So this was all staged for the benefit of anyone who might be spying on us. Crazy weird.
“Tell Polly what you told you me,” Charles said as we clustered together, pretending we were discussing weights.
Harald said, “Everyone’s talking about your class’s field trips. Every year goes on trips—Yosemite and Manhattan are standard for first-years. But in the thirty years of the school’s history, nobody’s ever had an accident. Not the way your class has. Even in the middle of Yosemite, everything’s controlled. It’s part of Galileo’s reputation.”
Franteska added, “None of this is supposed to be dangerous. It’s about building community. That’s what Galileo is about—developing connections that will benefit us for the rest of our lives. Networking. We’ll always work together.”
“Well, that’s kind of elitist,” I muttered.
“Of course it is, that’s the point,” Harald answered.
“Tell her the rest,” Charles said.
Harald took a deep breath. “I was doing an intern shift at administration and I overheard Stanton. I think she was recording a message rather than talking to someone. But she explained that you two were undermining her efforts to integrate you into the system. She kept insisting that Galileo wasn’t structured to properly assimilate Martians and that she might need to take more extreme measures if you didn’t start fitting in soon.”
Charles nodded for my benefit. “If Galileo is meant to build community, we would never be a part of that community without serious intervention.”
Franteska shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re not too bad, once people get used to you.”
Both Charles and I glared at her for that.
“If Stanton’s manipulating the system, it affects everyone here. Not just us,” Charles said. “So what’s the next field trip? I’m asking in the name of community, of course.”
Franteska and Harald glanced at each other. “It’s a secret,” she said. “We’re not supposed to talk about it. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
Harald tried to sound comforting. “All the first-years do it. It’ll be great. Especially for you guys.”
“Even if you consider it in terms of accident potential?” Charles asked.
Franteska’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no—”
“Shh,” Harald hushed her when she started to say something. “I’m sorry, we can’t talk about it. It’s tradition. But I’m sure … I’m sure everything will be fine. I’m sure of it.”
“Right. Thanks,” Charles said flatly. “Have fun lifting weights, Polly.” He stalked away. Harald shrugged and went after him.
“It’ll be fine,” Franteska repeated to me, but her smile was more of a wince.
“Sure it will,” I said. I wondered if weight throwing was a thing.
* * *
After PE, I started thinking—would getting kicked out of Galileo really be so awful? I could go back to Mars. I could do something worthwhile there. I didn’t believe I’d be cut off from piloting entirely. I could get another internship at the astrodrome. Somehow, I’d make it happen without all these so-called connections.
“What are you thinking?” Charles asked cautiously, suspiciously.
“It’s like you said when we first got here. Earth has systems set up so that nobody starves, and anyone who wants an education can get one—but not everyone can go to a place like Galileo, and that’s how they get an aristocracy. Family dynasties like the Chous and the Monteses. But Colony One isn’t old enough to have dynasties, an aristocracy, anything like that. Maybe Mom is trying to start one, with us? Is that why we’re here?”
“And what do you think about that?” he asked, like he was an instructor and I was the hapless student.
“I think if the Mars colonies are going to keep working, we have to look out for everyone. Mom’s not doing that, is she?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured, and I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe that he didn’t know, that he didn’t have an opinion.
“Never mind,” I said, because I didn’t want to think about it anymore. “It’s like you said. If this is a game, maybe it’s better not to play.”
I totally blew off my homework that night. It felt great.
* * *