"Just as you know ours," countered Leonov.
"Then let's get off the subject," Durban suggested, his voice a bit edgy, "and talk about something more congenial."
"Such as what?"
Durban sucked on his pipe for a moment. It was out 160 again. He took it from his mouth and jabbed the stem in Kinsman's direction.
"Chet here is looking for a job. What can we do for him?"
Jesus Christ, he's going to spill it all over the place! Kinsman heard himself stammering, "No, really . . . there's no need ... I'd rather ..."
"Defect!" Leonov suggested jovially. "We will treat you handsomely in the Soviet Union."
Colt glowered. "Yeah. In the basement of some psychiat- ric prison."
The Russian pretended not to hear.
"I'm serious," Durban insisted. "There are too few experienced astronauts—and cosmonauts—to let one walk away from the game."
For God's sake leave me alone! Kinsman screamed silently. But he could say nothing to them. He was frozen there, pinned into the booth. Trapped.
"They don't want experience anymore," Colt said. "They want youth. Murdock's even got me slated to train the little bastards instead of doing the flying myself."
"The private corporations ..." Durban began.
"Are all talk and not much else," Colt said. "Chet and I are executive timber, as far as they're concerned. But they're not hiring fliers. They'd rather let Uncle Sam take the risks while they sit back and wait till everything's set up for them at the taxpayers' expense. Then they'll move in and make their profits."
"In all honesty," Durban said, "the military space pro- gram has gotten so big that it's swamping the civilian pro- gram. The corporations can make assured profits working for the Air Force. That makes it damned hard for them to justify the risks of private operations in orbit."
Suddenly serious, Leonov said, "I know how you must feel. If I thought that I would have to spend the rest of my life at a desk, or training others to do what I most want for myself, I would go mad."
"We need a new program," Durban said. "A priority program that's got to get going now, before they have time to train the next generation of kids."
"Such as what?" Colt asked. 161
"Not a military program," Leonov said. "Both our nations are putting enough military hardware into space. Too much."
"I agree," said Durban. "It ought to be an international program . . . something we can all participate in."
