to perfection. David sighed and shook his head, feeling very old. “My first performance was at age four as the changeling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“That must explain it,” said Cara, but David knew her well enough to see that she liked Diana. “In any case, Tess is gifted with languages, and I suspect she saw Rhui as an excellent laboratory to study human evolution in parallel to our own.”
“Like Owen?”
“Perhaps. It’s not a bad analogy.”
“You have a laboratory here, too, don’t you? A medical one.”
“Yes.” Cara cast a glance at David.
“She’s studying aging,” he said.
But Cara was only angling for an opening, since it was her favorite subject. “As grateful as we may be for the longevity treatments the Chapalii gave us, allowing us to live out our full one hundred and twenty year life spans with good health and a long period of relative youth, I suspect there’s something we’re missing. Something they didn’t tell us, or something, perhaps, that they don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
David had seen Cara’s lecture mask before. It slipped firmly into place now. “Aging is a two part process. One is a breakdown of the vitality and regenerative abilities of the tissues and the metabolic system, that’s what the Chapalii treatments deal with. But the other is a genetic clock that switches off the organism at a set time. We’re still stuck at one hundred and twenty years. I think we can do better.” The mask slipped off, and she suddenly looked cautious. “Perhaps. We’ll see.”
“It’s a delicate and peculiar issue,” put in David, since Cara had left him his opening. “We don’t talk about it much.”
“Oh,” said Diana. The sea faded into darkness behind them, and the massive bulk of the palace rose against the stars. “Is that why you have your laboratory down here, on an interdicted planet? Where the Chapalii aren’t allowed?”
What need to reply? The wind coursed along the parapet and the sea dashed itself into foam on the rocks below. The fecund moon lay low, bordering the hills. A shoe scraped on stone, and Marco emerged from around a curve of wall. He smiled at Diana and leaned casually against the wall beside her.
To David’s surprise, it was Diana who broke the silence. “But, Dr. Hierakis, are the Rhuian humans really the same species as we are?”
David almost laughed, seeing how disconcerted Marco looked, as if he thought that once he arrived, Diana would not be able to think of anything but him.
“Oh, yes,” said Cara. “By all the biological laws we know. Identical.” She appeared about to say something else, but did not.
“But how?” Diana asked. “That should be impossible.”
Though it was night, the moon lent enough light to the scene so David could still read their expressions. Marco gazed soulfully on Diana, and David thought she was aware of his gaze on her. Cara sighed and shifted to stare out to sea, imposing the kind of silence on the little group that betrays knowledge hard-won and dangerous to share.
“Oh,” said Diana. She looked disappointed, but resigned to her fate. “It’s a state secret. I understand.”
Marco chuckled. “Fair one.” He caught one of her hands in his. “Had you agreed to marry me yet?”
“You hadn’t asked me yet,” Diana retorted, extricating her hand from his. Then she lowered her eyes from his face and looked quickly away.
Oh, dear, thought David. He looked at Cara. Cara looked at him. The signs of infatuation were easy enough to read. And she was young, and susceptible.
“I hear you’re doing The Tempest tonight,” said Cara. “Do you suppose you could find a seat for me? I’ve always loved that play.”
“Goodness,” said Diana, sounding a bit strained as she said it. “I really must go. I’m sure we can find you something, Doctor, if you’d like to come with me. The duke’s—the prince’s —box is always vacant, unless he’s attending. If you think
“That must explain it,” said Cara, but David knew her well enough to see that she liked Diana. “In any case, Tess is gifted with languages, and I suspect she saw Rhui as an excellent laboratory to study human evolution in parallel to our own.”
“Like Owen?”
“Perhaps. It’s not a bad analogy.”
“You have a laboratory here, too, don’t you? A medical one.”
“Yes.” Cara cast a glance at David.
“She’s studying aging,” he said.
But Cara was only angling for an opening, since it was her favorite subject. “As grateful as we may be for the longevity treatments the Chapalii gave us, allowing us to live out our full one hundred and twenty year life spans with good health and a long period of relative youth, I suspect there’s something we’re missing. Something they didn’t tell us, or something, perhaps, that they don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
David had seen Cara’s lecture mask before. It slipped firmly into place now. “Aging is a two part process. One is a breakdown of the vitality and regenerative abilities of the tissues and the metabolic system, that’s what the Chapalii treatments deal with. But the other is a genetic clock that switches off the organism at a set time. We’re still stuck at one hundred and twenty years. I think we can do better.” The mask slipped off, and she suddenly looked cautious. “Perhaps. We’ll see.”
“It’s a delicate and peculiar issue,” put in David, since Cara had left him his opening. “We don’t talk about it much.”
“Oh,” said Diana. The sea faded into darkness behind them, and the massive bulk of the palace rose against the stars. “Is that why you have your laboratory down here, on an interdicted planet? Where the Chapalii aren’t allowed?”
What need to reply? The wind coursed along the parapet and the sea dashed itself into foam on the rocks below. The fecund moon lay low, bordering the hills. A shoe scraped on stone, and Marco emerged from around a curve of wall. He smiled at Diana and leaned casually against the wall beside her.
To David’s surprise, it was Diana who broke the silence. “But, Dr. Hierakis, are the Rhuian humans really the same species as we are?”
David almost laughed, seeing how disconcerted Marco looked, as if he thought that once he arrived, Diana would not be able to think of anything but him.
“Oh, yes,” said Cara. “By all the biological laws we know. Identical.” She appeared about to say something else, but did not.
“But how?” Diana asked. “That should be impossible.”
Though it was night, the moon lent enough light to the scene so David could still read their expressions. Marco gazed soulfully on Diana, and David thought she was aware of his gaze on her. Cara sighed and shifted to stare out to sea, imposing the kind of silence on the little group that betrays knowledge hard-won and dangerous to share.
“Oh,” said Diana. She looked disappointed, but resigned to her fate. “It’s a state secret. I understand.”
Marco chuckled. “Fair one.” He caught one of her hands in his. “Had you agreed to marry me yet?”
“You hadn’t asked me yet,” Diana retorted, extricating her hand from his. Then she lowered her eyes from his face and looked quickly away.
Oh, dear, thought David. He looked at Cara. Cara looked at him. The signs of infatuation were easy enough to read. And she was young, and susceptible.
“I hear you’re doing The Tempest tonight,” said Cara. “Do you suppose you could find a seat for me? I’ve always loved that play.”
“Goodness,” said Diana, sounding a bit strained as she said it. “I really must go. I’m sure we can find you something, Doctor, if you’d like to come with me. The duke’s—the prince’s —box is always vacant, unless he’s attending. If you think
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