CRADLE OF SATURN BY JAMES P. HOGAN

In all his dealings with them, it had never crossed Keene’s mind to question the integrity of the Kronians. Was it possible that he could have judged so wrongly? And if so, what else might he be wrong about? Maybe the Kronian colony was as stretched to its limit as the politicians and advisors on Earth had been saying all along, and desperation to the point of perpetrating a deception such as this was the result. Whatever their reasons or their situation, the fantasy Keene had toyed with of going back with them had exploded. His only desire now, after transferring all dealings to the lawyers, was to leave things in their hands from here on, get away from everything for a while, and then do some serious thinking about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. First, however, it would be necessary for him to introduce the lawyers to the Kronians.

Although he had the direct personal calling codes that the Kronians had been assigned for the duration of their visit, matters were more formal now and he called the general number for the suite. A security man answered, and after verifying Keene’s authentication put him through to the floor above. Vashen took the call, and when he saw that it was Keene, passed it over to Sariena. She was sleepy and not very communicative, which was hardly surprising. After checking with Gallian, she confirmed that tomorrow morning would be fine for a meeting with the lawyers. Since everything on their schedule had been canceled, there was little else for the Kronians to do anyway.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Keene was waiting in the hotel lobby, where he had arranged to meet the lawyers, when three men detoured by him while on their way toward the main doors.

“Aren’t you the guy who was all over the news yesterday—the one who took the fake tablets up to the space ship?” one of them said.

Keene was momentarily taken aback. “Excuse me? . . . Oh. No, what they said wasn’t true. There’s a lot to be uncovered. Don’t believe anything you hear at this stage.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you tell those kook friends of yours that if they want to go back where they came from and freeze, that’s okay. But don’t come here expecting us to make it work for them, because it can’t work. Especially when they have to lie about it. Okay?”

The three walked away before Keene could respond further. Just a month ago, he’d been a space hero taking on the Air Force. Already, he’d turned into a lackey of alien interests. Celebrity, it seemed, could be a short-lived thing.

* * ** * *

The mood in the Kronians’ suite at the Engleton was very different from what Keene remembered of the last time he was there. Instead of a party atmosphere and optimistic talk of exciting changes to come, the tone was set by somber-suited lawyers with laptops, heavy briefcases, and legal pads. No longer did the Kronians joke about the strange sights and experiences of Earth. Instead, they were listless and reticent, volunteering little beyond what they were asked, giving the impression of going along with something they had no choice in but being already resigned to the futility of it.

Keene didn’t have a large part to play after making the introductions, having given his own story the evening before. Murray opened with general preliminaries, explaining Amspace’s relationship with the Washington law firm, and since Amspace and the Kronians were implicated together, outlining the advantages of arranging comprehensive representation for all of them. However, that would depend on the outcome of talking with partners of the Washington firm, which he hoped to do later that day or tomorrow. The Kronians had no real questions, and Murray got down to the business of going over the reports and transcripts of the previous days’ conference item by item to get the Kronians’ version and their verification where quotes were attributed to them. All the time, Sariena kept giving Keene curious looks, while he did his best to avoid her gaze. Gallian’s answers to the lawyers’ questions became shorter and more strained. He seemed to be containing himself only with difficulty against rising impatience.

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