without knowing more about their home world. Certainly, you'd have to imagine they looked up at the stars like we do, with a sense of wonder and awe.”
“But are they like us? Do they have feelings? Do they care about each other?”
Teller squeezed her hand gently, appreciating her question on another level. It was nice to see Cathy as someone other than a reporter. From what he'd seen, she had a good heart, she'd just got a little too excited, a little too out of her depth, something that was equally true for him.
Cathy leaned into him, running her hand up his arm.
“Yes,” he replied, thinking about it. “I think they are a lot like us. Nature is brutal. Nature is indifferent to cruelty, but to be civilized is to be civil, to be courteous and kind. Everything I've seen suggests they're civil in a way we should aspire to. So, yes, I think they have feelings. I think they care about each other. I think they care about us.”
“So would they have concepts like love, compassion, mercy?” she asked.
“Oh, I don't know,” he replied. “From what we've seen, there's every reason to think so. But there's also the danger of reading our own emotions into them, projecting our concept of love onto them, so we'll have to wait and see to be sure.”
“You know, you're kind of sexy when you talk geeky science.”
“Ha,” cried Teller, taken off guard, realizing she was looking into his eyes.
She pulled playfully on his arm. She had a beautiful smile, he thought. Her pupils were dilated in the soft light. To Teller, Cathy was stunning.
“Ah,” he began, feeling rather awkward. “I've never been good with the opposite sex.”
“You don't have to be good at everything,” replied Cathy, toying with him playfully. At an intellectual level, he could see what she was doing, how she enjoyed playing with him and getting the upper hand. But love was more than an intellectual analysis, and he felt something stirring within him.
“And I've always hated that phrase, opposite sex,” he said, trying to lose himself in that train of thought for a moment. “I mean, how do we oppose each other? How are we opposites? I think we're complementary.”
It was only then he realized quite what he was saying. He covered for himself quickly.
“I mean, men and women are complementary, not opposites. I wasn't trying to say you and...”
Cathy cut him off, putting her finger on his lips.
“Sometimes,” she said, “you talk too much.”
And with that she leaned in and kissed him.
Chapter 10: Carbon
Teller slept in later than he realized. It was almost ten before he'd showered, shaved and got dressed. Someone had laid out a freshly-pressed NASA polo shirt for him. It was something he wore with pride. Not bad for an elementary school teacher, he thought.
He wondered how quickly the novelty would wear off and when he'd start to miss the kids. He wondered what they thought of him, wondered how well he came across on television. He thought about several of the kids individually, picturing their responses, their enthusiasm and sense of pride at seeing their teacher working with NASA. He could just imagine their heartfelt support and encouragement.
Teller grabbed a bagel from the mess tent and walked the thirty yards over toward the command center that had grown up around the main NASA research trailer. Even from a distance he could see Mason in full flight, his arms pointing as he commanded what, for him, was Patton's Fifth Army. If he'd been a musician, he'd have been a conductor, thought Teller.
Cathy and Finch were coming back from the morning media briefing. As usual, Finch was filming everything, even the walk back from the outer barricade. Cathy saw Teller and darted over toward him with a spring in her step, leaving Finch behind. Teller smiled as she came up to him holding two cups of coffee.
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Teller.
“Double latte,” said Cathy, handing him one. “The coffee here is lousy,
“But are they like us? Do they have feelings? Do they care about each other?”
Teller squeezed her hand gently, appreciating her question on another level. It was nice to see Cathy as someone other than a reporter. From what he'd seen, she had a good heart, she'd just got a little too excited, a little too out of her depth, something that was equally true for him.
Cathy leaned into him, running her hand up his arm.
“Yes,” he replied, thinking about it. “I think they are a lot like us. Nature is brutal. Nature is indifferent to cruelty, but to be civilized is to be civil, to be courteous and kind. Everything I've seen suggests they're civil in a way we should aspire to. So, yes, I think they have feelings. I think they care about each other. I think they care about us.”
“So would they have concepts like love, compassion, mercy?” she asked.
“Oh, I don't know,” he replied. “From what we've seen, there's every reason to think so. But there's also the danger of reading our own emotions into them, projecting our concept of love onto them, so we'll have to wait and see to be sure.”
“You know, you're kind of sexy when you talk geeky science.”
“Ha,” cried Teller, taken off guard, realizing she was looking into his eyes.
She pulled playfully on his arm. She had a beautiful smile, he thought. Her pupils were dilated in the soft light. To Teller, Cathy was stunning.
“Ah,” he began, feeling rather awkward. “I've never been good with the opposite sex.”
“You don't have to be good at everything,” replied Cathy, toying with him playfully. At an intellectual level, he could see what she was doing, how she enjoyed playing with him and getting the upper hand. But love was more than an intellectual analysis, and he felt something stirring within him.
“And I've always hated that phrase, opposite sex,” he said, trying to lose himself in that train of thought for a moment. “I mean, how do we oppose each other? How are we opposites? I think we're complementary.”
It was only then he realized quite what he was saying. He covered for himself quickly.
“I mean, men and women are complementary, not opposites. I wasn't trying to say you and...”
Cathy cut him off, putting her finger on his lips.
“Sometimes,” she said, “you talk too much.”
And with that she leaned in and kissed him.
Chapter 10: Carbon
Teller slept in later than he realized. It was almost ten before he'd showered, shaved and got dressed. Someone had laid out a freshly-pressed NASA polo shirt for him. It was something he wore with pride. Not bad for an elementary school teacher, he thought.
He wondered how quickly the novelty would wear off and when he'd start to miss the kids. He wondered what they thought of him, wondered how well he came across on television. He thought about several of the kids individually, picturing their responses, their enthusiasm and sense of pride at seeing their teacher working with NASA. He could just imagine their heartfelt support and encouragement.
Teller grabbed a bagel from the mess tent and walked the thirty yards over toward the command center that had grown up around the main NASA research trailer. Even from a distance he could see Mason in full flight, his arms pointing as he commanded what, for him, was Patton's Fifth Army. If he'd been a musician, he'd have been a conductor, thought Teller.
Cathy and Finch were coming back from the morning media briefing. As usual, Finch was filming everything, even the walk back from the outer barricade. Cathy saw Teller and darted over toward him with a spring in her step, leaving Finch behind. Teller smiled as she came up to him holding two cups of coffee.
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Teller.
“Double latte,” said Cathy, handing him one. “The coffee here is lousy,
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