And after a while, he said, ‘Eugenia, I wonder if I might have a chance to speak to Marlene alone.’

Insigna said with an attempt at lightness, ‘Any particular reason, Siever?’

Genarr said, ‘Well, it was Marlene who spoke to Commissioner Pitt and it was she who persuaded the Commissioner to allow the two of you to come to the Dome. As Commander of the Dome, I'm pretty much dependent on what Commissioner Pitt says and does, and I would value what Marlene can tell me of the meeting. I think she would speak more freely if it were just the two of us.’

Genarr watched Insigna leave and then turned to Marlene, who was now sitting in a large chair in a corner of the room, almost lost in its soft capaciousness. Her hands were clasped loosely in her lap and her beautiful dark eyes regarded the Commander gravely.

Genarr said with a hint of humor in his voice, ‘Your mother seemed a little nervous about leaving you here with me. Are you nervous, too?’

‘Not at all,’ said Marlene. ‘And if my mother was nervous, it was on your behalf, not on mine.’

‘On my behalf. Why?’

‘She thinks I might say something that would offend you.’

‘Would you, Marlene?’

‘Not deliberately, Commander. I'll try not to.’

‘And I'm sure you'll succeed. Do you know why I want to see you alone?’

‘You told my mother you want to find out about my interview with Commissioner Pitt. That's true, but you also want to see what I'm like.’

Genarr's eyebrows drew together just a trifle. ‘Naturally, I would want to get to know you better.’

‘It's not that,’ said Marlene quickly.

‘What is it, then?’

Marlene looked away. ‘I'm sorry, Commander.’

‘Sorry about what?’

Marlene's face twitched unhappily and she was silent.

Genarr said softly, ‘Now, Marlene, what is wrong? You must tell me. It is important to me that we talk frankly. If your mother told you to watch what you say, please forget that. If she implied that I was sensitive and easily offended, please forget that, too. In fact, I command you to speak to me freely and not to worry a bit about offending me, and you must obey my command because I'm the Commander of the Erythro Dome.’

Marlene laughed suddenly. ‘You're really anxious to find out about me, aren't you?’

‘Of course.’

‘Because you're wondering how I can look the way I do, when I'm my mother's daughter.’

Genarr's eyes opened wide. ‘I never said anything of the sort.’

‘You didn't have to. You're an old friend of my mother's. She told me that much. But you were in love with her, and you haven't quite gotten over it, and you were expecting me to look the way she did when she was young, so when you saw me, you winced and drew back.’

‘I did? It was noticeable?’

‘It was a very small gesture because you're a polite man and you tried to repress it, but it was there. I saw it easily. And then your eyes turned to my mother and back to me. And then there was the tone of your first words to me. It was all very plain. You were thinking I didn't look at all like my mother and you were disappointed.’

Genarr leaned back in his chair and said, ‘But this is marvelous.’

And a great gladness lit up Marlene's face. ‘You mean it, Commander. You mean it. You're not offended. You're not uncomfortable. It makes you happy. You're the first one, the first one. Even my mother doesn't like it.’

‘Liking or not liking it doesn't matter. That is totally irrelevant when it's a question of coming up against the extraordinary. How long have you been able to read body language in this way, Marlene?’

‘Always, but I've gotten better at it. I think anyone must be able to do it, if they only watch - and think.’

‘Not so, Marlene. It can't be done. Don't think it. And you say I love your mother.’

‘No doubt about it, Commander. When you're near her, you give it away with every look, every word, every twitch.’

‘Do you suppose she notices?’

‘She suspects you do, but she doesn't want you to.’

Genarr looked away. ‘She never did.’

‘It's my father.’

‘I know.’

Marlene hesitated. ‘But I think she's wrong. If she could see you the way I do right now-’

‘But she can't, unfortunately. It makes me so happy that you do, though. You're beautiful.’

Marlene flushed. Then she said, ‘You mean that!’

‘Of course I do.’

‘But-’

‘I can't lie to you, can I? So I won't try. Your face isn't beautiful. Your body isn't beautiful. But you are beautiful and that's what's important. And you can tell I really believe that.’

‘Yes, I do,’ said Marlene, smiling with such genuine happiness that even her face had a sudden distant cast of beauty.

Genarr smiled, too, and said, ‘Shall we now talk about Commissioner Pitt? Now that I know what an uncommonly shrewd young woman you are, it is all the more important I do so. Are you willing?’

Marlene clasped her hands lightly in her lap, smiled demurely, and said, ‘Yes, Uncle Siever. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?’

‘Not at all. In fact, I'm honored. Now - tell me all about Commissioner Pitt. He has sent me instructions that I'm to give your mother all possible cooperation and that I am to make freely available to her all our astronomical equipment. Why do you suppose that is?’

‘My mother wants to make delicate measurements of Nemesis' motion relative to the stars, and Rotor is too unsteady a base for those measurements. Erythro will do much better.’

‘Is this project of hers a recent one?’

‘No, Uncle Siever. She's been trying to get the necessary data for a long time, she told me.’

‘Then why didn't your mother ask to come here a long time ago?’

‘She did, but Commissioner Pitt refused.’

‘Why did he agree now?’

‘Because he wanted to get rid of her.’

‘I'm sure of that - if she kept bothering him with her astronomical problems. But he must have been tired of her a long time ago. Why does he send her now ?’

Marlene's voice was low. ‘He wanted to get rid of me .’