“It sounds as if I may be entering an unpleasant situation,” Nicole said. “Are there other things that I need to know before we arrive?”
“Not really,” the Eagle said. “We now have everything
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under control. I’m certain your colleagues will share with you the most important details from their experiences. Besides, the current situation is only temporary, and this phase is almost over.”
“At first,” Dr. Blue said, “all the survivors from Rama were scattered throughout the starfish. In each ray there were some humans, some octospiders, and a few of our support animals that were permitted to survive because of their critical role in our social structure. That was all changed a few months later, primarily because of the continued aggressive hostility of the humans. Now die living quarters for each species are concentrated in a single region.”
“Segregation,” Nicole said ruefully. “It is one of the defining characteristics of my species.”
“Interspecies interaction occurs now only in the cafeteria and other common rooms in the center of the starfish,” said the Eagle. “More than half the humans, however, never leave their ray except to eat, and they studiously avoid interaction even then. From our point of view, human beings are astonishingly xenophobic. There are not many examples in our data base of spacefarers who are as sociologically backward as your species.”
The shuttle turned in a new direction and again the magnificent tetrahedron filled their view. They were much closer now. Many individual light sources could be resolved, both inside the spheres and in the long, slender transportation lines that connected them. Nicole gazed at the beauty in front of her and sighed heavily. The conversation with Dr. Blue and the Eagle had depressed her. Maybe Richard was right, Nicole thought to herself. Maybe humanity cannot be changed unless its entire memory is wiped clean and we begin anew, in afresh environment, with an upgraded operating system.
Nicole’s stomach was churning as the shuttle approached the starfish. She told herself not to worry about silly things, but she nevertheless felt uncomfortable about her appearance. Nicole looked in the mirror as she touched up her
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makeup. She was not able to mitigate her anxiety. / am old, she thought. The children will think I’m ugly.
The starfish was not nearly as large as Rama had been. It was easy for Nicole to understand why it was so crowded inside. The Eagle had explained to her that the intercession had been a contingency plan and that Rama had arrived at the Node, as a result, several years earlier than originally scheduled. This particular starfish, an obsolete spacecraft that had somehow been spared the recycling process, had been remodeled into a temporary hotel to house the occupants of Rama until they could be moved elsewhere.
“We have given strict orders,” the Eagle said, “that your entry should be as smooth as possible. We don’t want your system taxed any more than necessary. Big Block and his army have cleared the halls and common areas leading from the shuttle station to your room.”
“So you will not be going with me?” Nicole asked the Eagle.
“No,” he replied. “I have work to do over at the Node.”
“I will accompany you through the observation deck, as far as the entrance to the,human ray,” Dr. Blue said. “Then you will be on your own. Luckily your quarters are not far from the ray entrance.”
The Eagle remained in the shuttle while Nicole and Dr. Blue disembarked. The alien birdman waved good-bye to them as they entered die air lock. When, a few minutes later, they moved into a large dressing room on the other side of the air lock, Nicole and Dr. Blue were greeted by the robot known as Big Block.
“Welcome, Nicole des Jardins Wakefield,” the giant robot said. “We are glad that you have finally arrived. Please put your space suit on the bench to your right.”
Big Block, who was just under three meters tall, almost two meters wide, and constructed of rectangular blocks similar to those played with by human children, looked exactly like the robot that had supervised the engineering tests Nicole and her family had undergone at the Node near Sirius years earlier, before their return to the solar system. The robot hovered over Nicole and the smaller octospider.
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“Although I am certain,” Big Block said in his mechanical voice, “that you will not cause any problems, I want to remind you that all commands given by me or one of the similar, smaller robots are to be followed without hesitation. It is our purpose to keep order in this spaceship. Now follow me, please.”
Big Block turned around, pivoting on the joints in its midsection, and rolled forward on its single cylindrical foot. “This large room is called the observation deck,” the robot said. “Ordinarily it is the most popular of our common rooms. We have emptied it temporarily tonight to make it easier for you to reach your living quarters.”
Dr. Blue and Nicole stopped for a minute in front of the huge window facing the Node. The view was indeed spectacular, but Nicole could not focus her attention on the beauty and order of the superb extraterrestrial architecture. She was anxious to see her family and friends.
Big Block remained on the observation deck while Nicole and her octospider companion walked along the wide hallway that encircled the spacecraft. Dr. Blue explained to Nicole how to locate and identify the places where the small trams stopped. The octospider also informed Nicole that the humans were in the third ray, moving in either direction from the shuttle station, with the octospi-ders in the two rays immediately clockwise from the station. ‘The fourth and fifth rays,” Dr. Blue said in color, “are designed differently. All the other creatures live there, as well as those humans and octospiders who have been placed under guard.”
“Is Galileo, then, in some kind of prison?” Nicole asked.
“Not exactly,” Dr. Blue replied. “There are just many more of the smaller block robots in that part of the starfish.”
They stepped off the tram together after traveling halfway around the starfish. When they reached the entrance to the human ray, Dr. Blue held the monitoring device in front of Nicole and read the output colors on the screen. Based on the initial data that she saw, the octospider used the cilia underneath one of her tentacles to request more ^information.
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“Is something wrong?” Nicole asked.
“Your heart has undergone a few palpitations in the last hour,” Dr. Blue said. “I just wanted to check the amplitude and frequency of the irregularities.”
“I’m very excited,” Nicole said. “It’s normal in humans for excitement to cause—”
“I know,” Dr. Blue said, “but the Eagle instructed me to be very careful.” There were no colors on the octospider’s head for several seconds while Dr. Blue studied the data on her screen. “I guess it’s all right,” she said finally, “but if you experience the slightest chest pain or surprising shortness of breath, do not hesitate to push the emergency button in your room.”
Nicole gave Dr. Blue a hug. “Thank you very much,” she said. “You have been wonderful.”
“It has been my pleasure,” Dr. Blue said. “I hope everything goes all right. Your room is number forty-one, down that hallway, about the twentieth door on the left. The tram stops every five rooms.”
Nicole took a deep breath and turned around. The smaller tram was waiting for her. She shuffled toward it, sliding her feet on the floor, and boarded after a farewell wave to Dr. Blue. A minute or two later Nicole was standing in front of an ordinary door with the number forty-one painted on it.
She knocked. The door opened immediately and five smiling faces greeted her. “Welcome to the Grand Hotel,” said Max, with a wide grin and his arms open wide. “Come in and give an Arkansas farm boy a hug.”
Nicole felt a hand on hers as soon as she stepped into the room. “Hello, Mother,” Ellie said. Nicole turned and looked at her youngest daughter. Ellie was graying at the temples, but her eyes were as clear and sparkling as ever.
“Hello, Ellie,” Nicole said, breaking into tears. They would not be the last tears she would shed during the several hours of the reunion.
T:
heir room was a square, approximately seven meters on a side. Along the back wall was an enclosed bathroom, with a washbasin, a shower, and a toilet. Next to the bathroom was a large open closet that contained all their clothes and other belongings. At bedtime the sleeping mats, which were rolled up each day, were removed from the closet and placed upon the floor.
The first night Nicole slept between Ellie and Nikki, with Max, Eponine, and Marius on the other side of the room beside the table and six chairs that were the only furniture in their living quarters. Nicole had been so exhausted that she had fallen asleep even before the lights had been switched off and everyone else had finished preparing for bed. After sleeping for about five hours, Nicole had awakened abruptly, temporarily uncertain where she was.