Helium3 - 1 Crater (28 page)

Crater was grateful for the news about his mother and about the gillie. It made the little thing's attachment to him more understandable.

“Nurse Soichi, who were Crater's parents?” Maria asked.

“Ah,” she said, “who were they, indeed? Well, your mother didn't say much, Crater, but there was enough paperwork for me to figure things out. Paul and Juliet Trueblood were inventors, rather famous ones. They invented many things, their most famous being an electro-biological filtering system that converted seawater into fresh, which revolutionized life in some desert countries on Earth.”

“Why wasn't Crater sent back to Earth to stay with relatives?” Maria asked.

“At that time, dear, there was no elevator and there were no Cyclers. Getting here was a risky thing and very expensive.

Orphans were routinely taken into local families, usually without paperwork. The couple who took Crater seemed very nice. Did you stay with them, Crater?”

“Yes, ma'am, but they got killed on the scrapes. I was taken in by Q-Bess who manages the Dust Palace, such being what we call the bachelor's tube. I've had a good life.”

“I am heartily glad to hear it,” Nurse Soichi said, rising from her chair. She gave Crater a hug. “I have to continue my rounds,” she said, then patted the gillie, which actually seemed to like her touch. It turned a restful blue before lapsing back to gray. “Good old thing. You were brave too.” And off she went, a nurse on her rounds.

Maria studied Crater. “So you're the child of famous inventors. That explains why you like to tinker with things.”

Crater supposed Maria was right, and he resolved to think about it later. For the time being, he was satisfied. “Let's go,” he said. “We have a package to pick up. The way I see it, Captain Teller died for it and we should see it through. Are you coming?”

“Are you kidding?” Maria demanded. “Go up the elevator, then aboard the Cycler, then meet a renegade scramferry with a secret payload? Wouldn't miss it for the world or the moon.

Anyway, you need a bodyguard.”

“True is,” Crater acknowledged with a tinge of regret, then led the way.

:::
THIRTY

P
etro found Crater and Maria just before they climbed on the tram that carried passengers to the elevator terminal. He took Crater aside. “I wish I could go with you,” Petro said. “I think you could use me.”

“I think you're right,” Crater said. “But there're only two tickets. Listen, will you check on Pegasus for me while I'm gone?”

“Every day,” Petro swore.

“And stay out of trouble. No gambling. There's a rough crowd here. And don't be talking about how you're the Prince of Wales. Likely, somebody would stab you just for that.”

“I can take care of myself,” Petro replied with a crafty smile. “Just worry about yourself.”

Crater stuck out his hand to Petro. “Well, farewell, brother.”

Petro ignored his hand and gave Crater a big bear hug.

“Farewell and Godspeed, Crater Trueblood.”

“Come on, Crater,” Maria called from the tram, which had started to move.

Crater climbed aboard and turned to wave to Petro. To his disappointment, the boy had already disappeared in the Armstrong City crowd.

The paperwork process at the elevator terminal was designed to be simple and easy. Maria and Crater showed their tickets and that was it. Once upon a time, according to the history Crater been taught by a Yale University president turned heel-3 miner at the Dust Palace, transportation terminals on Earth, especially airports, were a nightmare of presenting papers and getting luggage inspected and even personal body searches of the most intimate type. With the collapse of most of the world's governments in the mid-twenty-first century, the harassment at airports collapsed with them, mainly because most people were forbidden to travel for a time. In any case, the people prone to highjack airplanes or blow them up were among the first to be eliminated by the harsh new governments that took the place of the old ones. After those governments were in turn overthrown, the terrorists still didn't come back, so travel was just a matter of buying a ticket, at least for those who lived in tough, young republics such as the Independent States of America.

Maria and Crater got on the tram going out to the elevator and watched the dull gray plain slide by. When they got closer, Crater saw two wide ribbons rising from a huge mooncrete terminal. The fibrous material of the ribbons was turned to shimmering rainbow hues by spotlights directed from the ground. “Wow,” Crater heard himself say in awe.

Space elevators worked by putting a counterweight into geosynchronous orbit, meaning they stayed over the same spot on the ground and brought up a ribbon from a fixed base at that spot. To balance gravity against the centrifugal force of the moon's rotation, the counterweight of the lunar elevator was required to be many thousands of miles high. The elevator wasn't designed to take passengers to the counterweight, only to a terminal located sixty miles off the surface. That was plenty high for the Cycler ferries to manage a rendezvous.

Maria's delight at seeing the ribbons was obvious. She couldn't stop grinning. She put her arm around Crater's waist and said, “The first time I saw the elevator I was coming in on the Cycler
Wernher von Braun
. There was only one ribbon then and it looked to me like it went all the way to heaven.” She mused over her own words, then said, “Of course, I was just a little girl back then.”

The tram stopped and its driver announced that everyone should exit and be sure to take their hand luggage, packages, and souvenirs and proceed directly to the elevator. Most of the other passengers were Earthian tourists who were chattering excitedly and comparing the treasures they'd bought on their exotic journey to the moon. There were also a few moon residents going back to Earth for a visit. And then there were Crater and Maria, doing their best to look like a happy, young couple heading off to college.

