“Galileo, please stop pacing back and forth!” exclaimed Olympia in frustration. Demand for Mars trips had waned, so Galileo found himself spending more time at JE headquarters, but seemed bored after the JE security threats had eased.
Having gotten his attention, Olympia continued: “We have an important mission for you...Lili Ling invited us to see what her consortium does in Asia, but both Sarah and I are very busy here working on those new lines of android robots...so, would you be interested in representing JE at her office in Tokyo?”
Galileo leaped at the opportunity: “Indeed I would! I remember meeting Lili briefly when she visited us here...she mentioned something about landscape design...I've long admired Japanese aesthetics...studied them at university...but never actually visited them in person. When can I leave?” Olympia smiled: “Any time you like...but don't forget about me back here at JE...Lili is very cute, as you no doubt already noticed...so have fun, but not too much fun!”
Galileo caught the next flight to Japan, and made his way to Lili's downtown Tokyo office, where she greeted him warmly. As they admired the spectacular panoramic view of the expansive cityscape, Lili described the overall goals of her consortium: “My colleagues have long expressed concerns about urban dystopia...and we seek a viable alternative...a more natural and peaceful way to approach the future...drawing from historic traditions, but avoiding the downsides of that troubling history."
Galileo was impressed: "Oh yes, sounds wonderful! Can we see some of your work?" Lili responded: "Indeed we can! Most of my clients are landscape designers, architects, and other design professionals...while you are here, we can meet a few of them and observe firsthand some of their successful projects....”
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