Saturn (gt-1) by Ben Bova

Author:Ben Bova [Bova, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_space
ISBN: 0-312-87218-6
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2003-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

SATURN ARRIVAL MINUS 312 DAYS

Of the two restaurants in the habitat, Nemo’s was by far the more spectacular. Where the Bistro was small and quiet, with most of its tables out on the lawn, Nemo’s was plush and ambitious. The restaurant was designed to resemble the interior of a submarine, with curved bare metal walls and large round portholes that looked out on holograms of teeming undersea life. The proprietor, a former Singapore restaurateur whose outspoken atheism had gotten him into trouble, had sunk a fair share of his personal assets into the restaurant. “If I’m going to fly all the way out to Saturn,” he told his assembled children, grandchildren, and more distant relatives, “I might as well spend my time doing something I know about.” They were not happy to see the head of the family leave Earth — and take so much of their inheritance with him.

Holly felt distinctly nervous as she followed the robot headwaiter to the table for four that she had reserved. Gaeta had offered to pick her up at her apartment, but she thought it better that they meet at the restaurant. She was the first to arrive, precisely on time at 20:00 hours. The squat little robot stopped and announced, “Your table, Miss.” Holly wondered how it decided she was a Miss and not a Ma’am. Did it pick up the data from her ID badge?

She sat at the chair that allowed her to look across the room at the entryway. The restaurant was not even half filled.

“Would you care for a drink?” the robot asked. Its synthesized voice was warm and deep. “We have an excellent bar and an extensive wine list.”

Holly knew that that was an exaggeration, at best. “No thanks,” she said. The robot trundled away.

Eberly appeared at the entryway, and Kris Cardenas came in right behind him. She wore an actual dress, a knee-length frock of flowered material, light and summery. Holly suddenly felt shabby in her tunic and tights, despite the sea-green shawl she had knotted around her waist.

She stood up as the two of them approached. Neither of them realized they were both heading to the same table, at first, but Eberly caught on quickly and gallantly held Cardenas’s chair for her as she sat down. As Holly introduced them to one another she found herself hoping that Manny wouldn’t come. Maybe he got tied up on something, some test or whatever. She barely paid attention to the conversation between Eberly and Cardenas.

Then Gaeta appeared, wearing a formfitting mesh shirt and denims. No badge. No decorations of any kind, except for the stud in his earlobe. He didn’t need finery. Heads turned as he strode to their table well ahead of the robot headwaiter.

Except for the fluttering in her stomach, the meal seemed to go easily enough. Gaeta knew Cardenas, of course, and Eberly acted as their host, gracious and charming. Conversation was light, at first: They talked about the recent voting and Gaeta’s previous feats of daring.

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