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The new law that was substituted permitted each dissenter to write his own certificate, release, or "sign-off," as the papers were colloquially called, and required him to file it with the clerk of the Established Society wherein he dwelt. This favor was not so great a privilege as it seemed. It bore hard upon the dissenters in two ways.
See anything alive down below?" Bell shook his head. He stayed at the camera aimed out a blister-port, storing up film-tape for later use. There was the feel of gravitation, now. Actually, it was the fact that the ship slowed swiftly in its descent. Cochrane went to a port. The ship continued its descent. "Living creature? Where?" Jamison shrugged. He had used it as a sign-off line.
"However, because of the delicate nature of some of the visual material used, your consent is required. You can attach such consent to this disk by running it for at least ten seconds after the sign-off and then switching from 'Play' to 'Transcribe. Kindly include your full name, as well as your daughter's, and place your thumbprint on the opposite side of the disk.
Cochrane wore headphones carrying what the communicator carried, as this broadcast went through an angled Dabney field relay system back to Lunar City and then to Earth. He spoke close to Jamison's ear. "Go ahead! If your voice fades, it will be the best possible sign-off. Suspense. Good television!" Jamison let the throat-mike back against his skin.
If his carelessness occurred again, he would be sent back on the next supply ship, to be dismissed without an official sign-off on his work record, thus locked out of even the lowest level of Survey for the rest of his life. That was why Garth Thorvald's act of the night before had made Shann brave the unknown darkness of Warlock alone when he had discovered that the test animals were gone.
We are a warrior race, and what we need, we take. Our day approaches." The last three words were his trademark, his invariable sign-off. So that was that. Candar strode from the room followed by the marshals, the advisors, the interpreters. Thane looked over to Garth who had slumped a bit in his conference chair on the Allied Systems side of the room, and was lighting a cigar.
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