Padeyes were spaced about twenty feet apart all over the skin of the ship. They had been intended for convenience in rigging during overhauls and to facilitate outside inspections while underway; the twins now used them to park bicycles. They removed the bicycles from the hold half a dozen at a time, strung on a wire loop like a catch of fish. They fastened each clutch of bikes to a padeye; the machines floated loosely out from the side like boats tied up to an ocean ship.
Stringing the clusters of bicycles shortly took them over the ‘horizon’ to the day side of the ship. Pollux was in front carrying six bicycles in his left hand. He stopped suddenly. ‘Hey, Grandpa! Get a load of this!’
‘Don’t look at the Sun,’ Castor said sharply.
‘Don’t be silly. But come see this.’
Earth and Moon swam in the middle distance in slender crescent phase. The Stone was slowly dropping behind Earth in her orbit, even more slowly drifting outward away from the Sun. For many weeks yet Earth would appear as a ball, a disc, before distance cut her down to a brilliant star. Now she appeared about as large as she had from Luna but she was attended by Luna herself. Her day side was green and dun and lavished with cottony clouds; her night side showed the jewels of cities.
But the boys were paying no attention to the Earth; they were looking at the Moon. Pollux sighed. ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’
‘What’s the matter, Junior? Homesick?’
‘No. But she’s beautiful, just the same. Look, Cas, whatever ships we ever own, let’s always register them out of Luna City. Home base.’
‘Suits. Can you make out the burg?’
‘I think so.’
‘Probably just a spot on your helmet. I can’t. Let’s get back to work.’
They had used all the padeyes conveniently close to the hatch and were working aft when Pollux said, ‘Wups! Take it easy. Dad said not to go aft of frame 65.’
‘Shucks, it must be “cool” back to 90, at least. We’ve used the jet less than five minutes.’
‘Don’t be too sure; neutrons are slippery customers. And you know what a stickler Dad is, anyway.’
‘He certainly is,’ said a third voice.
They did not jump out of their boots because they were zipped tight. Instead they turned around and saw their father standing, hands on hips, near the passenger airlock. Pollux gulped and said, ‘Howdy, Dad.’
‘You sure gave us a start,’ Castor added sheepishly.
‘Sorry. But don’t let me disturb you; I just came out to enjoy the view.’ He looked over their work. ‘You’ve certainly got my ship looking like a junkyard.’
‘Well, we had to have room to work. Anyhow, who’s to see?’
‘In this location you have the Almighty staring down the back of your neck. But I don’t suppose He’ll mind.’
‘Say, Dad, Pol and I sort of guessed that you wouldn’t want us to do any welding inside the hold?’
‘You sort of guessed correctly — not after what happened in the Kong Christian.’
‘So we figured we could jury-rig a rack for welding out here. Okay?’
‘Okay. But it’s too nice a day to talk business.’ He raised his open hands to the stars and looked out. ‘Swell place. Lots of elbow room. Good scenery.’
‘That’s the truth; But come around to the Sun side if you want to see something.’
‘Right. Here, help me shift my lines.’ They walked around the hull and into the sunlight. Captain Stone, Earth born, looked first at the mother planet. ‘Looks like a big storm is working up around the Philippines.’
Neither of the twins answered; weather was largely a mystery to them, nor did they approve of weather. Presently he turned to them and said softly, ‘I’m glad we came, boys. Are you?’
‘Oh, you bet!’ ‘Sure!’ They had forgotten how cold and unfriendly the black depths around them had seemed only a short time before. Now it was an enormous room, furnished in splendor, though not yet fully inhabited. It was their own room, to live in, to do with as they liked.
They stood there for quite a long time, enjoying it At last Captain Stone said, ‘I’ve had all the sun I can stand for a while. Let’s work around back into the shade.’ He shook his head to dislodge a drop of sweat from his nose.