;
on
all
sides,
402
could
see
a
crowd
of
spectators
watching.
A
loudspeaker
voice
boomed,
"Answer
when
your
number
is
called.
Your
identity
will
now
be
revealed
to
you.
Answer
promptly
when
your
number
is
called."
402
felt
weak
and
very
tired.
Not
even
his
identity
could
interest
him
now.
All
he
wanted
to
do
was
lie
down,
to
sleep,
to
have
a
chance
to
think
about
his
situation.
He
looked
around
and
took
casual
note
of
the
huge
starcraft
behind
him,
of
the
guards,
the
spectators.
Overhead,
he
saw
black
dots
moving
against
a
blue
sky.
At
first
he
thought
they
were
birds.
Then,
looking
closer,
he
saw
they
were
guardships.
He
wasn't
particularly
interested
in
them.
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