Alexander looked aghast. "Defend it? Against what? The Martians?"
"Against other Earthlings," said Kinsman. "Maybe the Soviets won't want a capitalist colony in space. Or terrorists. Your colony would be wide open to a small nuclear bomb. Look what they did in Cape Town."
"That's ridiculous," Alexander snapped. "Why would the Russians attack a space colony? And terrorists could never get up to a space colony. We wouldn't allow any weapons aboard it."
"You're not afraid of the Russians?" Dreyer asked.
"No. Why should I be? They're cooperating with us in our civilian space program, aren't they?"
"And competing with us to put their Star Wars system in orbit."
Alexander dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "The space colonies will be far beyond the militarists and their weapons."
"I hope you're right," said Kinsman.
Turning to Dreyer, Alexander asked, "I want to know how much your corporation is willing to invest in the space colony project."
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Zero."
The professor's mouth went slack, but only for a mo- ment. "Nothing at all? Are you serious?"
"Nothing at all," Dreyer said, with a good-natured grin. "Nothing for the colony. The lunar mining operation . . . now that's a different story. I think maybe we could go in on that. But not as part of your colony scheme. Find another pigeon for your flying Garden of Eden."
"That's extremely shortsighted!"
"Yeah, maybe- But if I was as visionary as you Iwould've gone bust years ago."
Abruptly Alexander pushed his chair back as far as it would go on the little track welded to the floor. Standing, he looked down on Kinsman and Dreyer.
"Someday we will have our space colonies and we will start a new era for the human race—without soldiers and without capitalists!"
"Good luck," Kinsman said. Dreyer grinned and took a pull of beer.
Alexander stalked off.
