Chapter Five – Trouble in Paradise
AS THEY WALKED BETWEEN the low buildings, Carrie said, “Thanks for helping me out with the Foreign Secretary back there, Apate—is that your first or last name?” Like the buildings and the dandrobians, the name sounded familiar.
“We have only one name, dear. Each of us has a different name, you see, those few of us who are left.”
“Oh, has your population been shrinking? On Earth, that’s happening in a few countries. Low birth rates. But...” Carrie frowned. “How come? I heard dandrobians are immortal.”
Apate smiled sadly. “Immortal but not indestructible. Every year we lose people to accidents.”
“But surely births make up for deaths?”
The corners of Apate’s mouth turned lower. “Carrie, darling, when the Unity confined us here, they altered our genetic
