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Hinterlands

The giant planet's inner moon

Humans could live there comfortably

We mined the giant's atmosphere

For chemicals that we could use

Slow-moving ships like dirigibles

From which nets hung down

Into thicker atmosphere

They eked us out; the home world paid

Then we met the natives

In their floating metropolis

Many kilometers wide and deep

Their technology sophisticated

For the planet-bound

Learned their language with some effort

They could harvest the air for us

But wanted us to see their capital

We had thought this might be it

"Oh no, this provincial town?

"Scarcely 5 million live here,

"This wouldn't make a decent suburb!"

Meet the city folks? We agreed.

With some trepidation.

"How many are you?" they asked

We lied and gave the homeworld's numbers

Multiplied by 10: "Extraordinary

"that with such a small population,

"Your race achieved so much!"

Was their response.

They had no idea.

But neither, it turned out, did we.