Corona by Greg Bear Read Free Book Online Page A

what I've read in my schoolbooks and picked up from the subspace bulletins. The dailies."
    "They're quite an admirable race, actually. Very tough, very defensive … and well they should be. They remind me of the Zulu. They're an old race, surrounded by the Romulans and the Federation, threatened by the Klingons … and still they hold their own, even against better technologies."
    "They're the same basic stock as Commander Spock, aren't they?"
    "They're part of the third octant Dakhrian migrations, if that's what you mean. The Vulcans, Romulans, Klingons and Kshatriyans are all related if you go back far enough."
    "And Spock doesn't feel funny, siding with humans against his own blood?"
    "I'm afraid the ties go too far back for any of them to feel much kinship. Besides, who knows what Spock feels ?"
    "I don't understand."
    Uhura gathered up her gown and pulled a chair near to Mason's bed. "He's a Vulcan. They have very rigid codes governing emotions."
    "Yes, I know that." She felt slightly irritated. "We're not that isolated on Yalbo. But doesn't he hold opinions?"
    "Not unless there's a lot of evidence behind them. Personal opinions are anathema to a Vulcan. In fact, anything having to do with petty personal traits is subdued during Vulcan education. But enough talk about Spock. I'd like to learn more about you."
    Mason shrugged. "I'm a reporter. I come from a very small, isolated planet. What else is there to say? Besides, I'm not important. Only the story."
    "I'm sorry none of us could get down to Yalbo," Uhura said. "I like to visit all sorts of planets, even small ones."
    "It started out as a mining colony," Mason said, one hand stroking the back of the other. She looked down at her hands and clasped them. "Full of metals, rare earths … We can't drink the groundwater. It would poison us. The atmosphere is filled with nitric acid vapor. When we go outside the compounds, we have to wear full body suits. It's not what you call a paradise."
    "Still, I bet you like it." Uhura leaned forward, her dark eyes glittering. Mason grinned and shook her head.
    "We all like something about where we grow up."
    "The people, maybe?"
    "Sure. There are good people on Yalbo."
    "You're proud of Yalbo. Admit it."
    Mason considered. "Of course. We've done some really remarkable things there. Like, we stayed alive until the Federation chose us for an outpost. That wasn't easy. Yalbo became productive just when there was a metals glut in the second octant. We'd have had to ship our output a thousand parsecs to even begin to be competitive. Those were hard times."
    "How old were you?"
    "Oh, I hadn't even been born then. But my parents told me all about them. Some people would have starved if it hadn't been for Starfleet rescue ships."
    "My father served on a rescue ship," Uhura said. "Maybe he came to Yalbo."
    "Accepting charity was hard. My people were Hippies, you know. They wanted to be self-sufficient, to get away from the Galactic government and set up their own commune. Most came from the Martian mining towns originally. They needed the rescue ships, but they weren't glad to see them. We never have approved of military venturing."
    "I thought Hippies were from the 20th century."
    "Communes on Mars started them up again. People on Yalbo changed a lot of things. We're Humanists. We believe that everything in the Galaxy centers on human beings, and that all other species are subordinate."
    Uhura made a face. "Doesn't sound like a very useful philosophy."
    "It works well enough on a planet where there aren't any other species. And you have to admit, somebody like Spock takes a little getting used to."
    Uhura stood and folded her arms. "Rowena, I don't suggest you try to apply Yalbo philosophies on a starship. We've been too many places, seen too many things. If you really want to know what we're all about, you might spend some time going through the ship's open log." She paused, then bent over the reporter. "I've met non-humans who make us