Moonrise

“I work for her,” Ji

Kris Cardenas said, “Still, if we all want the same thing, we ought to present a united front.”

Fine by me,” said Ji

Greg’s face looked like a storm cloud, when he stepped into the reception area beneath the rocket landing pads.

“What’s the matter?” Joa

“Ji

“Ji

“She’s on the incoming ship, with Cardenas and Zimmerman.”

“But she’s supposed to be in Houston.”

“She’s on the ship. She thought she’d sneak in here without my knowing it. Thought I wouldn’t bother checking the LTV’s manifest.”

Joa

“They’ll be corning down in a few minutes,” Greg said, in a tight-throated whisper. “Flight control has locked in on them.”

Joa

“Where’s Doug?” Greg asked her.

“He went up to the observation bubble,” she said. “He likes to watch the spacecraft land.”

Greg made a sour face. Everything’s a game to Doug; just a big entertainment. Impatiently he went to the wall panel beside the hatch and flicked on the intercom.

“Fifteen… right down the pipe,” said the flight controller’s voice. “Ten… five…”

“Green light,” a different voice a

“Touchdown confirmed.”

“Shutting down.”

“Base power co

Greg paced impatiently across the small room. Doug came in through the door from the flight control center.

“Hi, Greg,” he said.

His half-brother gave him a dark look in return. Joa

“This is your doing, isn’t it?” Greg snapped.

“My doing? What?”

“Bringing Anson here.”

“Ji

Greg waved a finger in Doug’s face. “Don’t play i

“I didn’t know Ji

“You’re a liar!”

Joa

“That’s quite enough,” Joa

But Doug smiled and stepped back, his hands relaxing. “Honestly, Greg, I’m just as surprised as you are that Ji

“Really?” Greg sneered.

“Really,” said Doug as pleasantly as a springtime breeze.

The airlock hatch’s signal-chikie interrupted them. Joa

It wasn’t necessary. As soon as the indicator light went from amber to green, the heavy metal hatch swung open. Joa

The pilot pushed the hatch all the way open, gri

“Then you ought to get paid as a doorman,” said the controller.

He wasn’t all that much bigger than she, Joa

Greg forced a smile for them as they passed him, on their way to the flight control center. They didn’t recognize Joa

Then Ji

For an awkward moment no one knew what to say. Greg looked like a smoldering volcano, Doug seemed nonplussed, and Joa

Then Zimmerman broke the silence. “We seek asylum,” he said, with great dignity.

DIRECTOR’S OFFICE

“Let me get this straight,” Greg said. “You’re seeking political asylum? Here at Moonbase?”

“You are now under the legal jurisdiction of the nation of Kiribati, is that not so?” Zimmerman asked.

“Legally, yes,” said Greg.

“So! We seek asylum. Me from Switzerland, she from Canada.”

The six of them sat around the circular conference table in Greg’s office, where Greg had taken them immediately after their arrival. Joa

“I don’t know if it’s political asylum or what,” said Kris Cardenas, “but we want the freedom to continue our research—”

“And our teaching,” interrupted Zimmerman.

Cardenas nodded. “And our teaching.”

“And you can’t do it Earthside?” Doug asked.

“Not once this treaty goes into effect,” said Zimmerman heavily. “All research on nanotechnology will be ba

Joa

Greg steepled his fingers before his face and looked at Anson. “Ji

She gri

“What does he teach?” Joa

“English literature,” Anson replied. “Specializes in Marlowe — the Elizabethan, not the detective.”

No one laughed.

“Why don’t we invite him here?” Doug asked.

“Here?” Greg demanded. “To Moonbase? We can’t afford to carry nonproductive people here. What would we do with an English lit professor?”

“Start a university,” said Doug.

“What?”

Gesturing toward Zimmerman and Cardenas, Doug said, “We have two of the world’s greatest nanotech researchers, don’t we? Let Ji

“But the transportation costs,” Joa

Doug gave her a patient smile. “Mom, I’m studying at Caltech and the Sorbo

“Electronically.”

“Virtual reality, when you need it,” said Doug.

Greg seemed intrigued despite himself. “You mean we could make a profit out of a university?”