D-99 by Horace Bowne Fyfe — Read

Time had dragged its slow way past six-thirty. The excuse of a flying start on the Harris case had worn thin to the point of delicacy -- to all but one man. The rest of them hoped sincerely that _he_ was keeping himself interested.

Westervelt sat at his desk, perusing an article in _Spaceman's_ World about the exploration of a newly discovered planetary system. It might come up in a conference someday, he reflected, and it might be as well to know a few facts on the subject. No life had been discovered on any of the dozen planets, but that did not necessarily preclude the establishment of a Terran colony in the future. The department also had problems with colonies, as witness Greenhaven.