They were both silent for a moment, and then she sighed. "Let us not talk about them any more."
"Robot factories and farms," Maitland mused. "What else? What means of transportation? Do you have interstellar flight yet?"
"Inter-what?"
"Have men visited the stars?"
She shook her head, bewildered.
"I always thought that would be a tough problem to crack," he agreed. "But tell me about what men are doing in the Solar System. How is life on Mars and Venus, and how long does it take to get to those places?"
He waited, expectantly silent, but she only looked puzzled. "I don't understand. Mars? What are Mars?"
After several seconds, Maitland swallowed. Something seemed to be the matter with his throat, making it difficult for him to speak. "Surely you have space travel?"
She frowned and shook her head. "What does that mean—space travel?"
He was gripping the edge of the bed now, glaring at her. "A civilization that could discover time travel and build robot factories wouldn't find it hard to send a ship to Mars!"