Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [1]
Sarek nodded, his face revealing the wisdom of one forced to confront issues of bigotry and intolerance in his own life. “And the other reasons?”
Thelin wistfully stared off into nothingness and quietly sighed. “Family, of course.” He pressed his palm against the pad on the wall, and the door slid aside and beckoned them forward.
A cacophony of voices greeted the two men as they stepped into the laboratory. About a dozen technicians, mostly Andorian, moved about between the various consoles lining the walls of the spacious room, engaged in various activities, either reading or recording data. At the far end of the lab, the walls sloped inward, tapering to a seam that neatly bisected the area, and large bay-style windows indented the veneer of the sweeping concave surfaces at regular intervals on each side of the room. To the left, the windows faced out upon an outdoor landscape darkened by thick storm clouds that threatened to unleash their torrential downpours at any moment; but to the right, the windows peered into the interior of the Institute’s huge biosphere, populated by numerous species of lush vegetation in tightly controlled environmental conditions under artificial illumination.
Seated at one of the consoles farthest from the door, a young human woman turned her head toward Thelin, her shoulder-length blond hair fluttering down about her shoulders. Next to her sat a boy of about twelve, also blond but with curlier locks, his gaze fixed upon the screen in front of him with wide discerning eyes that seemed to suggest a level of knowledge that far surpassed his chronological age. The woman smiled, rose from her seat and blithely approached the two men.
Thelin bowed to the woman in greeting as she approached, then turned to his Vulcan guest. “Ambassador Sarek,” he said, “allow me to introduce our new adjunct project leader, Doctor Carol Marcus.”
The woman started to reach out her hand, but caught herself, apparently just then remembering that Vulcans generally eschewed casual physical contact. “Ambassador, this is a genuine honor,” she said.
“Doctor Marcus,” Sarek replied. “I have studied your recently published journals, and I have found much that is quite intriguing.”
“Well, thank you; that’s high praise indeed,” Carol replied.
“Doctor Marcus joined our team about six months ago,” Thelin explained. “Her theoretical work on the selective modification of ecosystems was of particular interest to us, and when the Institute heard of her availability, we actively recruited her to come to Andor.”
“Thelin, you could hardly keep me away,” Carol quipped. “This was such a tremendous opportunity, not just to develop theoretical science but to also actually apply it in ways that benefit the people of this world…. Anyway, it’s been a great experience thus far.”
Thelin smiled. “Well, Ambassador, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the team.” They turned back toward the center of the lab and for the first time noticed a small flurry of excitement surrounding the young boy, still seated at the station where Carol had been supervising his work. Other researchers had gathered around the computer screen with obvious interest and were talking animatedly, though quietly, among themselves.
“David?” Carol called out. “Excuse me, Ambassador.”
As Carol hurried back to the console, Sarek turned toward Thelin with an eyebrow raised in inquiry. “The boy, David Marcus, is Carol’s son,” Thelin explained, as the two of them advanced across the lab toward the commotion at the far end. “They are both native to Earth, but Carol has been attached to projects throughout the entire quadrant, and her boy is always with her. He’s a bit of a genius, that one.”
“Indeed?