Chapter 15: Tourists

Unlike his President's arrival, the two negotiating teams' arrival was done in highest secrecy. After a hearty breakfast, Lucy and Aiko led the press on a merry chase off the island. Most took the bait like a trout to a fly, eagerly following them to a quick visit to an amusement park, followed by lunch and then a tour of as typical a high school as the Education Ministry could grab up at a moment's notice. Being Sunday, the students were training in competitive sports clubs, so the press got an eyeful of healthy nude teens engaged in healthy behaviour, doing swimming and track & field.

The sports clubs' captains were interviewed, and while the accent must have driven people back in Solaria into fits of giggles, the kids were able to communicate their points quite comfortably. The audience on Solaria were able to see that being nude 24/7 didn't seem to impact these kids in any way. They were also amused at both their President's attempts at Discus and Javelin throws, and at some of the reporters' attempts to re-create their athletic youth.

Nobody noticed that there were a few bodies missing from the parties, as they were too busy having fun. TK and a couple of his assistants were still back on Pearson Island with Mike.

The few reporters who didn't follow the two leaders like gosling skittering after a mother goose were busy doing human interest stories from other parts of the planet. One reporter chased down Linda Hardaway, the daughter of Mike's late predecessor, and her mother, and arranged for an interview. Another artfully combined work and recreation with a report from the beach, a story which impressed her fascinated audience far more than it impressed her cynical editor.

In the Capitol, Dorothy Chandler and her crew — a cameraman and sound man — were preparing to interview Mike's family. Micah and Millie were excitedly chatting with a couple of friends who would be off camera, and Maggie Miller and her mother Lynn Carter felt their stomachs tie up in knots. Lynn was here mostly to support her daughter, but would be in the shot as well, presumably answering some questions.

Dorothy and her crew had taken public transit to the neighbourhood, getting a glimpse of the everyday life of the people. The efficient, clean transit system resembled that of any large city on Earth or Mars, with attractive artwork and wide platforms. Fully-automated subway trains connected major districts, where commuters could transfer to trams for surface travel. She noted that everyone seemed to carry a small towel to sit on. At every station, vending machines were prepared to dispense "sitting towels" with a quick scan of her wristwatch device and her fingerprint.

At first, Dorothy had assumed she'd feel uncomfortable, but after a short while, she lost all sense of self-consciousness on the issue. Everyone else was nude, and were completely accepting of her nudity. Out the tram window, she noticed children frolicking in playgrounds and splash pads, mothers with babies still in diapers openly breast-feeding, couples walking hand-in-hand, and cart vendors offering treats ranging from drinks and ices to skewered dishes grilling on the hibachi. All were nude, except the cart vendors who wore clear plastic aprons. And it all seemed quite ordinary, which made it even more incongruous to her. It was as if someone had decided to re-stage an old Hollywood 1890's period piece, say Pollyanna or The Music Man, as a nudist film.

Dorothy kept up a soothing patter while the lighting and camera were set up. She was familiar with how nervous her subjects could be, especially if like Lynn they'd never been interviewed on live television before.

Finally, the camera was set up and the sound was working properly. The communications set was confirmed to be working — this would stream out "live" to Solaria.

"Welcome to Chat with Chandler, I'm Dorothy Chandler. Today, we are live from the home of our ambassador to Spica II, Michael Miller, with Mr. Miller's wife, Margaret, his children Millie and Micah -" Millie waved and Micah fidgeted "- and his mother-in-law Lynn Carter." She turned to her naked guests. "Thank you for allowing us into your home."

"Delighted to have you here," lied Maggie.

"So you have been here what, six months?"

"Yes," confirmed Maggie, "and we've had a wonderful time. It's been quite an interesting learning experience."

"I understand your husband was assigned here on fairly short notice."

Yes, as a result of the untimely passing of Mr. Glen Hardaway. I knew him for many years. He is missed." She paused. "Because of the sudden and unexpected nature of his passing, our assignment here was likewise sudden and unexpected."

"Especially the native dress code?" Dorothy enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Especially the native dress code. Still, we are trained to accept whatever customs exist wherever we're assigned. I must admit that at first I was surprised it was classified as a 'family' posting and not a 'diplomats only' posting!" Maggie grinned in what she hoped was a friendly fashion.

"Why was that?" Dorothy leaped on her prey's comment.

"Well..." Maggie realized she could either help or hurt a huge number of people with her next comment. "I guess because we'd never been naturist before, and had all these preconceived notions that turned out to be dead wrong."

Dorothy nodded encouragingly.

"For example, I thought that nudists were all adults, stayed at 'nudist colonies', and spent their days having sex. When we actually looked into it back on Solaria before we left, I discovered I couldn't have been more mistaken. Living here nude 24/7 has been quite delightful. This is the best posting I've ever been on. The children love it, they've made all kinds of friends here remarkably quickly. It's quite comfortable walking around without any constricting clothing, and it's faster getting ready to go out when you don't have to worry about what you're going to wear."

"What about the children and nudity?"

"They seem to adjust to it faster than adults, and for me it was only a matter of a half an hour. What about you, Mom?" Yes, Mom, share my pain, thought Maggie.

Lynn shifted uncomfortably. "I'd say it took a bit longer for me — maybe an hour." All three ladies shared a titter. "It certainly wasn't any longer than that. And I can confirm what my daughter says — once you get comfortable living this way, it's hard to imagine going back to wearing clothes all the time."