Read Online Into the Sea of Stars by William R. Forstchen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: William R. Forstchen
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Date: Estimated June 2083, one of the first units recorded to have completed its conversion and departure.
Overall Design: Standard Mitsubishi Design Unit Double Torus . Maximum Population Potential (MPP) of 37,500 with standard mix of software/hardware industry and experimental design work on self-replicating processing system.
Propulsion: Solar Sail with matter/antimatter boost.
Course: Galactic Core.
Political/Social Orientation: Hierarchical Corporate Model with head of each family responding to subsystem leader. Standard Social Orientation and Interactive Systems.
"Program engage, jump-down to match V-l, target Al pha, close to point zero zero one A.U., engage ."
Stasz turned in his couch and smiled at the rest of the crew. "Be sure you're strapped in," he said with a laugh. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the half-chewed stub of an unlit cigar and waved it at Shelley.
"You sure that belt is strapped tight? I don't want you falling out of your couch, the way you did last time," He reached over as if to help her, but she hurriedly showed him that it was snugged in tight around her hips and the cross belting of the shoulder harness was properly se cured.
A high-pitched warning Klaxon sounded—the thirty- second mark to jump down.
"Don't worry, folks, this one ain't so dangerous. Only a point twenty-four percent probability of disintegration."
"How reassuring," Ellen whispered.
It was their second jump of the day, the last one having been completed only minutes earlier. They had closed in on their target and jumped down to a relative speed of zero in relation to their original trajectory. But since the target was in fact inbound toward Earth, they were taking a short jump to close to maneuvering range.
"Ten seconds and sequencing start."
Ian could feel the inertia-dampening system hum to life, and it was almost a signal for his stomach to get ready with its usual reaction.
The jump-down hit. Overall velocity was still sublight so the effects weren't too bad, but it still took Shelley several minutes to help Ian with his post-jump cleanup.
Ian could hear the soft gasps of astonishment from Richard and Ellen, and looking past his own tragic prob lems, he saw a sight that was stunning, after weeks of Doppler-shifted light.
Even from thousands of K out, the sails of the vessel filled a good part of their visual range.
"Look, Ian, I think it's a double torus ," Shelley said.
Ian realized that for the first time she wasn't calling him Dr. Lacklin .
Ian looked to Stasz's radar display and Shelley's keen vision was confirmed by the screen. A standard double torus . Not the most efficient design, but fairly popular nevertheless.
"Do you have any idea which one it is?" Ellen asked.
"Too early to tell. Shelley, could you access my ship configuration data file? Cross-check it with known double torus designs that headed out on this trajectory."
She started working while the others fell into silence as the vessel and its sails filled an ever-larger portion of their field of view. Stasz had programmed their jump to perfection, with just enough residual velocity so they could safely close in.
Ian suddenly realized he was trembling. He wasn't sure if it was from fear, anticipation, or, most likely, a healthy mixture of both.
"I know how you feel, my dear friend," Richard said, patting him on the shoulder. "The first night of my mar riage to Ethel, I was trembling just like you."
"And she was most likely trembling with disgust until she finally got that divorce," Ellen whispered sotto voce.
It broke the tension enough that all of them could laugh for a minute.
As they watched, the double ring came closer into view, so that its central support shaft could soon be made out in the faint glow of deep space starlight.
"Have you set the radio for the frequencies I suggested?" Ian asked.
"The signal will pulse out on all frequencies you mentioned, along with several I think might be worth looking into."
Ian
Overall Design: Standard Mitsubishi Design Unit Double Torus . Maximum Population Potential (MPP) of 37,500 with standard mix of software/hardware industry and experimental design work on self-replicating processing system.
Propulsion: Solar Sail with matter/antimatter boost.
Course: Galactic Core.
Political/Social Orientation: Hierarchical Corporate Model with head of each family responding to subsystem leader. Standard Social Orientation and Interactive Systems.
"Program engage, jump-down to match V-l, target Al pha, close to point zero zero one A.U., engage ."
Stasz turned in his couch and smiled at the rest of the crew. "Be sure you're strapped in," he said with a laugh. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the half-chewed stub of an unlit cigar and waved it at Shelley.
"You sure that belt is strapped tight? I don't want you falling out of your couch, the way you did last time," He reached over as if to help her, but she hurriedly showed him that it was snugged in tight around her hips and the cross belting of the shoulder harness was properly se cured.
A high-pitched warning Klaxon sounded—the thirty- second mark to jump down.
"Don't worry, folks, this one ain't so dangerous. Only a point twenty-four percent probability of disintegration."
"How reassuring," Ellen whispered.
It was their second jump of the day, the last one having been completed only minutes earlier. They had closed in on their target and jumped down to a relative speed of zero in relation to their original trajectory. But since the target was in fact inbound toward Earth, they were taking a short jump to close to maneuvering range.
"Ten seconds and sequencing start."
Ian could feel the inertia-dampening system hum to life, and it was almost a signal for his stomach to get ready with its usual reaction.
The jump-down hit. Overall velocity was still sublight so the effects weren't too bad, but it still took Shelley several minutes to help Ian with his post-jump cleanup.
Ian could hear the soft gasps of astonishment from Richard and Ellen, and looking past his own tragic prob lems, he saw a sight that was stunning, after weeks of Doppler-shifted light.
Even from thousands of K out, the sails of the vessel filled a good part of their visual range.
"Look, Ian, I think it's a double torus ," Shelley said.
Ian realized that for the first time she wasn't calling him Dr. Lacklin .
Ian looked to Stasz's radar display and Shelley's keen vision was confirmed by the screen. A standard double torus . Not the most efficient design, but fairly popular nevertheless.
"Do you have any idea which one it is?" Ellen asked.
"Too early to tell. Shelley, could you access my ship configuration data file? Cross-check it with known double torus designs that headed out on this trajectory."
She started working while the others fell into silence as the vessel and its sails filled an ever-larger portion of their field of view. Stasz had programmed their jump to perfection, with just enough residual velocity so they could safely close in.
Ian suddenly realized he was trembling. He wasn't sure if it was from fear, anticipation, or, most likely, a healthy mixture of both.
"I know how you feel, my dear friend," Richard said, patting him on the shoulder. "The first night of my mar riage to Ethel, I was trembling just like you."
"And she was most likely trembling with disgust until she finally got that divorce," Ellen whispered sotto voce.
It broke the tension enough that all of them could laugh for a minute.
As they watched, the double ring came closer into view, so that its central support shaft could soon be made out in the faint glow of deep space starlight.
"Have you set the radio for the frequencies I suggested?" Ian asked.
"The signal will pulse out on all frequencies you mentioned, along with several I think might be worth looking into."
Ian
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