I’d do smashing, whatever happens,” said Mary. “Miners drink, don’t they? Anywhere people go to get rich, they need places to spend their money.”
“That’s true,” said Mr. De Wit, sighing.
“And just think what I can do with all that money!” Mary crowed. “No more making do with the BAC’s leftovers!” She paused by a transparency and pointed out at the red desolation. “See that? It’s nobody’s land. I could have laid claim to it any time this five years, but what would I have done with it? I might have wells drilled, but it’s the bloody BAC has the air and the heating and the vizio I’d need!
“But with
money
. . .”
By the time they got back to the Empress she was barreling along in her enthusiasm with such speed that Mr. De Wit was panting as hetried to keep up. She jumped in through the airlock, faced her household (just in from the field of glorious combat and settling down to a celebratory libation) flung off her mask and cried: “Congratulate me, you lot! I’m the richest woman on Mars!”
“You did bet on the match,” said Rowan reproachfully.
“I did not,” said Mary, thrusting a hand at Mr. De Wit. “You know who this kind gentleman is? This is my extremely good friend from Amsterdam.” She winked hugely. “He’s a
gem
of a man. A genuine
diamond
in the rough. And he’s brought your mother very good news, my dears.”
Stunned silence while everyone took that in, and then Mona leaped up screaming.
“
Thediamondthediamondthediamond!
Omigoddess!”
“How much are we getting for it?” asked Rowan at once.
“Well—” Mary looked at Mr. De Wit. “There’s papers and things to sign, first, and we have to find a buyer. But there’ll be more than enough to fix us all up nicely, I’m sure.”
“Very probably,” Mr. De Wit agreed.
“We finally won’t be
poor
anymore!” caroled Mona, bounding up and down.
“Congratulations, Mama!” said Manco.
“Congratulations, Mother,” said Chiring.
Mr. Morton giggled uneasily. “So . . . this means you’re leaving Mars?” he said. “What will the rest of us do?”
“I’m not about to leave,” Mary assured him. His face lit up.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Because I’ve got nothing to go back to, down there, you know, and Mars has been the first place I ever really—”
“What do you
mean
we’re not leaving?” said Alice in a strangled kind of voice. “You’re ruining my life
again
, aren’t you?”
She turned and fled. Her bedchamber being as it was in a loft accessible only by rope line, Alice was unable to leap in and fling herself on her bed, there to sob furiously; so she resorted to running away to the darkness behind the brew tanks and sobbing furiously there.
“—felt as though I belonged in a family,” Mr. Morton continued.
CHAPTER 6
Losers
Alice might weep, but she was outvoted.
Rowan opted to stay on Mars. Mona waffled on the question until the boy-to-girl ratio on Earth was explained to her, after which she firmly cast her lot with the Red Planet. Chiring had never had any intention of leaving; his
Dispatches from Mars
had doubled the number of subscribers to the
Kathmandu Post
, which was run by his sister’s husband, and as a result of the Mars exposés he looked fair to win Nepal’s highest journalism award.
Manco had no intention of leaving, either, for many reasons, not least of which was that it would be difficult to transport his life’s work back to Earth. This was a shrine in a grotto three kilometers from the Empress, containing a cast-stone life-sized statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe surrounded by roses sculpted from a mixture of pink Martian dust and Manco’s own blood. It was an ongoing work of art, and an awesome and terrible thing.
The Heretic, when asked if she would like to leave Mars, became so distraught that her ocular implant telescoped and retracted uncontrollably for five minutes before she was able to stammer out a refusal.
“That’s true,” said Mr. De Wit, sighing.
“And just think what I can do with all that money!” Mary crowed. “No more making do with the BAC’s leftovers!” She paused by a transparency and pointed out at the red desolation. “See that? It’s nobody’s land. I could have laid claim to it any time this five years, but what would I have done with it? I might have wells drilled, but it’s the bloody BAC has the air and the heating and the vizio I’d need!
“But with
money
. . .”
By the time they got back to the Empress she was barreling along in her enthusiasm with such speed that Mr. De Wit was panting as hetried to keep up. She jumped in through the airlock, faced her household (just in from the field of glorious combat and settling down to a celebratory libation) flung off her mask and cried: “Congratulate me, you lot! I’m the richest woman on Mars!”
“You did bet on the match,” said Rowan reproachfully.
“I did not,” said Mary, thrusting a hand at Mr. De Wit. “You know who this kind gentleman is? This is my extremely good friend from Amsterdam.” She winked hugely. “He’s a
gem
of a man. A genuine
diamond
in the rough. And he’s brought your mother very good news, my dears.”
Stunned silence while everyone took that in, and then Mona leaped up screaming.
“
Thediamondthediamondthediamond!
Omigoddess!”
“How much are we getting for it?” asked Rowan at once.
“Well—” Mary looked at Mr. De Wit. “There’s papers and things to sign, first, and we have to find a buyer. But there’ll be more than enough to fix us all up nicely, I’m sure.”
“Very probably,” Mr. De Wit agreed.
“We finally won’t be
poor
anymore!” caroled Mona, bounding up and down.
“Congratulations, Mama!” said Manco.
“Congratulations, Mother,” said Chiring.
Mr. Morton giggled uneasily. “So . . . this means you’re leaving Mars?” he said. “What will the rest of us do?”
“I’m not about to leave,” Mary assured him. His face lit up.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Because I’ve got nothing to go back to, down there, you know, and Mars has been the first place I ever really—”
“What do you
mean
we’re not leaving?” said Alice in a strangled kind of voice. “You’re ruining my life
again
, aren’t you?”
She turned and fled. Her bedchamber being as it was in a loft accessible only by rope line, Alice was unable to leap in and fling herself on her bed, there to sob furiously; so she resorted to running away to the darkness behind the brew tanks and sobbing furiously there.
“—felt as though I belonged in a family,” Mr. Morton continued.
CHAPTER 6
Losers
Alice might weep, but she was outvoted.
Rowan opted to stay on Mars. Mona waffled on the question until the boy-to-girl ratio on Earth was explained to her, after which she firmly cast her lot with the Red Planet. Chiring had never had any intention of leaving; his
Dispatches from Mars
had doubled the number of subscribers to the
Kathmandu Post
, which was run by his sister’s husband, and as a result of the Mars exposés he looked fair to win Nepal’s highest journalism award.
Manco had no intention of leaving, either, for many reasons, not least of which was that it would be difficult to transport his life’s work back to Earth. This was a shrine in a grotto three kilometers from the Empress, containing a cast-stone life-sized statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe surrounded by roses sculpted from a mixture of pink Martian dust and Manco’s own blood. It was an ongoing work of art, and an awesome and terrible thing.
The Heretic, when asked if she would like to leave Mars, became so distraught that her ocular implant telescoped and retracted uncontrollably for five minutes before she was able to stammer out a refusal.
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