travel agency. You would have the experience to advise spacers what the proper season and place is to fulfill their yearning for open skies and not pick a time when it will be the monsoon season instead of sunshine. Spacers can be unaware of those things."
"Thank you for the suggestions. We may work a time at something more mundane until we are settled. I'd be happy with a secretarial position. Jess has done other things. He worked as a waiter when he was going through college. I have been told there isn't as much of a social taint to lesser positions here, so we could easily look to improve ourselves later."
That made sense to keep a low profile for awhile if they were fugitives, April decided.
Jess was too busy attacking his breakfast to comment much. April remembered he'd been quieter before too. And possibly not as bright as Helena, er, Helen. But she might have to reassess that. "I have an interest in a private social club that has a very good clientele," she directed to Jess. I'd ask the manager to interview you if you decide you'd like to do that for awhile.
"I'd like that. Especially if the customers are of a quality it would be good to know."
"Those are usually the good tippers too," April quipped.
"That's what I meant," he agreed, grinning. "But the best tips might not be cash ."
OK, she really shouldn't underestimate him. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you again. Home is like a small town. If there's anything I can do for you I'm in the public directory. What did you say your last name was?"
"We didn't, but we're the Duvals Miss Lewis. Thank you for your kindness."
April put her things on her tray and left the Duvals there. Gunny had been wondering about them. He'd be very interested to hear they'd shown up again on Home. Not that it was a surprise. This was where their LET doctor practiced and they are the sort of people attracted to Home.
* * *
At Central, on the moon, Heather held court in a new conference room a kilometer below the surface. Eventually they'd be much deeper and this cubic would be given over to other uses, but for right now it was much better than the moon hut they'd plowed under a layer of regolith for protection when she'd first landed.
She was being informed about the Bucky tube tech and several other advances Jeff had not heard about yet. She didn't have an interest in the family firm who owned the technology, but her subjects were committed to keeping her informed since their business created both problems and opportunities for her as their sovereign.
This required trust that she would not impede their business efforts with needless regulation, since she could do so by decree, nor declare things secret as a matter of state security. Something too many of them had experienced with other governments.
She'd balked at having a highway fused from Central to Armstrong, needing to be convinced by her subjects that the advantages outweighed the dangers. The previous administration at Armstrong had chased her real estate customers across the moon in rovers, intent on arresting them and making them return. She'd destroyed that force to protect them.
It was ironic that they were more willing to trust the new Armstrong officials than she was. It seemed too convenient a road that they could use for a new invasion, but her people wanted a cheaper way to commute there for employment than a shuttle and wanted the business from Armstrong citizens coming to Central. Armstrong lacked a lot of amenities they had already.
The first failure of that policy was standing before her as the last piece of business for the day. The fellow was a USNA citizen from Armstrong and had wrecked his truck off the new roadway and pretty well destroyed it, because he was driving drunk. The truck had crossed from Armstrong on automatic well enough, but when he switched to manual control to get off on local streets he'd crashed.
The good thing was he hadn't hurt any of her subjects and hadn't damaged
"Thank you for the suggestions. We may work a time at something more mundane until we are settled. I'd be happy with a secretarial position. Jess has done other things. He worked as a waiter when he was going through college. I have been told there isn't as much of a social taint to lesser positions here, so we could easily look to improve ourselves later."
That made sense to keep a low profile for awhile if they were fugitives, April decided.
Jess was too busy attacking his breakfast to comment much. April remembered he'd been quieter before too. And possibly not as bright as Helena, er, Helen. But she might have to reassess that. "I have an interest in a private social club that has a very good clientele," she directed to Jess. I'd ask the manager to interview you if you decide you'd like to do that for awhile.
"I'd like that. Especially if the customers are of a quality it would be good to know."
"Those are usually the good tippers too," April quipped.
"That's what I meant," he agreed, grinning. "But the best tips might not be cash ."
OK, she really shouldn't underestimate him. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you again. Home is like a small town. If there's anything I can do for you I'm in the public directory. What did you say your last name was?"
"We didn't, but we're the Duvals Miss Lewis. Thank you for your kindness."
April put her things on her tray and left the Duvals there. Gunny had been wondering about them. He'd be very interested to hear they'd shown up again on Home. Not that it was a surprise. This was where their LET doctor practiced and they are the sort of people attracted to Home.
* * *
At Central, on the moon, Heather held court in a new conference room a kilometer below the surface. Eventually they'd be much deeper and this cubic would be given over to other uses, but for right now it was much better than the moon hut they'd plowed under a layer of regolith for protection when she'd first landed.
She was being informed about the Bucky tube tech and several other advances Jeff had not heard about yet. She didn't have an interest in the family firm who owned the technology, but her subjects were committed to keeping her informed since their business created both problems and opportunities for her as their sovereign.
This required trust that she would not impede their business efforts with needless regulation, since she could do so by decree, nor declare things secret as a matter of state security. Something too many of them had experienced with other governments.
She'd balked at having a highway fused from Central to Armstrong, needing to be convinced by her subjects that the advantages outweighed the dangers. The previous administration at Armstrong had chased her real estate customers across the moon in rovers, intent on arresting them and making them return. She'd destroyed that force to protect them.
It was ironic that they were more willing to trust the new Armstrong officials than she was. It seemed too convenient a road that they could use for a new invasion, but her people wanted a cheaper way to commute there for employment than a shuttle and wanted the business from Armstrong citizens coming to Central. Armstrong lacked a lot of amenities they had already.
The first failure of that policy was standing before her as the last piece of business for the day. The fellow was a USNA citizen from Armstrong and had wrecked his truck off the new roadway and pretty well destroyed it, because he was driving drunk. The truck had crossed from Armstrong on automatic well enough, but when he switched to manual control to get off on local streets he'd crashed.
The good thing was he hadn't hurt any of her subjects and hadn't damaged
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