The last few meters are the worst. You can’t see over the curve of the ship’s hull, and the steering jets make a constant stutter of little bumps: left, right, forward back. If the shuttle folded, would the dome shatter or just pop off?
It was all controlled by computers, of course. The pilot just sat up there in a mist of weightless sweat.
Then the low moan, almost subsonic shuddering as the shuttle’s smooth hull complained against the friction pads. Charlie waited for the ringing spang that would mean they were a little too fast: friable alloy plates, under the friction pads, crumbling to absorb the energy of their forward motion; last ditch stand.
If that didn’t stop them, they would hit a two-meter wall of solid steel, which would. It had happened once. But not this time.
“Please remain seated until pressure is equalized,” a recorded voice said. “It’s been a pleasure having you aboard.”
Charlie crawled down the pole, back to the passenger area. He walked rip, rip, rip back to his seat and obediently waited for his ears to pop. Then the side door opened and he went with the other passengers through the tube that led to the elevator. They stood on the ceiling. Someone had laboriously scratched a graffito on the metal wall:
Stuck on this lift for hours, perforce: This lift that cost a million bucks. There’s no such thing as centrifugal force: L-5 sucks.
Thirty more weightless seconds as they slid to the ground. There were a couple of dozen people waiting on the loading platform.
Charlie stepped out into the smell of orange blossoms and newly mown grass. He was home.
“Charlie! Hey, over here.” Young man standing by a tandem bicycle. Charlie squeezed both his hands and then jumped on the back seat. “Drink.”
“Did you get-”
“Drink. Then talk.” They glided down the smooth macadam road toward town.
The bar was just a rain canopy over some tables and chairs, overlooking the lake in the center of town. No bartender: you went to the service table and punched in your credit number, then chose wine or fruit juice; with or without vacuum-distilled raw alcohol. They talked about shuttle nerves awhile, then:
“What you get from Connors?”
“Words, not much. I’ll give a full report at the meeting tonight. Looks like we won’t even get on the ballot, though.”
“Now isn’t that what we said was going to happen? We shoulda gone with Francois Petain’s idea.”
“Too risky.” Petain’s plan had been to tell Death Valley they had to shut down the laser for repairs. Not tell the groundhogs about the signal at all, just answer it. “If they found out they’d sue us down to our teeth.”
The man shook his head. “I’ll never understand groundhogs.”
“Not your job.” Charlie was an Earth-born, Earth trained psychologist. “Nobody born here ever could.”
“Maybe so.” He stood up. “Thanks for the drink; I’ve gotta get back to work. You know to call Dr. Bemis before the meeting?”
“Yeah. There was a message at the Cape.”
“She has a surprise for you.”
“Doesn’t she always? You clowns never do anything around here until I leave.”
All Abigail Bemis would say over the phone was that Charlie should come to her place for dinner; she’d prep him for the meeting.
“That was good, Ab. Can’t afford real food on Earth.”
She laughed and stacked the plates in the cleaner, then drew two cups of coffee. She laughed again when she sat down. Stocky, white-haired woman with bright
eyes in a sea of wrinkles.
“You’re in a jolly mood tonight.” _
“Yep. It’s expectation.”
“Johnny said you had a surprise.”
“Hooboy, he doesn’t know half. So you didn’t get anywhere with the Senator.”
“No. Even less than I expected. What’s the secret?”
“Connors is a nice-hearted boy. He’s done a lot for us.
“Come on, Ab. What is it?”
“He’s right. Shut off the groundhogs’ TV for twenty minutes and they’d have another Revolution on their hands.”
“Ab . . .”
“We’re going to send the message.”
“Sure. I figured we would. Using Farside at whatever wattage we’ve got. If we’re lucky-”
“Nope. Not enough power.”