She sighed and made a gesture that could have meant many things. “How totally and unexpectedly things can change. Just when we had glimpsed what will surely be one of the most astounding discoveries in human history: the birthplace of the Earth itself; the cradle of the human race. How much more will it lead to what’s still waiting to be uncovered? The work ahead will last for generations—like those cathedrals that you talked about once.”
For the past few days, Keene had forgotten all about such things. For a moment, inside, he was surprised and troubled. Sariena was neither thoughtless nor insensitive; yet here she was talking about faraway futures when for all he knew his world might end in weeks. He tried to put it down to just not knowing how to react in a situation that was as unprecedented as it was painful. Maybe the cultural differences were greater than he realized, even now.
“Whatever follows, it seems it’ll more likely happen out there than here,” he said gruffly. “Maybe that’s the way it should be . . . if that’s where it all began.”
Sariena looked at him and shook her head. “Oh Lan, this all feels so wrong. It’s as if we’re walking out somehow . . . abandoning you to this.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Keene said. “We had our chance long ago to be more ready. And we’ll bounce back again, eventually, the same as we did before. But it won’t have to be right back to the beginning again. Everything doesn’t have to be lost this time. We’ll be depending on you for that. It’s your turn to run with the ball now, for a while. Just don’t drop it.”
They looked at each other silently. Sariena took a step toward him, it seemed involuntarily, and hesitated. . . . Then they extended their arms and pulled each other into a hug, both at the same time. It was the first time they had touched in any way intimately. Keene felt the fullness of Sariena’s body through the suit and drew her close, oblivious to the others around them; her arms found his neck and tightened to bring the sides of their faces together. In a few timeless seconds, all the things they had left unsaid communicated themselves between them.
“I have a plane to catch,” Keene murmured, finally loosening his hold. He felt her nod and draw back.
“Be sure to see Gallian before you go,” Sariena whispered. “I think he wants to talk to you.”
“Of course I wouldn’t leave without seeing him,” Keene told her. He turned one last time to the door and sent a wave back at her.
He met Gallian in the corridor, talking simultaneously to an assistant manager from the hotel on one side and a woman with a clipboard on the other, apparently on two different subjects. At the same time, Keene’s driver, who had been waiting by the elevator, stepped forward. “Excuse me, Dr. Keene, but I have to remind you. We need to be leaving soon.”
“Just a couple of minutes,” Keene said. “Go and find Leo Cavan for me, would you? I think he’s in one of the rooms that way.”
Gallian excused himself from the two people he was with and steered Keene into one of the bedrooms—from the look of the clothes scattered around, quite possibly his own.
“Just to say good-bye,” Keene said. “More hurried than I’d have wished, but there we are. It’s been a busy couple of days.”
“Things don’t look good,” Gallian said gravely.
“It’s not your concern. Kronia did what it could.”
Gallian moved closer to grip Keene’s shoulder. Although the door was closed, he lowered his voice instinctively. “Landen, you don’t have to go through with this, you know. Not only Kronia; you did all that you could too. Why not leave it now for those who wouldn’t listen? With the departure schedule changed, not all of the emigrants who have places are going to make it to Tapapeque. There will be room to spare on the Osiris. We can take a few more in any case. Just a few days from now. . . . You can still see Saturn, Landen.”