motion. Now that we're on our way, it's time to start these people looking to me as their natural leader.
And who better to begin with than Holly? he thought. My newborn. She had been sulky, pouting, since he had been so curt with her at the breakout ceremony. He saw that his morning's messages included one from her; she had called him twice yesterday, as well. Ah well, he told himself, time to make her smile again.
He told the phone to locate her. The holographic image that appeared above his desktop showed that she was in her office, working.
As soon as she recognized Eberly's face her expression lit up with hope, expectation.
"Holly, if you have a moment, could you come to my office, please?" he asked pleasantly.
She said, "I'll be there f-t-l!"
Eff-tee-ell? Eberly wondered as her image winked out. What could — Ah! Faster than light. One of her little bits of slang.
He heard her tap on his door, light and timid.
Let her wait, he said to himself. Just long enough to make her worry a bit. He sensed her fidgeting uncertainly outside his door.
When at last she tapped again he called, "Enter."
Holly wasn't pouting as she stepped into Eberly's office. Instead, she looked apprehensive, almost afraid.
Eberly got to his feet and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, Holly. Please."
She perched on the chair like a little bird ready to take flight at the slightest danger. Eberly sat down and said nothing for a few moments, studying her. Holly was wearing a forest green tunic over form-fitting tights of a slightly lighter green. No rings or other jewelry except for the studs in her earlobes. Diamonds, he saw. Since the Asteroid Belt had been opened to mining, gemstones were becoming commonplace. At least she's taken off that silly decal on her forehead, Eberly noted. She's rather attractive, really, he thought. Some men find dark skin exotic. Not much of a figure, but she's got good long legs. Should I find someone to get her involved romantically? No, he concluded, I want her attention focused on me, for now.
He made a slow smile for her. "I hurt you, didn't I?"
Holly's eyes went wide with surprise.
"I didn't mean to. Sometimes I become so wrapped up in my work that I forget the people around me have feelings." With a sigh, he continued, "I'm truly sorry. It was thoughtless of me."
Her expression bloomed like a flower in the sunshine. "I shouldn't be such a pup, Malcolm. I just couldn't help it. I wanted to be beside you at the ceremony and — "
"And I let you down."
"No!" she said immediately. "It was my own dimdumb fault. I should've known better. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."
Eberly leaned back in his comfortable chair and gave her his patient fatherly smile. How easily she's maneuvered, he thought. She's apologizing to me.
"I mean," Holy was prattling on, "I know you've got lots to do and all the responsibilities for the whole habitat's human resources and all that and I shouldn't have expected you to take time out and stand around watching the ridic' ceremonies with me like some schoolkid at commencement or something...."
Her voice wound down like a toy running out of battery power.
Eberly replaced his smile with a concerned expression. "Very well, Holly. It's over and done with. Forgotten."
She nodded happily.
"I have an assignment for you, if you can find the time to work on it."
"I'll make the time!"
"Wonderful." He smiled again, the pleased, grateful smile.
"What's the assignment?"
He called up the habitat's ground plan and projected it against the bare wall. Holly saw the villages, the parks and farmlands and orchards, the offices and workshops and factory complexes, all neatly laid out and connected by paths for pedestrians and electric motorbikes.
"This is our home now," Eberly said. "We're going to be living here for at least five years. Some of us — many of us — will spend the rest of our lives here."
Holly agreed with a nod.
"Yet we have no
And who better to begin with than Holly? he thought. My newborn. She had been sulky, pouting, since he had been so curt with her at the breakout ceremony. He saw that his morning's messages included one from her; she had called him twice yesterday, as well. Ah well, he told himself, time to make her smile again.
He told the phone to locate her. The holographic image that appeared above his desktop showed that she was in her office, working.
As soon as she recognized Eberly's face her expression lit up with hope, expectation.
"Holly, if you have a moment, could you come to my office, please?" he asked pleasantly.
She said, "I'll be there f-t-l!"
Eff-tee-ell? Eberly wondered as her image winked out. What could — Ah! Faster than light. One of her little bits of slang.
He heard her tap on his door, light and timid.
Let her wait, he said to himself. Just long enough to make her worry a bit. He sensed her fidgeting uncertainly outside his door.
When at last she tapped again he called, "Enter."
Holly wasn't pouting as she stepped into Eberly's office. Instead, she looked apprehensive, almost afraid.
Eberly got to his feet and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, Holly. Please."
She perched on the chair like a little bird ready to take flight at the slightest danger. Eberly sat down and said nothing for a few moments, studying her. Holly was wearing a forest green tunic over form-fitting tights of a slightly lighter green. No rings or other jewelry except for the studs in her earlobes. Diamonds, he saw. Since the Asteroid Belt had been opened to mining, gemstones were becoming commonplace. At least she's taken off that silly decal on her forehead, Eberly noted. She's rather attractive, really, he thought. Some men find dark skin exotic. Not much of a figure, but she's got good long legs. Should I find someone to get her involved romantically? No, he concluded, I want her attention focused on me, for now.
He made a slow smile for her. "I hurt you, didn't I?"
Holly's eyes went wide with surprise.
"I didn't mean to. Sometimes I become so wrapped up in my work that I forget the people around me have feelings." With a sigh, he continued, "I'm truly sorry. It was thoughtless of me."
Her expression bloomed like a flower in the sunshine. "I shouldn't be such a pup, Malcolm. I just couldn't help it. I wanted to be beside you at the ceremony and — "
"And I let you down."
"No!" she said immediately. "It was my own dimdumb fault. I should've known better. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."
Eberly leaned back in his comfortable chair and gave her his patient fatherly smile. How easily she's maneuvered, he thought. She's apologizing to me.
"I mean," Holy was prattling on, "I know you've got lots to do and all the responsibilities for the whole habitat's human resources and all that and I shouldn't have expected you to take time out and stand around watching the ridic' ceremonies with me like some schoolkid at commencement or something...."
Her voice wound down like a toy running out of battery power.
Eberly replaced his smile with a concerned expression. "Very well, Holly. It's over and done with. Forgotten."
She nodded happily.
"I have an assignment for you, if you can find the time to work on it."
"I'll make the time!"
"Wonderful." He smiled again, the pleased, grateful smile.
"What's the assignment?"
He called up the habitat's ground plan and projected it against the bare wall. Holly saw the villages, the parks and farmlands and orchards, the offices and workshops and factory complexes, all neatly laid out and connected by paths for pedestrians and electric motorbikes.
"This is our home now," Eberly said. "We're going to be living here for at least five years. Some of us — many of us — will spend the rest of our lives here."
Holly agreed with a nod.
"Yet we have no
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