 Why can we infer that Eckert had changed the office window-scenery before telling Templin about Pendleton's demise?
The lights in the cabin dimmed to a dull, red glow that meant the time for takeoff was nearing. It was Eckert who had come into his office several days ago and told him that Don Pendleton had killed himself. Eckert had come into his office without saying a word and had watched his scenery-window. Eckert had fiddled with the controls and changed it to sunshine, then to a weird mixture of hail amid the brassy, golden sunlight. How long would it be before memories faded and all there was left of Pendleton was a page of statistics? Pendleton had been in his second year as attache on Tunpesh, a small planet with a G-type sun. The Service had stumbled across it recently and decided the system was worth diplomatic recognition of some kind, so Pendleton had been sent there. And then an unscheduled freighter had put in for repairs, one of the very few ships that ever came by Tunpesh. Tunpesh had been Pendleton's second assignment. It was almost black inside the cabin now; only a thin red line around the ceiling told how close they were to takeoff. Eckert and he had been chosen to go to Tunpesh and investigate. The two of them, working together, should be able to find out why Pendleton had killed himself. The real reason they were going there was to find out why Pendleton had been killed and who had killed him. But a staff anthropologist must have been routinely assigned to Tunpesh to furnish data and reports.
 In order to make the scenery less dreary than the news would already seem.
 In order to make the scenery less dreary than the news would already seem.  In order to  let in light to the dark room so that he could see his reaction.  As a last effort to convince Eckert to travel to Tunpesh and see the scenery for himself.  In order to show what the current state was outside.