Don looked at Alis, who shrugged. The conductor stood and opened a notebook which he consulted. "I have a few questions, Mr. Mayor. These people have asked me to speak for them and there's one question that outweighs all the others. That is—are you going to take us back to Earth? If so, when? And how?"
Civek cleared his throat. He took a sip of water. "As for the first question—we certainly hope to take you and ourselves back to Earth. I can't answer the others."
"You hope to?"
"Earnestly. I turn blue easily myself, and I'm as anxious as you are to get back. But when that will be depends entirely on circumstances. Circumstances, uh, beyond my control."
"Who's controlling them, then? Your friend with the whiskers?"
Professor Garet smiled amiably and patted his beard. The portly Maynard Rubach got up and Civek sat down.
"I am Dr. Maynard Rubach, president of Cavalier. I must insist that in common decency we all refrain from personal references. Mr. Civek has done his best to give you an explanation, but of course he is a layman and, while he has many excellent qualities, we cannot expect him to be conversant with the principles of science. I will therefore attempt to explain.
"As you know, science has been aware for hundreds of years that the Earth is a giant magnet...."
Don saw Geneva Jervis. She was at the kitchen door beyond the speaker's table.
"... the isogenic and the isoclinic ..."