abstract
| - Ogu is an alien from an unnamed planet who is put on trial for abandoning his military guard duty. While at his post, he notices a tiny planet he had never seen before. He thinks it is new to the solar system. The planet is actually Earth. He travels to the planet, being struck by a meteor on the journey to no effect. He is excited when, landing in a barren area of mostly sand, he mistakes an atom bomb test for a welcome of fireworks by the natives. He sees people and begins to "de-accelerate" so they can observe him as well. He enters a circus where a group of performers are playing cards. He listens to their speech, quickly understanding their language. His "mental scanner" told him the creatures hoped he possessed a great deal of their planet's currency. Using his "Auto-Materializer", he creates a large wad of cash. The performers think he is a sucker, until he wins all their money. He says they still have something to wager, as they had said, "the sky's the limit!" Still thinking they can snooker him, the performers bet the sky against his remaining funds. They lose, discovering Ogu is using his Auto-Materializer to create the "pasteboard cards". Realizing they intend to harm him, Ogu takes his winnings. It is too late that he realizes the inhabitants of the planet can't survive without the atmosphere. He immediately attempts to return the sky, but is caught and put on trial for desertion before he can do so.
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