the ship. He examined the outer hull inch by inch, looking for ice buildup and assessing the damage. He noticed numerous small dents and pitting and made several more repairs before returning to the protective area of the arm. Wolf turned and looked out into space. He felt utterly alone. For an instant, he had the urge to remove his helmet and end it all. After a moment’s hesitation, he shook off the feeling, returned the arm to its cradle, and closed the shuttle doors.
“Synthea, engage the airlock and return the cabin to normal pressure.”
“Yes, Commander. Cabin returning to normal pressure in three…two…one. Cabin and life support active. Congratulations, Commander. Your patchwork is holding.”
Wolf went to the controls, opened the airlock doors, and returned to the command center, ordering, “Initiate pre-burn sequence and let’s get underway, Syn.”
* * *
As the ship approached the watery blue planet Wolf had once called home, data poured into the onboard computers. He had spent hours on the treadmill and working out to bring his weakened muscles into condition. He was still shaky but stronger.
“Commander, I have long-range scan information. Are you ready?” Synthea asked.
“Give me a second to get to my chair, Syn. I don’t want to get splattered with hot coffee again.”
“Of course, Commander. A severe burn can occur when a hot liquid comes into contact with human skin.”
“It’s a joke, Syn. I was making a joke. Okay, I’m ready. Go.”
“Go where, Commander? Do you want to change course?”
“Sorry, Syn. Sometimes I forget you are a computer…you sound human. Please relay the information on the long-range scans.”
“Yes, Commander. The larger of the two planets has an orbital period of two hundred forty-seven earth days. Its atmosphere is sixty percent nitrogen, thirty percent oxygen, five percent trace gasses, one percent nitric oxide, and several unknown gasses comprise four percent. It has a rotation similar to the planet Uranus. One side is always facing the sun, and the other is in perpetual darkness. On the latitudinal prime meridian, night and day exist because of the slight tilt to its axis. The days are only sixteen hours. The planet experiences extreme cold on the dark side and intense heat on the equatorial plains. Many habitable areas are teeming with life—plant and animal. I detect no technologically advanced civilizations, but several well-populated zones with larger landmasses. The planet’s gravitational pull has decreased by about fifty percent.”
“Syn, give it to me in dummy talk—although I think I understood everything you said. And stop calling me Commander. Call me by my name.”
“As you wish. However, I am programmed to address you by rank, so it may fluctuate from time to time.”
“That’s fine.”
“The air contains a higher percentage of oxygen and nitric oxide levels. I also detect two unidentified gasses permeating the atmosphere that appear to be non-toxic and non-flammable. The planet has lost some of its original size, and since it is tilted ninety degrees, its old poles are now on the equator. It has just half of its original gravity for a reason I cannot explain. Also, the civilization is not nearly as advanced as it used to be.”
“What’s the population of the largest city on the planet?”
“Let me scan…thirty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand? What’s the population of the entire planet?”
“Approximately five hundred thousand.”
“Jesus!” Wolf whispered. “What about the smaller planet? Give me the details…and keep it simple, Syn.”
“It is on a standard, axial tilt of the old earth. Its atmosphere is consistent with that of ancient Earth. The gravitational pull is sixty percent less. It spins at the same relative speed of ancient Earth, but its days are about twenty hours. Its orbit is held by the larger Earth, and it lies three hundred and fifty thousand miles from it. I show a population of one
“Synthea, engage the airlock and return the cabin to normal pressure.”
“Yes, Commander. Cabin returning to normal pressure in three…two…one. Cabin and life support active. Congratulations, Commander. Your patchwork is holding.”
Wolf went to the controls, opened the airlock doors, and returned to the command center, ordering, “Initiate pre-burn sequence and let’s get underway, Syn.”
* * *
As the ship approached the watery blue planet Wolf had once called home, data poured into the onboard computers. He had spent hours on the treadmill and working out to bring his weakened muscles into condition. He was still shaky but stronger.
“Commander, I have long-range scan information. Are you ready?” Synthea asked.
“Give me a second to get to my chair, Syn. I don’t want to get splattered with hot coffee again.”
“Of course, Commander. A severe burn can occur when a hot liquid comes into contact with human skin.”
“It’s a joke, Syn. I was making a joke. Okay, I’m ready. Go.”
“Go where, Commander? Do you want to change course?”
“Sorry, Syn. Sometimes I forget you are a computer…you sound human. Please relay the information on the long-range scans.”
“Yes, Commander. The larger of the two planets has an orbital period of two hundred forty-seven earth days. Its atmosphere is sixty percent nitrogen, thirty percent oxygen, five percent trace gasses, one percent nitric oxide, and several unknown gasses comprise four percent. It has a rotation similar to the planet Uranus. One side is always facing the sun, and the other is in perpetual darkness. On the latitudinal prime meridian, night and day exist because of the slight tilt to its axis. The days are only sixteen hours. The planet experiences extreme cold on the dark side and intense heat on the equatorial plains. Many habitable areas are teeming with life—plant and animal. I detect no technologically advanced civilizations, but several well-populated zones with larger landmasses. The planet’s gravitational pull has decreased by about fifty percent.”
“Syn, give it to me in dummy talk—although I think I understood everything you said. And stop calling me Commander. Call me by my name.”
“As you wish. However, I am programmed to address you by rank, so it may fluctuate from time to time.”
“That’s fine.”
“The air contains a higher percentage of oxygen and nitric oxide levels. I also detect two unidentified gasses permeating the atmosphere that appear to be non-toxic and non-flammable. The planet has lost some of its original size, and since it is tilted ninety degrees, its old poles are now on the equator. It has just half of its original gravity for a reason I cannot explain. Also, the civilization is not nearly as advanced as it used to be.”
“What’s the population of the largest city on the planet?”
“Let me scan…thirty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand? What’s the population of the entire planet?”
“Approximately five hundred thousand.”
“Jesus!” Wolf whispered. “What about the smaller planet? Give me the details…and keep it simple, Syn.”
“It is on a standard, axial tilt of the old earth. Its atmosphere is consistent with that of ancient Earth. The gravitational pull is sixty percent less. It spins at the same relative speed of ancient Earth, but its days are about twenty hours. Its orbit is held by the larger Earth, and it lies three hundred and fifty thousand miles from it. I show a population of one
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