Rojer could feel the Callisto generators picking up revolutions.
He suppressed the slight nervousness he felt at performing the `port in the presence of both grandparents but if he was able, he was able. And he’d do it. He did: the Heinlein Base vivid in his mind’s eye.
Though, of course, he did not land in the base: he set their carrier down in the orbiting platform that was held a hundred metres above. The platform looked like a quick assembly job and Rojer remembered to check the small panel of the carrier that monitored exterior conditions. There was plenty of air and the clatter of nailed boots on metal flooring as someone rushed to check on them.
Talents Afra and Rojer Lyon as expected, his father both thought and said.
`Yes, sir, right on!’ was the shouted acknowledgement. `I’ll just open the hatch for you. Ladder’s in place.’ They heard the scraping and the hatch opened.
Nice of you two to come, said a second voice laughingly and Rojer recognized him as his cousin, Roddie Eagle.
His father gave him a stern look and Rojer made a grimace back, then smoothed his features. Roddie was welcome to guard duty if that’s all he was good for.
Enough of that! his father said on the very tightest beam.
Rojer rose, handing his `Dinis out first so that he’d be – sure not to `leak’ his true feelings at encountering Roddie here. When he finally did make eye contact, he was rather surprised to see that scrawny, pimple-faced Roddie was a clean-shaven, fresh-faced young man of about his height, neatly dressed in an Alliance uniform and wearing the bars of a first marine lieutenant.
`I guess you all hadn’t heard,’ Roddie said, smiling a welcome.
`You’ve been away the past week. I can’t say I like being constantly stingpzzted all the time – not at the level that Queen is projecting but it’s the place to meet everyone!’ And he laughed. GOOD DREAMS, GRL, KTG. RDI SHARED YOUR DREAMS BUT NO PIECES. `Real glad you succeeded, Roj. And boy, your placement of that pod was smack on the X-mark. Good `portation! Got a bad case of family pride, I can tell you.’ Rojer was coping with the new improved Rhodri Eagle, so unlike his disagreeable adolescent self.
`We’ve breakfast laid on, Uncle Afra, Roj, if you’re hungry.’ `Thank you, Rhodri, Afra said with a nod, `but I don’t think either of us could handle a third breakfast this morning.’ Roddie grinned affably. `Yes, that’s one disadvantage to `portation. You meet yourself coming and going, so to speak. This way. Getting here before breakfast-‘ And Roddie chuckled. His humour, Rojer decided, had not altered all that much: still heavy-handed. `-you’ve avoided the crowds. And -we’ve had them. Thank you, Sergeant,’ he said to the man guarding the entrance to the main section of the platform. `They tell me we’ll have more permanent quarters shortly. These are stripped down basic but they suffice.’ Roddie led them down the corridor and Rojer noticed that all his baby fat had been converted to a trim muscular shape. He was however, a finger or two taller and that pleased ůhim.
`I’ll take you right away to the main viewer ůroom. It’s got full screens of the base. She won’t be able to move anywhere without observation.
That is, if she ever comes out!’ ů`She’s still alive?’ Rojer asked.
ů`Oh yes. We’ve sensors on the hull, you know, ůand sounds are being picked up all the time. What she’s doing with all those scratching and stroking noises we can’t gather. Nothing we have will penetrate the hull. We did detect that she must have sampled the atmosphere. But that happened at the end of the first day. Here we are!’ The large room they entered had a plasglas viewplate from floor to ceiling directly aligned with the escape pod, i hundred metres below, but optically the gloss was altered to produce a tri-d effect that made the observer feel he was no more than a few feet from the pod. Screens gave other views and an auxiliary tier of smaller screens would be activated when the Queen exited the pod and began using the buildings.