Juq, tall, blond, blue-eyed, handsome, had never been short of confidence, Mara knew, even if he had never been academic. And he was instantly likeable, as she could see despite her mother’s bias. She’d never had any doubt that with such attributes, coming from such a family, he’d find a place in the world. But she’d never expected him to be caught up in spacecraft experiments – or at least she’d imagined it would be nothing but a boyhood fad . . .
Parz glanced around. ‘I’m surprised to find you working in a cellar. Why not above ground, in the daylight?’
Tiel and Juq glanced at each other uneasily.
Chael stepped forward. ‘Call it caution, Ambassador. I know from my own fond memories that my nephew here has been fascinated by the Poole era since he was small. Books, dramas, even the imagery you see here on these walls. We saw no harm in it – we should be proud of the human past – even if the Squeem did shut down the old Poole tunnels long before any of us were born. Then when he found it was possible, in principle, to build a wormhole in a home workshop—’
-Xeelee: Endurance, "Endurance"