Read Online Asimov's SF, January 2012 by Dell Magazine Authors - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dell Magazine Authors
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point?"
"You go there now and they have hot dog stands. There's a lift to take you out over the crater. They have a souvenir shop. Jake, you don't feel the age of the place any more. It's like going to Atlantic City, except there's no ocean. And you don't weigh as much."
He looked at her sympathetically. Smiled. “Well,” he said, “everybody to his own."
"Hutch."Benny's voice was subdued. Unusual for him.
"Yes, Benny?"
"We're getting a picture from the smaller moon."
"Okay."
"Take a look, please."
The planetary image on the navigation screen blinked off and was replaced by a rockscape. Something that looked like a giant flower stood in the middle of the image. Long petals rose in all directions. Hutch increased the magnification. “Jake,” she said.
"I see it."
"What is it?"
"Don't know."
She opened a channel to the ground station. “Ollie, you still there?"
"Affirmative, Hutch. What do you need?"
"Have you guys been working on the smaller moon?"
"On Lyla? Negative. I'm sure we haven't been anywhere near it. Why do you ask?"
She was about to explain, but Jake shook his head and drew his finger across his throat. Break the connection. “Just curious,” she said. “Thanks. Copperhead out.” Then she turned to Jake: “What's the matter?"
"Let's get a better look so we know what we have before we start talking about it."
She went to maximum magnification. It was not a flowering plant. “You know what I think it is?” she said.
He nodded. “A monument.” She squeezed her eyes shut and wanted to scream. But Jake held a hand up, cautioning her. “Relax,” he said.
"I don't believe it, Jake.” She opened the allcom.
He shook his head and turned it off. “What are you doing, Hutch?"
"I was going to let our passengers know."
"Not a good idea."
"Why not?"
"If that really is a monument, and they become aware that it's down there, who do you think will get the credit for the discovery? Us? Or the Professor?"
Hutch thought about it. She might not have been that anxious to get the score for herself, but she didn't much like Eddington. “What are you suggesting?"
"We look at it on the way out. Meantime, say nothing. And we make sure it stays off our passengers’ screen."
* * * *
It's difficult to judge the size of a world when you can only look at it through images on a display. The Copperhead's ports, including the bridge wraparound, were completely covered, sealed against radiation.
Hibachi's World was named for the biologist who'd predicted life could be found in such a place. It was moderately smaller than Earth, with gravity at 84 percent standard. It had jungles or forests or something, but they were like nothing anyone had seen before. They resembled a vast tangle of hair that was purple in some places, blue in others, and gold in still others. It covered the half-dozen continents and the various islands. In some areas it stood stiff rather like a crew cut. In most places, however, it was simply a colorful limp confusion. These were not pieces of vegetation competing for sunlight. Rather, as Larry had explained to her, they were hiding from the periodic flares and they were also sucking energy from each other and, occasionally, from unwary animals. It was not a place where you wanted to go for a walk in the woods. Much of the water had an overlay of matting, turning substantial areas into sinkholes.
The larger of the two moons occupied the inner orbit. It was retreating gradually, but its pace was slowing. In time it would pause and begin to fall back toward the surface. Eventually it would come down. But that was millions of years away.
The other satellite was Lyla. It was only a few hundred miles across, and it sailed through the night in an erratic orbit that took it out almost a million miles.
Normally, the AI would make the orbital approach. “But,” said Jake, “your AI is down, Hutch. You'll have to do it manually.” Later in the mission, she'd undoubtedly have to
"You go there now and they have hot dog stands. There's a lift to take you out over the crater. They have a souvenir shop. Jake, you don't feel the age of the place any more. It's like going to Atlantic City, except there's no ocean. And you don't weigh as much."
He looked at her sympathetically. Smiled. “Well,” he said, “everybody to his own."
"Hutch."Benny's voice was subdued. Unusual for him.
"Yes, Benny?"
"We're getting a picture from the smaller moon."
"Okay."
"Take a look, please."
The planetary image on the navigation screen blinked off and was replaced by a rockscape. Something that looked like a giant flower stood in the middle of the image. Long petals rose in all directions. Hutch increased the magnification. “Jake,” she said.
"I see it."
"What is it?"
"Don't know."
She opened a channel to the ground station. “Ollie, you still there?"
"Affirmative, Hutch. What do you need?"
"Have you guys been working on the smaller moon?"
"On Lyla? Negative. I'm sure we haven't been anywhere near it. Why do you ask?"
She was about to explain, but Jake shook his head and drew his finger across his throat. Break the connection. “Just curious,” she said. “Thanks. Copperhead out.” Then she turned to Jake: “What's the matter?"
"Let's get a better look so we know what we have before we start talking about it."
She went to maximum magnification. It was not a flowering plant. “You know what I think it is?” she said.
He nodded. “A monument.” She squeezed her eyes shut and wanted to scream. But Jake held a hand up, cautioning her. “Relax,” he said.
"I don't believe it, Jake.” She opened the allcom.
He shook his head and turned it off. “What are you doing, Hutch?"
"I was going to let our passengers know."
"Not a good idea."
"Why not?"
"If that really is a monument, and they become aware that it's down there, who do you think will get the credit for the discovery? Us? Or the Professor?"
Hutch thought about it. She might not have been that anxious to get the score for herself, but she didn't much like Eddington. “What are you suggesting?"
"We look at it on the way out. Meantime, say nothing. And we make sure it stays off our passengers’ screen."
* * * *
It's difficult to judge the size of a world when you can only look at it through images on a display. The Copperhead's ports, including the bridge wraparound, were completely covered, sealed against radiation.
Hibachi's World was named for the biologist who'd predicted life could be found in such a place. It was moderately smaller than Earth, with gravity at 84 percent standard. It had jungles or forests or something, but they were like nothing anyone had seen before. They resembled a vast tangle of hair that was purple in some places, blue in others, and gold in still others. It covered the half-dozen continents and the various islands. In some areas it stood stiff rather like a crew cut. In most places, however, it was simply a colorful limp confusion. These were not pieces of vegetation competing for sunlight. Rather, as Larry had explained to her, they were hiding from the periodic flares and they were also sucking energy from each other and, occasionally, from unwary animals. It was not a place where you wanted to go for a walk in the woods. Much of the water had an overlay of matting, turning substantial areas into sinkholes.
The larger of the two moons occupied the inner orbit. It was retreating gradually, but its pace was slowing. In time it would pause and begin to fall back toward the surface. Eventually it would come down. But that was millions of years away.
The other satellite was Lyla. It was only a few hundred miles across, and it sailed through the night in an erratic orbit that took it out almost a million miles.
Normally, the AI would make the orbital approach. “But,” said Jake, “your AI is down, Hutch. You'll have to do it manually.” Later in the mission, she'd undoubtedly have to
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