Contact across the Solar System

Interplanetary Beauty Salon

After everybody had lunch, Cristina went off and reappeared with a cloth poncho over some rather scruffy clothes, a towel wrapped around her head like a turban, and some suitcases of equipment and supplies on a small luggage cart. "My haters say that I want to style the SSC people's hair, and that's what I'm going to do," she announced.

She first got to work on Kalna's hair, styling it in ringlets, and she then painted Kalna's nails bright red.

Then she got to work on Ilmuth's hair, making it purple.

Then she worked on Orthon's hair, making it wavy.

As she did so, she discussed Los Angeles with Kalna and Ilmuth, talking about such things as thrift-shop clothes shopping and their favorite taquerias. "The haters can't decide on whether I'm Marie Antoinette or hopelessly cheap," she said, laughing.

Later that day, Cristina found out that her questioning of the SSC people had been broadcast to the Earth complete and intact. She found Orthon and thanked him about it.
He responded "I completely understand your fears about us retaliating against you for your questioning of us. You should not have worried, but I completely understand your mistrust of us. I hope that we can continue to earn your trust."
"Thank you. You are a very gracious host. I know it seems like I was beating you up this morning, but you seem like you understood."
Orthon carefully avoided saying that he read Cristina's mind about that.

A picture of her in action became a big news-media and social-media hit, a picture of her leaning forward and asking Orthon "Why didn't you contact us earlier?" When she learned of it, she felt flattered. Those SSC people can be incredibly tight-lipped, she thought.

Her questioning the SSC people and styling their hair got a lot of responses and provoked a lot of controversy.

"Congresswoman Cristina styling the mall rats' hair? I thought I saw everything."
"She has finally found her true calling. She should go and live among them."
"Sure as hell didn't see *that* coming."
"What kind of a guest is she?"
"Finally saying what needs to be said."
"Glad she confronted those mall rats. I loved the look on that blond guy's face when she confronted him about why they didn't contact use earlier."

Congress got into this act, with similar sentiments. Its members were as surprised as everybody else about Cristina's questioning of Orthon, even Ethics Committee members.

That evening, Cristina and Mike had a "Date Night" together in a room in the Aurora, snuggling up and watching some of the SSC's big library of bootlegged Earther movies and TV shows -- and doing some other things.