like actual paintings, not flat-screen images, mostly landscapes from Earth.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Stavenger said, gesturing to the nearer sofa. “My wife will be—”
At that moment Edith entered from an open doorway on the far side of the living room. She seemed to light up the place, radiantly blond and smiling bright as a Dallas cheerleader, big wide eyes the color of Texas bluebonnets, wearing a short-skirted sleeveless frock of white patterned with golden yellow flowers.
Jamie felt suddenly tongue-tied.
“Hello, Jamie,” she said, striding straight to him.
“Edith,” he managed.
She bussed him on the cheek, then turned to Vijay. “You must be Varuna Jarita.”
“Vijay, please. It’s easier.”
“Vijay,” Edith acknowledged, taking both Vijay’s hands in her own. Dark and light, Jamie thought. They couldn’t look more different if they came from different worlds.
Then he realized, “My god, Edith, you haven’t changed a bit. You look as if you haven’t aged at all.”
Edith flicked a glance at her husband. “We’re aging, but a lot slower than most folks.”
“Nanomachines,” Vijay guessed.
“Yes.”
“You, too?” Jamie asked.
Edith smiled, almost demurely. “Me, too. Doug wants to keep me just as young as he is.”
“It’s a bit incredible, i’n’t it?” said Vijay.
“It certainly is.”
Stavenger gestured again to the twin sofas. “Sit. Relax. Would you like something to drink? Wine? Rocket juice?”
Jamie laughed. “No rocket juice, thanks. I’ve heard about that.”
“Some wine, then?” Edith suggested. “It’s new and kind of thin.”
“Our first vintage,” Stavenger explained.
Jamie and Vijay sat on one of the sofas, Edith on the facing one, while Stavenger ducked behind the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.
“How do you like living here?” Vijay asked.
“It’s fine,” said Edith.
“Doesn’t it bother you to be underground all the time?”
“You didn’t grow up in west Texas, honey. This is a whole lot better, believe me. ‘Sides, we’ve got the Grand Plaza any time you want to see trees and some flowers.”
Jamie listened to them chatter and realized the two women were communicating on a level far beyond his male power of understanding. They’re sizing each other up, he thought; getting to know each other in some subliminal way.
Stavenger carried in a metal tray bearing a frosted bottle of wine and four stemmed glasses.
“We make these in our glass factory,” he said as he poured for them. “Bricks for construction, too.”
Jamie sipped at the wine. It was thin and slightly tart. They do a lot better in New Mexico, he said to himself.
“So,” Stavenger said, setting his glass down on the coffee table, “Edith tells me you need to talk to me.”
Jamie nodded. “We need your help.”
“ ‘We’ being the Mars program?”
“That’s right. You’ve heard about Washington zeroing Mars out of the federal budget.”
“That’s a blow, isn’t it?” Stavenger said softly.
“It’s not just Washington’s cutoff. It’s becoming increasingly hard to get private donors. Several of our biggest contributors have backed away from us.”
Vijay interjected, “They’re all under pressure to help alleviate the problems from the climate shift.”
“Those are serious problems,” Stavenger murmured.
“I know,” said Jamie. “But we mustn’t let them stop the exploration of Mars.”
“Why not?” Stavenger asked, with a smile.
“Why not?” Jamie snapped.
Raising his hands almost defensively, Stavenger said, “I’m playing devil’s advocate for the moment. Why shouldn’t the exploration of Mars be stopped? Aren’t the greenhouse disasters on Earth more important?”
Jamie glanced at Vijay, who nodded encouragement to him. If you want help from this man, he thought, you’ve got to be honest with him. You’ve got to bare your soul to him.
Taking a deep breath, Jamie began,
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Stavenger said, gesturing to the nearer sofa. “My wife will be—”
At that moment Edith entered from an open doorway on the far side of the living room. She seemed to light up the place, radiantly blond and smiling bright as a Dallas cheerleader, big wide eyes the color of Texas bluebonnets, wearing a short-skirted sleeveless frock of white patterned with golden yellow flowers.
Jamie felt suddenly tongue-tied.
“Hello, Jamie,” she said, striding straight to him.
“Edith,” he managed.
She bussed him on the cheek, then turned to Vijay. “You must be Varuna Jarita.”
“Vijay, please. It’s easier.”
“Vijay,” Edith acknowledged, taking both Vijay’s hands in her own. Dark and light, Jamie thought. They couldn’t look more different if they came from different worlds.
Then he realized, “My god, Edith, you haven’t changed a bit. You look as if you haven’t aged at all.”
Edith flicked a glance at her husband. “We’re aging, but a lot slower than most folks.”
“Nanomachines,” Vijay guessed.
“Yes.”
“You, too?” Jamie asked.
Edith smiled, almost demurely. “Me, too. Doug wants to keep me just as young as he is.”
“It’s a bit incredible, i’n’t it?” said Vijay.
“It certainly is.”
Stavenger gestured again to the twin sofas. “Sit. Relax. Would you like something to drink? Wine? Rocket juice?”
Jamie laughed. “No rocket juice, thanks. I’ve heard about that.”
“Some wine, then?” Edith suggested. “It’s new and kind of thin.”
“Our first vintage,” Stavenger explained.
Jamie and Vijay sat on one of the sofas, Edith on the facing one, while Stavenger ducked behind the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.
“How do you like living here?” Vijay asked.
“It’s fine,” said Edith.
“Doesn’t it bother you to be underground all the time?”
“You didn’t grow up in west Texas, honey. This is a whole lot better, believe me. ‘Sides, we’ve got the Grand Plaza any time you want to see trees and some flowers.”
Jamie listened to them chatter and realized the two women were communicating on a level far beyond his male power of understanding. They’re sizing each other up, he thought; getting to know each other in some subliminal way.
Stavenger carried in a metal tray bearing a frosted bottle of wine and four stemmed glasses.
“We make these in our glass factory,” he said as he poured for them. “Bricks for construction, too.”
Jamie sipped at the wine. It was thin and slightly tart. They do a lot better in New Mexico, he said to himself.
“So,” Stavenger said, setting his glass down on the coffee table, “Edith tells me you need to talk to me.”
Jamie nodded. “We need your help.”
“ ‘We’ being the Mars program?”
“That’s right. You’ve heard about Washington zeroing Mars out of the federal budget.”
“That’s a blow, isn’t it?” Stavenger said softly.
“It’s not just Washington’s cutoff. It’s becoming increasingly hard to get private donors. Several of our biggest contributors have backed away from us.”
Vijay interjected, “They’re all under pressure to help alleviate the problems from the climate shift.”
“Those are serious problems,” Stavenger murmured.
“I know,” said Jamie. “But we mustn’t let them stop the exploration of Mars.”
“Why not?” Stavenger asked, with a smile.
“Why not?” Jamie snapped.
Raising his hands almost defensively, Stavenger said, “I’m playing devil’s advocate for the moment. Why shouldn’t the exploration of Mars be stopped? Aren’t the greenhouse disasters on Earth more important?”
Jamie glanced at Vijay, who nodded encouragement to him. If you want help from this man, he thought, you’ve got to be honest with him. You’ve got to bare your soul to him.
Taking a deep breath, Jamie began,
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