Free New Earth by Ben Bova Page B

millions and driving still more millions into refugee camps or aimless migrations across what was left of civilization.
    “It’s beautiful,isn’t it?”
    Startled, she turned to see Douglas Stavenger smiling at her. Like her, Stavenger’s body was filled with nanomachines. Like her, he appeared strong and youthful, a handsome man of middle years, broad of shoulder and flat in the middle. Unlike her, Stavenger had filled his long life with service to the city-state of Selene, first as head of its governing council, later as the éminencegris who gently but firmly pulled the strings behind the scenes.
    “I don’t know why I torture myself staring at it,” Halleck admitted.
    Stavenger cocked his head slightly to one side, his version of a shrug. “It’s home,” he said. “It always will be, no matter how long we stay away.”
    She knew that he had not made his way to this observatory and bumped into her by accident.
    “Felicia Ionescu calledon me this morning. She’s come here, to Selene,” she said.
    Stavenger said, “So I heard.”
    “She wants to get the second mission to Sirius C funded.”
    With the ghost of a smile, Stavenger said, “I wish her well, but…” He let the thought dangle, unspoken.
    “Chiang is dead set against it,” Halleck said, knowing that she was telling Stavenger a fact he already knew.
    “He has a lot of responsibilitieson his hands,” said Stavenger.
    “I don’t know what Ionescu thinks I can do,” Halleck said. “I haven’t been active in IAA affairs for years. Decades.”
    For a couple of heartbeats, Stavenger said nothing. Then, “Maybe she thinks you could help.”
    Halleck shook her head. “It’d be foolish to send the backup mission before we hear from the first team. And that won’t happen for another eight years.”
    “Still,” Stavenger said mildly, “it would take eight years or more to get the next mission ready to go.”
    Halleck walked across the observatory’s empty floor, her steps clicking on the concrete, and sat wearily on one of the couches. Stavenger followed her, almost silent in his softboots.
    “Scientists,” she said, almost scoffing. “They’re always pushing for more.”
    “It’s a big universe,” said Stavenger.

    “But what good is it?” she demanded. “What does it accomplish? So they explore another planet. Does that help anybody? Does that solve any real problems?”
    Stavenger looked amused. “Strange question to ask, here, in this place.”
    “You mean on the Moon? So what? So we’re living on the Moon. What of it?”
    “We wouldn’t be here if scientists hadn’t pushed to explore.”
    She looked into his handsome,fine-boned face and saw that he was amused—and dead serious.
    “You think they should start the backup mission now? With all the problems on Earth? The flooding and all?”
    “There are always problems on Earth. And here in Selene, too. That shouldn’t stop our push to explore.”
    “Where will it end?”
    “It won’t end. We keep on exploring, keep on learning. That’s where new knowledge comes from, thefrontier. And new knowledge always leads to new wealth, new benefits for everyone.”
    “Very philanthropic.”
    “Very practical,” Stavenger corrected.
    “Ionescu will never be able to convince Chiang and the others.”
    “That’s why you’ve got to help her.”
    “Me?”
    “You. You know the political ropes. You have the energy and the drive. Do you have the guts to get back into the fight?”
    Halleck stared athim.
    Stavenger added, “What good is long life if you don’t work for something worth doing?”

 
    ENCOUNTER
    It’s only fully modern humans [not Neandertals] who start this thing of venturing out on the ocean where you don’t see land. Part of that is technology, of course; you have to have ships to do it. But there is also, I like to think or say, some madness there. You know? How many people must have sailed out and vanished on the Pacific before you found Easter Island? I