his five guests showed no obvious signs of olfactory distress when they were introduced, one at a time. But Secretary Elisabeth Ishihara was certainly wise to have warned him; now he knew exactly what the word “aromatic” implied. She was also correct in saying that it was not unpleasant; indeed, he was reminded of the spices his wife used when it was her turn to do the cooking in the palace.
As he sat down at the curve of the horseshoe-shaped conference table, the President of Thalassa found himself musing wryly about Chance and Fate – subjects that had never much concerned him in the past. But Chance, in its purest form, had put him in his present position. Now it – or its sibling, Fate – had struck again. How odd that he, an unambitious manufacturer of sporting equipment, had been chosen to preside at this historic meeting! Still, somebody had to do it; and he had to admit that he was beginning to enjoy himself. At the very least, no one could stop him from making his speech of welcome …
… It was, in fact, quite a good speech, though perhaps a little longer than necessary even for such an occasion as this. Towards the end he became aware that his listeners’ politely attentive expressions were becoming a trifle glazed, so he cut out some of the productivity statistics and the whole section about the new power grid on South Island. When he sat down, he felt confident that he had painted a picture of a vigorous, progressive society with a high level of technical skills. Any superficial impressions to the contrary notwithstanding, Thalassa was neither backward nor decadent, and still sustained the finest traditions of its great ancestors. Et cetera.
“Thank you very much, Mr. President,” Captain Bey said in the appreciative pause that followed. “It was indeed a welcome surprise when we discovered that Thalassa was not only inhabited, but flourishing. It will make our stay here all the more pleasant, and we hope to leave again with nothing but goodwill on both sides.”
“Pardon me for being so blunt – it may even seem rude to raise the question just as soon as guests arrive – but how long do you expect to be here? We’d like to know as soon as possible, so that we can make any necessary arrangements.”
“I quite understand, Mr. President. We can’t be specific at this stage, because it depends partly on the amount of assistance you can give us. My guess is at least one of your years – more probably two.”
Edgar Farradine, like most Lassans, was not good at concealing his emotions, and Captain Bey was alarmed by the sudden gleeful – one might even say crafty – expression that spread across the chief executive’s countenance.
“I hope, Your Excellency, that won’t create any problems?” he asked anxiously.
“On the contrary,” the president said, practically rubbing his hands. “You may not have heard, but our 200th Olympic Games are due in two years.” He coughed modestly. “I got a bronze in the 1000 metres when I was a young man, so they’ve put me in charge of the arrangements. We could do with some competition from outside.”
“Mr. President,” the secretary to the cabinet said, “I’m not sure that the rules –”
“Which I make,” continued the president firmly. “Captain, please consider this an invitation. Or a challenge, if you prefer.”
The commander of the starship Magellan was a man accustomed to making swift decisions, but for once he was taken completely aback. Before he could think of a suitable reply, his chief medical officer stepped into the breach.
“That’s extremely kind of you, Mr. President,” Surgeon-Commander Mary Newton said. “But as a medperson, may I point out that all of us are over thirty, we’re completely out of training – and Thalassa’s gravity is six per cent stronger than Earth’s, which would put us at a severe disadvantage. So unless your Olympics includes chess or card games…”
The president looked
As he sat down at the curve of the horseshoe-shaped conference table, the President of Thalassa found himself musing wryly about Chance and Fate – subjects that had never much concerned him in the past. But Chance, in its purest form, had put him in his present position. Now it – or its sibling, Fate – had struck again. How odd that he, an unambitious manufacturer of sporting equipment, had been chosen to preside at this historic meeting! Still, somebody had to do it; and he had to admit that he was beginning to enjoy himself. At the very least, no one could stop him from making his speech of welcome …
… It was, in fact, quite a good speech, though perhaps a little longer than necessary even for such an occasion as this. Towards the end he became aware that his listeners’ politely attentive expressions were becoming a trifle glazed, so he cut out some of the productivity statistics and the whole section about the new power grid on South Island. When he sat down, he felt confident that he had painted a picture of a vigorous, progressive society with a high level of technical skills. Any superficial impressions to the contrary notwithstanding, Thalassa was neither backward nor decadent, and still sustained the finest traditions of its great ancestors. Et cetera.
“Thank you very much, Mr. President,” Captain Bey said in the appreciative pause that followed. “It was indeed a welcome surprise when we discovered that Thalassa was not only inhabited, but flourishing. It will make our stay here all the more pleasant, and we hope to leave again with nothing but goodwill on both sides.”
“Pardon me for being so blunt – it may even seem rude to raise the question just as soon as guests arrive – but how long do you expect to be here? We’d like to know as soon as possible, so that we can make any necessary arrangements.”
“I quite understand, Mr. President. We can’t be specific at this stage, because it depends partly on the amount of assistance you can give us. My guess is at least one of your years – more probably two.”
Edgar Farradine, like most Lassans, was not good at concealing his emotions, and Captain Bey was alarmed by the sudden gleeful – one might even say crafty – expression that spread across the chief executive’s countenance.
“I hope, Your Excellency, that won’t create any problems?” he asked anxiously.
“On the contrary,” the president said, practically rubbing his hands. “You may not have heard, but our 200th Olympic Games are due in two years.” He coughed modestly. “I got a bronze in the 1000 metres when I was a young man, so they’ve put me in charge of the arrangements. We could do with some competition from outside.”
“Mr. President,” the secretary to the cabinet said, “I’m not sure that the rules –”
“Which I make,” continued the president firmly. “Captain, please consider this an invitation. Or a challenge, if you prefer.”
The commander of the starship Magellan was a man accustomed to making swift decisions, but for once he was taken completely aback. Before he could think of a suitable reply, his chief medical officer stepped into the breach.
“That’s extremely kind of you, Mr. President,” Surgeon-Commander Mary Newton said. “But as a medperson, may I point out that all of us are over thirty, we’re completely out of training – and Thalassa’s gravity is six per cent stronger than Earth’s, which would put us at a severe disadvantage. So unless your Olympics includes chess or card games…”
The president looked
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