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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
19
On
the
basis
of
the
indoctrination
talk
on
the
prison
ship,
Barrent
had
expected
Omega
to
be
dedicated
to
the
rehabilitation
of
criminals.
To
judge
by
the
store
signs,
this
simply
wasn't
so;
or
if
it
was,
rehabilitation
took
some
very
strange
forms.
He
walked
on
more
slowly,
deep
in
thought.
Then
he
noticed
that
people
were
moving
out
of
his
way.
They
glanced
at
him
and
ducked
in
doorways
and
stores.
An
elderly
woman
took
one
look
at
him
and
ran.
What
was
wrong?
Could
it
be
his
prison
uniform?
No,
the
people
of
Omega
had
seen
many
of
those.
What
was
it,
then?
The
street
was
almost
deserted.
A
shopkeeper
near
him
was
hurriedly
swinging
steel
shutters
over
his
display
of
fencing
equipment.
"What's
the
matter?"
Barrent
asked
him.
"What's
going
on?"
"Are
you
out
of
your
head?"
the
shopkeeper
said.
"It's
Landing
Day!"
"I
beg
your
pardon?"
"Landing
Day!"
the
shopkeeper
said.
"The
day
the
prison
ship
landed.
Get
back
to
your
barracks,
you
idiot!"
He
slammed
the
last
steel
shutter
into
place
and
locked
it.
Barrent
felt
a
sudden
cold
touch
of
fear.
Something
was
very
wrong.
He
had
better
get
back
in
a
hurry.
It
had
been
stupid
of
him
not
to
find
out
more
about
Omegan
customs
before....
Three
men
were
walking
down
the
street
toward
him.
They
were
well
dressed,
and
each
wore
the
small
golden
Hadji
earring
in
his
left
ear.
All
three
men
carried
sidearms.
Barrent
started
to
walk
away
from
them.
One
of
the
men
shouted,
"Stop,
peon!"
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