The boys in the spacesuits got into the elevator. The crew loaded Pacifica’s cargo after them, encased in blue Department of Defense shrouding.

“Emily.” I turned to face the young woman. “You know there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Your idea certainly is interesting. I’ll grant you could probably draw current from the tethers, maybe even as much as you say. But we’d pay for it in ways we can’t afford.”

Emily stared for a moment, then she snapped her fingers. “Angular momentum! Of course! By drawing current we would couple with the Earth’s magnetic field. We would slow down, and add some of our momentum to the planet’s spin, microscopically. Our orbit would decay even faster than it already does!”

I nodded. “Right. Still, it’s a good idea. If we were getting all the water we used to receive, so we could run the aluminum engines as before, we might even decide to draw power your way.

“But our solar cells are really more than adequate. We could sell our excess to Earth, if they could only agree on a way to receive it.”

She looked a little crestfallen. “Keep at it, though,” I said for morale’s sake. “Maybe there’s a way to turn these electrical phenomena to our advantage. We ought to have a break coming about now.” I tried to sound as if I believed it. Emily brightened a bit.

The elevator started rising, on its way up here to A Deck. I had about an hour to get ready—to shave and shower away the aroma of my garden. It probably wouldn’t do any good, but I’d want to look presentable to the bad news boys.

4

We had our meeting in the lounge. Susan Sorbanes, our business manager, took her place to my left, Don Ishido to my right. There were no chairs, but we stood at rest in the feeble gravity, a table made of spun aluminum fibers between us and the federal officials. Our backs were to the giant quartz window.