debating if that was acceptable.
“We have a rather full docket,” the government’s attorney stated flatly.
That decided the judge. “Okay, Ms. Jones,” she proclaimed, “sixty days suspended and one year probation, plus a thousand dollar fine, court costs, and police department reimbursement. You can pay the clerk when you leave.”
Charlie was about to stand to leave when the judge said, “However, Ms. Jones,” and proceeded to lecture Charlie on a) not taking the law into her own hands, b) no property is worth protecting with violence, and c) she was in the U.S. now, not in space, and subject to the laws of the United States and not, what the judge implied, were the low moral values of Space Resources Incorporated.
Charlie waited with infinite patience during the diatribe. When the judge was finished Charlie stood silently and walked out of the office. Freeman followed, hurrying to catch Charlie, who was almost running.
“God damn it!” Charlie growled at him in the corridor.
“I’ll take you to a hotel to rest,” Freeman said calmly. “We’ll meet tomorrow. I’ll pick you up so you won’t have any trouble.”
“Damn that woman,” Charlie spat, refusing to calm down.
“Come on,” Freeman said, reaching for her arm. “You’ll feel better after some rest.”
Charlie let him hold her arm and pull her toward the elevator. They paid the clerk, who accepted Charlie’s payment from her computer’s SRI account. Charlie was sure Mitchel would approve the expense.
Then the clerk asked, “Residence?”
“Huh?” Charlie blurted.
“We have to sign you up on probation,” the clerk explained. “Residence?”
Charlie looked at Freeman.
“Tell him what he needs to know,” Freeman instructed her.
“Space Resources Incorporated Facility, Room 210, Nippon/European Space Agency Facility One, the Moon, in care of Space Resources Incorporated, Tokyo, Japan.”
The clerk looked at her. “Don’t you have a more, uhm, local address?”
“No,” Charlie said, again growing angry.
The clerk sighed and typed on his computer. “Employer?”
“Space Resources Incorporated, Tokyo, Japan.”
“Do they have a more local office?”
Charlie knew there was a United States Liaison Office in Washington but she didn’t know anything about it other than part of its function was to house security’s Eastern United States Terrestrial Information Gathering Office. “Yes,” she said. “But I don’t know the address or number.”
“Fine,” the clerk mumbled. “Name and address of a person who would always know how to locate you?”
Charlie rolled her eyes and wondered when the humiliation would stop. “Eugene Mitchel, Head of Security, Space Resources...”
***
Griffin watched Knecht work the computer. She was plotting their course to the asteroid belt.
“Where’d you learn this stuff?” he asked.
“Stuff?” Knecht asked without looking up.
“Yeah: navigation, computers, ship piloting.”
“The Space Resources Incorporated School in Boulder, Colorado.”
“You worked for SRI?” he asked incredulously.
She nodded. Griffin liked the way her hair moved in zero-gee when she did that.
“I wanted to get out of the United States. I saw SRI as the way out.”
“Didn’t you know what they’re doing to the environment and to space?”
Knecht shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t get involved in the GA until later.”
“How?”
She turned and looked at him. For the first time he noticed the blaze of her sea-green eyes.
“SRI recruited me in Los Angeles. After graduating the SRI school, I had no place to go for the customary vacation, so I went to L.A. You know, Disneyland-California, the beach, the whole thing. That was where I met Linda.”
“Trent?”
“Yeah. She taught me about SRI and its degradation of the environment. She taught me there can be no compromise when it comes to protecting Mother Earth and her solar system. I honestly didn’t know the danger of taking asteroids out of the asteroid
“We have a rather full docket,” the government’s attorney stated flatly.
That decided the judge. “Okay, Ms. Jones,” she proclaimed, “sixty days suspended and one year probation, plus a thousand dollar fine, court costs, and police department reimbursement. You can pay the clerk when you leave.”
Charlie was about to stand to leave when the judge said, “However, Ms. Jones,” and proceeded to lecture Charlie on a) not taking the law into her own hands, b) no property is worth protecting with violence, and c) she was in the U.S. now, not in space, and subject to the laws of the United States and not, what the judge implied, were the low moral values of Space Resources Incorporated.
Charlie waited with infinite patience during the diatribe. When the judge was finished Charlie stood silently and walked out of the office. Freeman followed, hurrying to catch Charlie, who was almost running.
“God damn it!” Charlie growled at him in the corridor.
“I’ll take you to a hotel to rest,” Freeman said calmly. “We’ll meet tomorrow. I’ll pick you up so you won’t have any trouble.”
“Damn that woman,” Charlie spat, refusing to calm down.
“Come on,” Freeman said, reaching for her arm. “You’ll feel better after some rest.”
Charlie let him hold her arm and pull her toward the elevator. They paid the clerk, who accepted Charlie’s payment from her computer’s SRI account. Charlie was sure Mitchel would approve the expense.
Then the clerk asked, “Residence?”
“Huh?” Charlie blurted.
“We have to sign you up on probation,” the clerk explained. “Residence?”
Charlie looked at Freeman.
“Tell him what he needs to know,” Freeman instructed her.
“Space Resources Incorporated Facility, Room 210, Nippon/European Space Agency Facility One, the Moon, in care of Space Resources Incorporated, Tokyo, Japan.”
The clerk looked at her. “Don’t you have a more, uhm, local address?”
“No,” Charlie said, again growing angry.
The clerk sighed and typed on his computer. “Employer?”
“Space Resources Incorporated, Tokyo, Japan.”
“Do they have a more local office?”
Charlie knew there was a United States Liaison Office in Washington but she didn’t know anything about it other than part of its function was to house security’s Eastern United States Terrestrial Information Gathering Office. “Yes,” she said. “But I don’t know the address or number.”
“Fine,” the clerk mumbled. “Name and address of a person who would always know how to locate you?”
Charlie rolled her eyes and wondered when the humiliation would stop. “Eugene Mitchel, Head of Security, Space Resources...”
***
Griffin watched Knecht work the computer. She was plotting their course to the asteroid belt.
“Where’d you learn this stuff?” he asked.
“Stuff?” Knecht asked without looking up.
“Yeah: navigation, computers, ship piloting.”
“The Space Resources Incorporated School in Boulder, Colorado.”
“You worked for SRI?” he asked incredulously.
She nodded. Griffin liked the way her hair moved in zero-gee when she did that.
“I wanted to get out of the United States. I saw SRI as the way out.”
“Didn’t you know what they’re doing to the environment and to space?”
Knecht shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t get involved in the GA until later.”
“How?”
She turned and looked at him. For the first time he noticed the blaze of her sea-green eyes.
“SRI recruited me in Los Angeles. After graduating the SRI school, I had no place to go for the customary vacation, so I went to L.A. You know, Disneyland-California, the beach, the whole thing. That was where I met Linda.”
“Trent?”
“Yeah. She taught me about SRI and its degradation of the environment. She taught me there can be no compromise when it comes to protecting Mother Earth and her solar system. I honestly didn’t know the danger of taking asteroids out of the asteroid
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