He found himself staring at her, wondering whether the dim shadows visible under her eyes were natural, or whether natural and dark shadows had been incompletely obscured. Her face was delicate and regular, as if there had been some high-class adjustments made on it by a well-paid surgeon. Her whole body, for that matter, looked thoroughly adjusted and very pleasant indeed.
Deitrich was fascinated.
As if some extrasensory link had been established, she glanced abruptly over at him; and as abruptly looked away again, with a faint coloring of her pale, blond skin. Then she walked quickly on past and was lost in the crowd.
Deitrich’s gaze moved back to the stiff, watchful immigrants that he had brought in with him. They stood in a tight knot, staring around at the glittering room, their eyes attentive and wary.
It was too noisy, with the port customs officers moving through the throng, shouting and trying to keep from losing their particular charges. The charges, however, chattered among themselves and seemed more interested in breaking away to watch the moving kaleidoscope of pictures that blossomed on all sides, heralding the wondrous marvels that might be purchased or enjoyed on this singularly fortunate planet.
His immigrants obviously were nervous and a little afraid. That was normal. To them, it seemed that only a couple of days had elapsed since they had left the quiet, restrained port of Bella III, deep in the sophisticated Cluster of Madgellan. Perhaps they were a little shocked at the confusion of this place. For these immigrants were not the government-subsidy variety; they were educated and had some money, or they would not have been allowed to come into this system.
Despite full instructions to the contrary, however, they probably still felt that if they did not like it here, they could return tomorrow to Bella III, and resume the life they had rejected. The emotional habits of a culture die slowly in the individual.
An official approached the group. He glanced at Deitrich. He studied the immigrants carefully and looked again toward Deitrich. Finally he walked over to where he stood.
“You are in charge of these people?”