Read Online Diamonds in the Sky by Ed. Mike Brotherton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ed. Mike Brotherton
Tags: Science-Fiction, Short Stories
Ads: Link
raising his right arm. Surprisingly, it didn’t
feel
heavy — more like what he was used to on Earth.
The medtech chuckled. “That’s how we make biobods for Mercury. The gravity here is about a third of Earth’s; if we grew bodies with the same mass as your Earth body
was
, you’d feel like you were a third the weight, too. Your biobod’s three times the mass of your Earth body — not volume, thankfully, since your skin, flesh and organs are much heavier! By adapting your biobod for the gravity, instead of forcing your mind to retrain to a low-g environment, we eliminate the need for extensive physical training like the old-time astronauts had to do.”
Meyer didn’t like the emphasis on the word
was
. “My Earth body?”
“Didn’t Mr. Reege tell you? Your old body was destroyed at the other end. It’s a side
benefit
of squisher travel — you get new bodies wherever you go, gravity-adapted and maintenance-free. The only downside is you don’t know who’s looking back at you in the mirror.” The medtech laughed. “Want to see?”
He thrust a mirror in front of Meyer.
The face looking back at him was big and strange, with a wide nose and mouth below tiny black eyes. Meyer had gotten used to seeing a deep, jagged scar near his left ear — he’d hoped one day to scratch together enough solcreds for the medbots to fix it. That wouldn’t be needed now.
“When can I see Mr. Reege?”
“Now; the transition is pretty quick. Stand up.”
Despite the medtech’s explanation, Meyer was surprised to find that climbing out of the chair felt remarkably as he’d remembered on Earth. Walking was similar as well.
Meyer glanced out a passing window. “Are we going outside?”
“No. Your biobod’s adapted for gravity, but not Mercury’s incredible temperature swings — starts close to 200 below, Celsius, up here on the 85th parallel, and goes over 100 above — more than boiling water on Earth.”
Meyer whistled.
“Down at the equator, where most of Mr. Reege’s high-temperature experiments are, it gets up well over 400 — enough to incinerate your Earth body without protection.”
As they passed a window, Meyer remarked on a worker outside, wearing full-body space suits.
The medtech paused. “Mercury’s atmo is flaky — not enough gravity to keep it here, so parts keep floating off. Supply tanks create a breathable atmo in the buildings, but you need a suit outside. It’s like the Moon, only
much
hotter.”
Meyer stared out the window. It was gray everywhere. “Is that steam?”
“Water comes out of nowhere; it vaporizes or freezes, depending on the temp. They tell me there’s hydrogen and oxygen in both the vaporized Mercury rocks and the solar wind, and sometimes they combine.”
The medtech nudged Meyer and led him down a hallway to Reege’s office. Inside, he found Mr. Reege at his desk, working. He looked remarkably like a larger Reege — same face and body structure, same pencil mustache, just bigger.
Reege grinned, stood and offered a meaty hand. “I’ve been expecting you. How was your trip?”
Meyer shrugged. “Different. You do this squisher thing often yourself?”
Laughing, Reege said, “Rarely any more. I did, of course, in the early days of each colony, but it got tiring after a while. Believe it or not, all those colonies were set up the old-fashioned way, with materials transported on laser fusion drives developed over a hundred years ago. I spent more decades than you can imagine making those colonies fly, which also meant creating an economy from nothing for hundreds or thousands.” He leaned back in his chair and rocked. “The medbots developed mid-21st are the only reason I’m still alive and kicking today at 160.” Reege smiled. “I don’t think I’ve squished in ten, fifteen years now.”
“You didn’t come out with me?” Meyer was confused. “I saw you back on Earth a few hours ago.”
Reege nodded, leaned far over his desk
feel
heavy — more like what he was used to on Earth.
The medtech chuckled. “That’s how we make biobods for Mercury. The gravity here is about a third of Earth’s; if we grew bodies with the same mass as your Earth body
was
, you’d feel like you were a third the weight, too. Your biobod’s three times the mass of your Earth body — not volume, thankfully, since your skin, flesh and organs are much heavier! By adapting your biobod for the gravity, instead of forcing your mind to retrain to a low-g environment, we eliminate the need for extensive physical training like the old-time astronauts had to do.”
Meyer didn’t like the emphasis on the word
was
. “My Earth body?”
“Didn’t Mr. Reege tell you? Your old body was destroyed at the other end. It’s a side
benefit
of squisher travel — you get new bodies wherever you go, gravity-adapted and maintenance-free. The only downside is you don’t know who’s looking back at you in the mirror.” The medtech laughed. “Want to see?”
He thrust a mirror in front of Meyer.
The face looking back at him was big and strange, with a wide nose and mouth below tiny black eyes. Meyer had gotten used to seeing a deep, jagged scar near his left ear — he’d hoped one day to scratch together enough solcreds for the medbots to fix it. That wouldn’t be needed now.
“When can I see Mr. Reege?”
“Now; the transition is pretty quick. Stand up.”
Despite the medtech’s explanation, Meyer was surprised to find that climbing out of the chair felt remarkably as he’d remembered on Earth. Walking was similar as well.
Meyer glanced out a passing window. “Are we going outside?”
“No. Your biobod’s adapted for gravity, but not Mercury’s incredible temperature swings — starts close to 200 below, Celsius, up here on the 85th parallel, and goes over 100 above — more than boiling water on Earth.”
Meyer whistled.
“Down at the equator, where most of Mr. Reege’s high-temperature experiments are, it gets up well over 400 — enough to incinerate your Earth body without protection.”
As they passed a window, Meyer remarked on a worker outside, wearing full-body space suits.
The medtech paused. “Mercury’s atmo is flaky — not enough gravity to keep it here, so parts keep floating off. Supply tanks create a breathable atmo in the buildings, but you need a suit outside. It’s like the Moon, only
much
hotter.”
Meyer stared out the window. It was gray everywhere. “Is that steam?”
“Water comes out of nowhere; it vaporizes or freezes, depending on the temp. They tell me there’s hydrogen and oxygen in both the vaporized Mercury rocks and the solar wind, and sometimes they combine.”
The medtech nudged Meyer and led him down a hallway to Reege’s office. Inside, he found Mr. Reege at his desk, working. He looked remarkably like a larger Reege — same face and body structure, same pencil mustache, just bigger.
Reege grinned, stood and offered a meaty hand. “I’ve been expecting you. How was your trip?”
Meyer shrugged. “Different. You do this squisher thing often yourself?”
Laughing, Reege said, “Rarely any more. I did, of course, in the early days of each colony, but it got tiring after a while. Believe it or not, all those colonies were set up the old-fashioned way, with materials transported on laser fusion drives developed over a hundred years ago. I spent more decades than you can imagine making those colonies fly, which also meant creating an economy from nothing for hundreds or thousands.” He leaned back in his chair and rocked. “The medbots developed mid-21st are the only reason I’m still alive and kicking today at 160.” Reege smiled. “I don’t think I’ve squished in ten, fifteen years now.”
“You didn’t come out with me?” Meyer was confused. “I saw you back on Earth a few hours ago.”
Reege nodded, leaned far over his desk
Similar Books
