To Be Or Not To Be
It was at a party aboard the ITT-MGM orbital station that Al and Frank met the real estate man. The party was floating along in the station’s zero-gravity section, where the women had to wear pants but didn’t need bras. A thousand or so guests drifted around in three dimensions, sucking drinks from plastic globes, making conversation over the piped-in music, standing in midair up, down, or sideways as they pleased.
The real-estate man was a small, owlish-looking youngster of thirty, thirty-five. « Actually, my field is atrophysics, » he told Al and Frank. Both of them looked quite distinguished in iridiscent golf formal suits and stylishly graying temples. Yet Al still managed to appear slightly mussed, while Frank’s suit had creases even on the sleeves.
« Astrophysics, eh? Al said, with a happy-go-lucky grin. « Gee, way back in college I got my Ph.D. In molecular genetics. »
« And mine in social psychology, » Frank added. « But there weren’t any jobs for scientists then. »
« That’s how we became TV producers, » Al said.
Éthere still aren’t any jobs for scientists, » said the astrophysicist/real-estate man. « And I know all about the two of you. I looked you up in the IRS’ Who’ Who. That’s why I inveigled my way into this party. I just had to meet you both. »
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| A nice dress. Photo by Elena. |
Frank shot Al a worried glance.
« You know the Heinlein Drive has opened the stars to humankind, » said the astro-realtor rhetorically.
« This means whole new worlds are available to colonize. It’s the biggest opportunity since the Louisiana Purchase. Dozens of new Earthlike planets, unoccupied, uninhabited, pristine! Ours for the taking! »
« For a few billion dolalrs apiece, »Frank said.
« That’s small potatoes for a whole world! »
Al shook his head, a motion that made his whole weightless body start swaying. « Look, fell… we’re TV producers, not land barons. Our big problem is fiding creative writers. »
The little man clung to Al tenaciously. « But you’d have a whole new world out there! A fresh, clean, unspoiled new world! »
« Wait a minute, » Frank said. « Psychologically, maybe a new world is what we need to develop new writers. »
« Sure, » the astro-realtor agreed.
A gleam lit Al’s eye. « The hell with new writers. How about recreating old writers? »
« Like Schulberg? »
« Like Shakespeare. »
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