Guest Night on Union Station Read Free

to work for them. I even heard that our publisher is from the same family as the people running the intelligence agency.”
    “So you can stop in and ask for yourself,” Kelly told him. “Think of it as investigative reporting.”

Two
     
    “Did you see the headline in this morning’s paper?” Shaina asked her husband at breakfast. Many of the local humans had been caught up in Chastity’s enthusiasm for the old newspaper business and adopted the archaic terminology, despite the fact that the Galactic Free Press wasn’t printed on paper. It was delivered over the Stryxnet to anything that could show text and graphics, including implants with holographic heads-up displays.
    “You know I never read the paper before going into the office,” Daniel replied. “It’s all work related, so I wait until I’m on the clock.”
    “But you’re a salaried employee,” Shaina pointed out. “There is no clock.”
    “It’s the thought that counts. What’s the lead story?”
    “EarthCent Ambassador Kelly McAllister Thinks Humans are Aliens.”
    “Hey, that’s a good one. Walter is really developing a flair for writing headlines.” The junior consul stopped to adjust his necktie, glancing at himself in the kitchen display panel that was in mirror mode. “How are he and your sister getting along these days?”
    “He keeps proposing and Brinda keeps turning him down. She says that you and he are really similar in the way you separate your professional and personal lives. In Walter’s case, he leaves his maturity behind at the office.”
    “What does she expect from a guy who spent his whole life in school before coming here? And as long as we’re pointing out similarities, it seems that you and your sister both have a thing for younger men.” He held up his hands in mock surrender as Shaina brandished a piece of pastry in a threatening manner. “Watch the suit. The press is going to be at the opening and they may want to take a picture.”
    Shaina bit into the sticky bun, pretending that it had been her intent all along. “Eat something,” she told her husband. “You don’t want to go on Paul’s new ride with an empty stomach.”
    “I’m late already,” he said, but he still took a corn muffin and twisted off the sugar-glazed top. “Besides, I hear the ride involves magnetic levitation, so the people below me might prefer it if my stomach is empty.”
    “Don’t be morbid. You liked the rollercoaster, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah, but Joe says that Paul and Jeeves really outdid themselves this time. They combined a ride with a game, and it’s supposed to provide a better flying experience than the Frunge wings sets.”
    “I’m just glad Jeeves is keeping busy.” Shaina stopped and took a sip from her coffee before continuing. “Now that we’re only doing the four auctions a year, I know that he was getting pressure from the older Stryx to find something constructive to do with his time. Jeeves says they’re trying to groom him to be some sort of diplomat, and I know he was gone for a few weeks on a negotiating mission. Dring pointed out that the other young Stryx who attend Libby’s experimental school always leave to go traveling after a few years of close contact with human children, but Jeeves is originally from Union Station and he’s attached himself to the McAllisters.”
    “Do you think that working in a theme park is a constructive use of time for one of the most powerful sentients the galaxy has ever known?”
    “You have to remember that Jeeves isn’t any older than Paul or us, even if he does have instant access to the shared memory of the Stryx and an IQ higher than you can count. Besides, the first-generation Stryx still do all of the heavy lifting. They just want to see their offspring developing in positive directions.”
    “I guess I can accept that,” Daniel said, glancing over at their baby boy who was asleep in the bassinet next to Shaina’s chair. “I’ll tell everybody