Read Online Saturn Rukh by Robert L. Forward - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robert L. Forward
Tags: Science-Fiction, made by MadMaxAU
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rest....”
Petra released Petru so Petro could take control of the giant body they shared. She crawled under the restraint feathers over her resting notch, and compressing her neck, nestled her head into its protective niche in Petra’s prow. Grasping the restraining feathers on each side of her with the myriad of claws along her neck, she closed her eye and went to sleep, oblivious to the talk of the flock nearby, to dream of meeting strange new creatures on strange new worlds.
~ * ~
2
CLIMBING DOWN THE RINGS
“Good morning!”
The voice of Jeeves echoed loudly in the habitats. “Please awaken and lower your foot platforms. Rotational acceleration will commence in five minutes.”
Pete groaned, and with his eyes still firmly shut, pulled his legs out from under the leg restraint band. Tucking his toes under the sides of the bed, he lifted the bottom quarter of the bed up on its hinge until the square panel was blocking the bottom end of the habitat. He then drifted back into sleep, to be awakened again when he felt his body slipping down the bed and his feet contacted the “floor” of his now “vertical” habitat. The first half hour of each day was spent spinning at six rpm, which produced a quarter of a gee in the habitats and a tenth of a gee in the toilets. Pete, eyes still closed, stood up on the panel and took off his pajamas. Pulling open the second of the cushioned panels on his now-vertical bed, he felt inside for a roll of clothing, and pulling it out, filled the hole left with the pajamas. In a series of motions that had become almost an unconscious habit, he donned his underwear, jumpsuit, and capsule socks with their sticky-patch bottoms. Back braced against the now vertically oriented “ceiling” of the habitat tube, and sock bottoms gripping the fabric of the cushioned bed, he chimneyed himself up to the top of the habitat tube, the downward pull getting noticeably weaker as he did so. By the time he had lifted the hatch, opened his eyes, and pushed his way into the near free fall of the control deck, he was wide awake.
After more than three months of living in close quarters with each other, the six members of the crew of Sexdent had developed a series of patterned behaviors that minimized the conflict of the crew, especially during the early morning. Pete, who hated to get up, was always the last one out of the habitats. He looked around at the hatchdoors. Rod’s and Sandra’s were closed. They were always the first ones up and had already been to the toilets in their nightwear and were back in their habitats getting dressed. As Pete started to crawl down the wall to the facilities deck, Seichi and Chastity crawled up the-wall above him, Seichi in his kimono, and Chastity in her pale blue nightgown with the elastic ankle band. Pete knew that Doc would be in the “gentlemen’s” toilet, which was confirmed by the green light on the “ladies’ “ toilet, so, as he had done practically every day in the past year, he opened the door to the ladies’ and dropped in. He took a quick look at his wrist computer. He’d better hurry. Jeeves would be increasing the capsule rotation shortly.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was back in their habitats, removing their exercise equipment from the cavity that had been exposed when the bottom panel on their bed had been lowered to make the floor of their habitat. Dual-purpose pieces of equipment, which in real life were spare parts for the life support systems, were called into play as “steps” and “weights” for their daily high-gee exercises. When Jeeves was sure that all were in their habitats and ready, the differential motor around the rotational joint that connected the crew capsule to the fuel module was energized again, and the rotation increased from six rpm to seventeen rpm. A chorus of groans arose from the open habitat hatches and mingled together on the control deck as the gee level
Petra released Petru so Petro could take control of the giant body they shared. She crawled under the restraint feathers over her resting notch, and compressing her neck, nestled her head into its protective niche in Petra’s prow. Grasping the restraining feathers on each side of her with the myriad of claws along her neck, she closed her eye and went to sleep, oblivious to the talk of the flock nearby, to dream of meeting strange new creatures on strange new worlds.
~ * ~
2
CLIMBING DOWN THE RINGS
“Good morning!”
The voice of Jeeves echoed loudly in the habitats. “Please awaken and lower your foot platforms. Rotational acceleration will commence in five minutes.”
Pete groaned, and with his eyes still firmly shut, pulled his legs out from under the leg restraint band. Tucking his toes under the sides of the bed, he lifted the bottom quarter of the bed up on its hinge until the square panel was blocking the bottom end of the habitat. He then drifted back into sleep, to be awakened again when he felt his body slipping down the bed and his feet contacted the “floor” of his now “vertical” habitat. The first half hour of each day was spent spinning at six rpm, which produced a quarter of a gee in the habitats and a tenth of a gee in the toilets. Pete, eyes still closed, stood up on the panel and took off his pajamas. Pulling open the second of the cushioned panels on his now-vertical bed, he felt inside for a roll of clothing, and pulling it out, filled the hole left with the pajamas. In a series of motions that had become almost an unconscious habit, he donned his underwear, jumpsuit, and capsule socks with their sticky-patch bottoms. Back braced against the now vertically oriented “ceiling” of the habitat tube, and sock bottoms gripping the fabric of the cushioned bed, he chimneyed himself up to the top of the habitat tube, the downward pull getting noticeably weaker as he did so. By the time he had lifted the hatch, opened his eyes, and pushed his way into the near free fall of the control deck, he was wide awake.
After more than three months of living in close quarters with each other, the six members of the crew of Sexdent had developed a series of patterned behaviors that minimized the conflict of the crew, especially during the early morning. Pete, who hated to get up, was always the last one out of the habitats. He looked around at the hatchdoors. Rod’s and Sandra’s were closed. They were always the first ones up and had already been to the toilets in their nightwear and were back in their habitats getting dressed. As Pete started to crawl down the wall to the facilities deck, Seichi and Chastity crawled up the-wall above him, Seichi in his kimono, and Chastity in her pale blue nightgown with the elastic ankle band. Pete knew that Doc would be in the “gentlemen’s” toilet, which was confirmed by the green light on the “ladies’ “ toilet, so, as he had done practically every day in the past year, he opened the door to the ladies’ and dropped in. He took a quick look at his wrist computer. He’d better hurry. Jeeves would be increasing the capsule rotation shortly.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was back in their habitats, removing their exercise equipment from the cavity that had been exposed when the bottom panel on their bed had been lowered to make the floor of their habitat. Dual-purpose pieces of equipment, which in real life were spare parts for the life support systems, were called into play as “steps” and “weights” for their daily high-gee exercises. When Jeeves was sure that all were in their habitats and ready, the differential motor around the rotational joint that connected the crew capsule to the fuel module was energized again, and the rotation increased from six rpm to seventeen rpm. A chorus of groans arose from the open habitat hatches and mingled together on the control deck as the gee level
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