1. ORDINARY WORLD

Bob Knight sat at a round table, in a café in the Esplanade, the vast mall that ran through the commercial center of Clarkesville. Sunlight filtered down through the great arch of filigreed windows that sealed off the collapsed lava tube.
On the table before him sat a mug, filled with a dark liquid.
“It’s chicory,” said Bob.
“Next shipment of beans is coming in a week’s time,” said Jace, the proprietor of the cafe. She shrugged. “It’s space, dude. Arabica doesn’t grow on Mars.”
Bob pushed the mug away from himself, with an expression of disgust, and put his head down on the table.
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