Starhawk

Chapter 45

CAL MEANT WELL, but he seemed to have trouble with time zones. When the link sounded at midnight, she was willing to bet it would be him. Inevitably she was right. “How are you doing, love?” he asked.

“Actually, Cal,” she said, “I was doing fine. Sleeping, though.”

“Oh. I did it again, didn’t I? I’m sorry, Priscilla. I keep forgetting.”

In fact, usually she didn’t mention it. “It’s okay,” she said.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll skip the small talk.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, no. Look, Priscilla, I’d really like to see you this weekend. Maybe Saturday? Would it be a problem if I came up? To the station?”

“Sure, Cal,” she said. “That would be good.”

* * *

HE ARRIVED CARRYING chocolates. He waved at her from the exit ramp, and she somehow automatically fell into his arms. “I hate not seeing you for long periods of time,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about getting a job up here. I understand Kosmik’s looking for an accountant.”

“You’re not an accountant.”

“I could fake it. They’d never know.” He managed an absolutely charming smile. I’m kidding, but just say the word. He really did look happy. Something more than what you normally saw with a guy on the make. “Did you get some pictures from Orfano?” he asked.

“Yes, we got some.”

“A world in the dark. It sounds like a seriously creepy place.”

“It was pretty cold.”

“I guess. How far away is it?”

“We only needed a couple of days to get there.”

He looked good. She’d forgotten how charming he could be. Her leading man. “It’s really nice to see you again, Priscilla.”

“And you too, Cal.”

“Have you eaten yet? How about we go have some breakfast? The food in the shuttle is kind of sparse. What time is it here?”

“We’re still on Greenwich time, Cal.” It was midmorning for him, midafternoon for her. “But sure. Let’s get something to eat.”

* * *

THEY WENT TO the Cockpit. When all the trivial questions about how they were doing and when Cal’s next show would be were out of the way, he asked why on earth “the Academy people” had gone to a world that had to be dead.

“Looking for life isn’t the only thing they’re doing,” she said. “A lot of it has to do with just trying to find out how the universe works.” The account of the inexplicable lights was out in the open and had, for several days, been receiving heavy media coverage.

“Sure. But the aliens are the only thing people are really interested in.”

“You know, Cal,” she said, “when people hear what I do for a living, they always ask the same question: Do I hope to meet some aliens? I wonder what it is about that subject that fascinates us so much.”

“I don’t know,” said Cal. “But you’re right. I think what we’d really like is to find somebody out there that we could talk to, and maybe have some beer with. That’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so. But I don’t think we’ll be drinking any beer with whatever it is that’s on Orfano.”

“I guess not.” He sat staring at her. “It’s a really scary story. You’re lucky they weren’t unfriendly. Or hungry, or something.”

“It got me thinking, Cal. We’re probably better off not having aliens in the area. Think where we’d be if there was a civilization nearby with technology a million years ahead of ours.”

They finished their meals and ordered a couple of drinks. “You know,” he said, “not to change the subject or anything, but you’re absolutely gorgeous. Most beautiful woman on the station.”

She smiled. “How many of the women up here have you been involved with?”

He looked off to his right. “Well, there’s another knockout over near the window.” A tall brunette, stacked, with classic features. “Not in your league, though.”

She wondered what had happened to the shy Cal she’d known earlier. Mark Klaybold, his stage character, had taken over.

The drinks arrived. She tried hers. Rum with a sprinkle of lemon. Cal lifted his glass and looked at her over its rim with those large brown eyes. “You’re going to be a hard catch, aren’t you, Priscilla?”

She looked back with as much puzzled innocence as she could manage. “What do you mean?”

His voice softened: “I’m not sure I’m going to have much of a chance with you. There’s too much distance. And I suspect I’m in the way of what you want to do with your life. Am I right?”

“Let’s just live for the day, Cal. It’s not an easy situation. Right now, I’m still trying to get my career straightened out.”

“Okay. You’re being noncommittal again. But I understand that. I just want you to know that I’ve never known anyone quite like you.” He lifted his glass. “To you, Priscilla. Thanks for the moment.”

