Imperial Earth

For a young Terran, she was not promiscuous. She once told Duncan-and he believed her-that she never had more than two lovers at a time. On Titan, to Duncan’s considerable distress, she had only one.

Even if the Helmers and Makenzies had not been related through Grandma

Ellen, it was inevitable that she would have met Karl, at one of the countless concerts and parties and dances arranged for Mentor’s castaways.

So Duncan could not really blame himself for introducing them; it would have made no difference in the end. Yet even so, he would always wonder…. Karl was then almost twenty-two-a year older than Calindy, though far less experienced. He still possessed the slightly overmuscled build of the native born Terran, but had adapted so well to the lower gravity that he moved more gracefully than most men who had spent their entire lives on

Titan. He seemed to possess the secret of power without clumsiness. And in a quite literal sense, he was the Golden Boy of his generation.

Though he pretended to hate the phrase, Duncan knew that he was secretly proud of the title someone had given him in his teens: “The boy with hair like the sun.” The description could only have been coined by a visitor from Earth. No Titanian would have thought of it-but everyone agreed that it was completely appropriate. For Karl Helmer was one of those men upon whom, for their own amusement, the Gods had bestowed the fatal gift of beauty.

Only years later, and partly thanks to Colin, did Duncan begin to understand all the nuances of the affair. Soon after his twenty-third birthday, the Makenzies received the last Star Day card that Calindy ever sent them.

“I still don’t know if I made a mistake,” Colin said ruefully as he fingered the bright rectangle of paper that had carried its conventional greetings halfway across the Solar System. “But it seemed a good idea at the time.”

“Well, I don’t think it did any harm, in the long run. tv

Cohn looked at him strangely.

“I wonder. Anyway, it certainly didn’t turn out as I expected.”

“And what did you expect?”

It was sometimes a great advantage, and sometimes downright embarrassing, to have a father who was also your thirty-year-older identical twin. He knew all the mistakes you were going to make, because he had made them already. It was impossible to conceal any secrets from him, because his thought processes were virtually the same. In such a situation, the only policy that made any sense was complete honesty, as far as that could be achieved by human beings.

“I’m not quite sure. But the moment I saw Calindy, shining like a nova amid all that gloom and chaos down in the old mine workings, I wanted to learn more about her … wanted to make her part of my life. You

know what I mean.” 48 Duncan could only nod his head in silent agreement.

“Sheela didn’t mind-after all, I’m not a babysnatcherl And we both hoped that Calindy would give you someone to think about besides Karl.”

“I was already getting over that, anyway. It was much too frustrating.”

Colin chuckled, not unsympathetically.

“So I can imagine. Karl was spreading himself pretty thin. Half of Titan was in love with him in those days-still is, for that matter. Which is why we must keep him out of politics. Remind me to tell you about Alcibiades someday.”

“Who?”

“Ancient Greek general-too clever and charming for his own good. Or for anyone else’s.”

“I appreciate your concern,” said Duncan, with only a slight trace of sarcasm. “But that increased my problems a hundred percent. As she made quite clear, I was much too young for Calindy, and of course Karl was now interested only in her. And to make matters worse, they didn’t even mind me sharing their bed as long as I didn’t get in the way. In fact—2’

“Yes?”

Duncan’s face darkened. How strange that he had never thought of this before, yet how obvious it wasl

“Didn’t mind, hell! They enjoyed having me there, just to tease me! At least Karl did.”

It should have been a shattering revelation, yet somehow it did not hurt as much as he would have expected. He must have realized for a long time, without admitting it to himself, that there was a very definite streak of cruelty in Karl. Certainly his lovemaking often lacked tenderness and consideration; there were even times when he had scared Duncan into something approaching impotence. And to do that to a virile sixteen-year-old was no mean feat. “I’m glad you’ve realized that,” said Colin somberly. “You had to find it out for yourself-you wouldn’t have believed us. But whatever Karl did, he certainly paid for it. That breakdown was serious. And, frankly, I don’t believe his

recovery is as complete as the doctors claim.” This was also a new thought to Duncan, and he turned it over in his mind.