Read Online Earth Afire (The First Formic War) by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston - Free Book Online
Authors: Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston
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confidence. Batteries were unreliable. They failed all the time on El Cavador. “So this observatory we’re going to, since it has telescopes, I’m assuming it’s aboveground?”
“Oh no,” said Yanyu. “It’s below the surface. Almost all of the Juke facilities are. In fact, most of the tunnels outside the city belong to Juke Limited, although few people know how vast the company’s tunnels really are. Mr. Jukes has secret R&D efforts in almost every industry, and yet few of those operations or departments appear on any tunnel maps. If I had to guess, I’d say the company’s tunnel system is much bigger than the city itself.”
“But if the observatory is underground, where are the scopes?” asked Victor.
“Far from here,” said Yanyu, “positioned at various points around Luna, away from any light pollution. We tell them where to look, then we process all the images and data in our observation room. Traditional observatories like those on Earth don’t exist on Luna. Up here they’re all cubicles and office space. Not very interesting, I’m afraid.”
The track car dipped suddenly into a tunnel entrance, and for a moment they found themselves in total darkness until the vehicle’s interior lights turned on.
They maintained their speed for several minutes until the car took a fork in the track and began to decelerate. It took a series of turns and then pulled into a docking slot and stopped. Air tubes extended from the wall and encircled the vehicle. Then a chime sounded the all-clear, and the doors slid open. Victor, Imala, and Yanyu stepped out onto the docking platform. Yanyu then led them through a labyrinth of corridors and a series of locked doors. Victor was lost almost immediately.
At each door, a cubical holofield hovered by the doorjamb. Yanyu extended her hand into the holofield and did a series of wrist twists and finger movements that unlocked the door. At first Victor thought the movements were random, but then one of the doors buzzed in the negative and Yanyu had to retract her hand, reinsert it into the field, and begin the dance again. Finally they reached a simple, metal door adorned with the Juke Limited logo and the words:
A STRONOMICAL O BSERVATORY
Yanyu led them into a low-lit observation room with a domed ceiling. Images of star clusters and nebulae and astronomical data were projected onto the ceiling, dissolving in and out like a screensaver. A dozen desks were scattered around the room with lamps and computer terminals and personal items. In the center of the room was a conference table, where a small crowd of researchers stood waiting. Yanyu stopped and gestured to the bearded man near the front. “Victor, Imala, I’d like you to meet Dr. Richard Prescott, the director of the observatory and our lead astrophysicist.”
Prescott stepped forward and shook Imala’s hand. He was younger than Victor had expected, midthirties maybe, with a mop of brown hair and casual street clothes. “Ms. Bootstamp. A privilege. Welcome. And Mr. Delgado, good to have you, as well. I hope you had no problems getting here.”
“I had to sneak Victor out of the recovery hospital where he was being held,” said Imala. “Which broke a few laws and makes both of us fugitives. Other than that, no problems.”
Prescott seem unfazed by this. He put his hands in his pockets and smiled warmly. “Well, you’re safe here.”
Imala cut to the chase. “We need to get an audience with Ukko Jukes. With his backing, we can make a legitimate warning to Earth. Can you make that happen?”
“Probably,” said Prescott. “But first things first.” He gestured to the conference table. “Won’t you sit down?”
“You don’t believe us, do you?” said Victor.
Prescott smiled. “We wouldn’t have brought you here if we didn’t think you might be telling the truth, Victor. We all believe you to some extent. But before any of us act, we want to be absolutely certain. There are people
“Oh no,” said Yanyu. “It’s below the surface. Almost all of the Juke facilities are. In fact, most of the tunnels outside the city belong to Juke Limited, although few people know how vast the company’s tunnels really are. Mr. Jukes has secret R&D efforts in almost every industry, and yet few of those operations or departments appear on any tunnel maps. If I had to guess, I’d say the company’s tunnel system is much bigger than the city itself.”
“But if the observatory is underground, where are the scopes?” asked Victor.
“Far from here,” said Yanyu, “positioned at various points around Luna, away from any light pollution. We tell them where to look, then we process all the images and data in our observation room. Traditional observatories like those on Earth don’t exist on Luna. Up here they’re all cubicles and office space. Not very interesting, I’m afraid.”
The track car dipped suddenly into a tunnel entrance, and for a moment they found themselves in total darkness until the vehicle’s interior lights turned on.
They maintained their speed for several minutes until the car took a fork in the track and began to decelerate. It took a series of turns and then pulled into a docking slot and stopped. Air tubes extended from the wall and encircled the vehicle. Then a chime sounded the all-clear, and the doors slid open. Victor, Imala, and Yanyu stepped out onto the docking platform. Yanyu then led them through a labyrinth of corridors and a series of locked doors. Victor was lost almost immediately.
At each door, a cubical holofield hovered by the doorjamb. Yanyu extended her hand into the holofield and did a series of wrist twists and finger movements that unlocked the door. At first Victor thought the movements were random, but then one of the doors buzzed in the negative and Yanyu had to retract her hand, reinsert it into the field, and begin the dance again. Finally they reached a simple, metal door adorned with the Juke Limited logo and the words:
A STRONOMICAL O BSERVATORY
Yanyu led them into a low-lit observation room with a domed ceiling. Images of star clusters and nebulae and astronomical data were projected onto the ceiling, dissolving in and out like a screensaver. A dozen desks were scattered around the room with lamps and computer terminals and personal items. In the center of the room was a conference table, where a small crowd of researchers stood waiting. Yanyu stopped and gestured to the bearded man near the front. “Victor, Imala, I’d like you to meet Dr. Richard Prescott, the director of the observatory and our lead astrophysicist.”
Prescott stepped forward and shook Imala’s hand. He was younger than Victor had expected, midthirties maybe, with a mop of brown hair and casual street clothes. “Ms. Bootstamp. A privilege. Welcome. And Mr. Delgado, good to have you, as well. I hope you had no problems getting here.”
“I had to sneak Victor out of the recovery hospital where he was being held,” said Imala. “Which broke a few laws and makes both of us fugitives. Other than that, no problems.”
Prescott seem unfazed by this. He put his hands in his pockets and smiled warmly. “Well, you’re safe here.”
Imala cut to the chase. “We need to get an audience with Ukko Jukes. With his backing, we can make a legitimate warning to Earth. Can you make that happen?”
“Probably,” said Prescott. “But first things first.” He gestured to the conference table. “Won’t you sit down?”
“You don’t believe us, do you?” said Victor.
Prescott smiled. “We wouldn’t have brought you here if we didn’t think you might be telling the truth, Victor. We all believe you to some extent. But before any of us act, we want to be absolutely certain. There are people
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