The elevator car was designed like a lounge, with plush chairs and couches. An attendant walked in and sealed the door. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “the Lunar Elevator Company truly wishes you a very pleasant lift up to the Apex terminal. Please be aware that once we start our ascent, we will not stop until we have arrived in approximately six hours. As we rise, the effects of lunar gravity will gradually diminish until you will be essentially weightless. You will notice that we have a number of freshly laundered pillows and cushions in bins along the wall on which we invite you to lounge, or you may take advantage of the various chairs and sofas. There are seat belts to use if you wish. If you are prone to motion sickness, I recommend using them. There are plastic bags located conveniently in several stations in the event sickness should occur. Most of you won't have any problems in that regard, so we have a small lunch counter and bar available. Please let me know if you require food, drink, or other refreshment, all of which are priced quite reasonably and are served in disposable containers designed for microgravity. As we ascend, please feel free to enjoy the view. If you prefer to converse, play games on your readers, or anything else, please be careful not to disturb your fellow passengers. We have a brig for such offenders.” She smiled prettily. “Are there any questions?”

There being none, the attendant said, “Then, welcome aboard! The management of the Lunar Elevator Company, the crew of this ascension, and I hope you enjoy your journey. We will be ascending soon.” She took up position behind the bar and began to prepare complimentary drinks.

After a few minutes, the car began to creep slowly up the ribbon. It was so slow, it was some minutes before Crater realized it was climbing at all. He chose a couch that had been evacuated by a family who went after pillows to spread out on the floor. The couch faced one of the window view ports.

Maria came over and sat beside him, and together they enjoyed watching more and more of Armstrong City come into view as the car got higher. The dome on its eastern edge was the town's signature feature. Constructed of lead-infiltrated plaston, lunasteel, and mooncrete, it dominated the skyline.

Observation towers here and there indicated the locations of many of the buried tubes that housed offices, stores, warehouses, maintenance facilities, heel-3 shipment docks, and homes. Some suburbs had been established with minidomes covering parks.

As they were lifted ever higher, Crater and Maria began to look farther out. When they spotted the serpentine trail of the dustway emerging out of the great shadow, they fell silent, thinking of all that had occurred there. When they climbed even higher, they saw the Alpine Valley.

Maria borrowed binoculars from the attendant, and she and Crater took turns trying to see Moontown. The town itself and its towers were too small, but the Copperhead Bridge was big enough to be seen. It was enough to make Crater terribly homesick for Q-Bess, his friends, and the Dust Palace.

Eventually, Crater noticed he was no longer sitting on the bench but floating slightly above it. About then, he also started to get sleepy and, excusing himself from Maria, found an empty cushion, strapped himself to it, and promptly fell asleep. He woke only when the car bumped into the latch at the Apex terminal. “We are so glad you ascended with us today,” the attendant said. “Please use the rails to pull yourself to the lounge. Your ferry will arrive in thirty-two minutes.”

In precisely thirty-two minutes, with sparkling jets, the rocket ferry arrived and docked. Its hatch swung open and there was a mild rush of air as the pressures between the terminal and the ferry were equalized. Maria grasped the railing that led to the hatch. “Here we go,” she said, with what sounded to Crater like merry abandon.

Crater pulled himself hand over hand through the hatch into the ferry. He felt his excitement rising. The next step was to catch the Cycler as it swept grandly past the moon.

:::
THIRTY-ONE

T
here were five Cyclers constantly orbiting around the moon and the Earth, the
Burt Rutan
, the
Konrad Dannenberg
, the
Elon Musk
, the
Jack Medaris
(named after the Colonel's great-grandfather), and the
Wernher von Braun
. All of them had essentially the same design. There were five main tubes, four situated like spokes around the interior core tube. The core was twice the diameter of the spokes. The bridge was at one end and a set of rocket engines at the other. The core also provided attachments for the spokes, observation decks, holds for storage and cargo, and two airlocks. Attached to the spokes was a tubular ring forming an outer rim. Since the Cyclers slowly rotated, centrifugal force provided gravity of varying degrees to the spokes and the rim, where all of the passenger and crew cabins were located.

Once aboard the
Elon Musk
, Crater retreated to his cabin. After getting a good six hours sleep, curiosity brought him out and he started to explore. The core turned out to be his favorite place. Weightless flying was fun and he practiced a variety of acrobatics. Then, fatigue again washed over him and he headed back to his cabin. Maria apparently was also feeling tired, no doubt the result of the grueling convoy, and was nowhere to be seen.

The next day, while exploring anew, Crater came to the attention of the chief purser, a graying man named Strickland. “Here now, youngster,” the old spacefarer called as Crater zipped through the spokes. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Crater's natural curiosity amused the purser, who sent him along with various crew members to inspect the parts of the Cycler ordinarily off-limits to passengers. Crater loved most of all the engine room with its pumps and fans and fuel cells and fuel tanks that fed the rockets.

Crater also met the ship's cat, although it came as a surprise. He became aware of something black and white and furry lounging on top of the couch in the crew's lounge. After he stared in amazement at the creature, the gillie, which seemed to be much healthier, stirred on his shoulder and said, with something akin to reproach before scurrying into its holster,
It's a cat
.

Crater had heard of cats but never imagined he would get so close to one. According to his readings of Earthian species, cats had teeth and claws and were carnivorous. The bigger ones were known to eat humans, and Crater wasn't certain about the little ones, although he supposed the crew wouldn't keep one in their lounge if it was a man-eater. Crater crept closer to the cat and studied it. After the cat made a languorous stretch, it opened its eyes, saw Crater, and began to mutter and shake which caused Crater to jerk back.

CP Strickland came inside the lounge. “I see you've met Paco. Go on. You can touch him. He won't hurt you. He's the ship's cat and belongs to everyone.”

“But there's something wrong with it! It's making a terrible sound.”

“A sound? Oh, I see what you're getting at. He's purring.

See? When I pet him, he does it even louder. It's his way of saying he's happy.”

Very carefully, Crater reached out and touched the cat, which erupted with more rumblings. He pulled his hand back, which made CP Strickland laugh. “Go on. Keep petting.

He likes you!”