* * *

THEY STOPPED BY the Lookout Lounge, to have a drink and watch the Earth turn, or the Moon, or sometimes just sit in the starlight, while pop music played softly in the background. “You still plan to come back to Princeton occasionally, right, Priscilla?”

“Yes, Cal,” she said. “Of course. My mom lives there.”

“Can I get you to agree to let me know in advance when you’re coming?”

“I’ll try, Cal. But I tend to be forgetful sometimes.”

He grinned. This guy was not going to be easy to discourage. “Maybe I need to pop in up here more often.”

Shuttle tickets weren’t cheap. Priscilla got them at a substantial discount. But Cal had a healthy income. It probably didn’t matter much to him. “Look,” she said, “now that you’re here, why don’t you plan on staying the night? You still have time to change your reservation.”

“I’d love to, Priscilla.” Those brown eyes lit up. “Did you mean, with you?”

“I have a sofa.”

* * *

SHE LED HIM back to her apartment, unsure whether she’d done the right thing. The truth was, she’d have liked to give herself to him. The guy looked good, he loved her, and she liked him. That should be enough. But she wasn’t sure that she should encourage him. It was hard to see how any permanent relationship could evolve out of their circumstances. And she didn’t want to hurt him for the sake of her own sexual pleasure.

So, when they arrived in the apartment, she immediately arranged pillows on the sofa so there’d be no misunderstanding. But, a few minutes later, she took him into her bedroom.

* * *

THE SECOND ORFANO mission was getting itself together. They were down working every day prepping the Venture, storing supplies, loading gear that, when assembled, would constitute the shelter. She couldn’t help feeling jealous. The sense of being left out was intensified by the fact that the Venture was the ship she’d used to retrieve Monika Wolf from Selika. It was a Kosmik vehicle, of course, but they had no immediate need of it, and Broderick was undoubtedly happy to lease it to the Academy for a few weeks.

She’d have enjoyed taking her tour groups inside it, but the bombing of the Gremlin, even though it had been the act of one of their own people, had changed all that. Tourists were no longer permitted access to the ships. So the experience wasn’t what it had been, but she took them close enough that they could see the Venture and watch supplies being loaded. She even saw Jake on two occasions, but he appeared not to notice her.

There were rumors that he was coming back permanently, that he’d signed on with Interstellar Transport, but she heard nothing official.

She didn’t get a chance to talk to him, and it seemed best not to call. So she simply took her tour groups down and showed them the Venture and the Baumbachner and the Sydney Thompson, which was in port for several days.

Then, one morning, the Venture was gone.

* * *

NEWSDESK

MCGRUDER CAUGHT ON LIVE MIKE: ENJOYS MAHLER

Gaffe May Undercut Him with Base

ANTITERRAFORM GROUP SEIZED IN OKLAHOMA

Planned to Bomb Space Station

Infiltrated by FBI: “Never a Danger”

TORNADO HITS OTTAWA

Two Dead; 23 Injured

Power Loss Restored within Hours

MEYER’S PROSTITUTE WAS POLITICAL ACTIVIST

Withdraws from Missouri Race

ATTACK ADS GET PERSONAL AS CAMPAIGN INTENSIFIES

“Idiot” vs “Blockhead”

Editorial: Campaign on Issues

Were Politics Really Less Nasty in the Old Days?

INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE PASSES 100,000

Wall Street Celebrates

Bickley: “Affirmation of the President’s Economic Policies”

MY FAIR LADY REVIVAL GOES INTO FOURTH YEAR

Twentieth-Century Musical Boffo at Box Office

RAKOVIC FACES WORLD COURT

Ex-Dictator Charged with Crimes Against Humanity

Demonstrators Demand Death Penalty

MORE TORNADOES HIT MIDWEST

Wind Speed in Three Kansas Storms Reaches 170 mph

BREAKTHROUGH IN EDUCATION

Parental Involvement Critical Factor

* * *

THE WASHINGTON POST COLUMN

by Anika Avery

We had a report a few days ago that invisible aliens have been found on a sunless world. The expedition that discovered them returned last week to the space station. The first question that comes to mind is: How can we be sure the expedition came back alone . . . ?