Eric Flint - Slow Train to Arcturus

Howard grinned at him. "There is another answer. I believe, from what Amber was telling me-that we have five months until the final habitat is launched, to rehabilitate it. We'll send you and Abret home in it."

The two Miran looked at him, uncomprehending.

"This is a spacecraft too." Howard pointed to the bulk of the habitat below them. "It's programmed to reach your system. When one door closes another opens. Knock and it shall be opened unto you."

Kretz looked at Abret. Abret looked back at Kretz. "I think he means we have to repair the airlock," said Abret, slowly. "One door closes there before another opens. Humans have odd ways of saying things, but you get quite used to them."

Lani shook her head. "You and the uThani. Now, lets get this tub moving. To Icarus, I think. I thought it was all over but I think that now we need to consult Amber and her girlfriend and the clever box of tricks."

"Like it or not, a part of the payload of each habitat must be habitat building equipment. To some of you this is a dumping exercise. To others it is a research experiment in sociodynamics. But to the vast majority of the electorate it will become our outreach. Their dream-by-proxy. The feedback will stop it being forgotten. Sabotage it and history will not be forgiving."

–

Frank Darcy, Representative, Irish subregion, in the Slowtrain Funding Debate in the Lower House of SysGov.

"The first thing we need to establish is if we can synthesize enough male hormones to keep you guys from super-PMS," said Amber. "Holy Susan, that's a frightening thought. Food-well, at worst you can make do on the synthesized auto-cannibal's diet and some human sources of starches, fats and sugars. Although, I'd like to examine whatever rations there are in the lifecraft and see if we can manage synthesis."

Then she looked at the Icarus people. "Second, the question as to whether the final habitat can be made habitable, or not, needs to be investigated."

"It ought to be," said Zoe. "But whether we have the expendable resources or not is another question. Still, I can promise you that every flight cooperative will have engineers queuing to go and look. It's what we plan to be doing, when we get to Signy. This is a chance to practice. Might not do any harm to involve other habitats, if it is practical. Good training opportunity."

"We can take your engineers," said the bemused looking Abret.

"Do you have enough fuel for lots of these little hops?"

"Several thousand of them, I would estimate."

"Good," said Zoe. "Because I believe that we've got some protein-vat parts for Diana, that need delivering, as well as a blasted uThani with half our stock in spare iron, in the shape of arrow-heads and machetes. We need to get him out of here before we go broke."

"And I need to go back to New Eden. There are some things that need to be corrected," said Howard. "It is time that they came to terms with the Universe outside of New Eden. I need to arrange for settling space for Ji and his family."

"Well, give me a few minutes to make some calls," said Zoe. "It's actually a good thing this. The fault lines between the flight cooperatives had become pretty sharp. Now, suddenly, they're pulling together, when faced with real problems and challenges."

A few minutes later she returned, smiling from ear-to-ear. "You have caused more fun than the annual flight-acrobatics competition. Can you transport five of the best in a few minutes? Ji and the uThani will just have to wait, apparently."

Amber sighed. "I'd better go too. If there is a computer net still working… If there is any air in there… well, the guys in that habitat sound like a bunch of murderers at best. It'd be wise to see if we can detect them rather than getting killed by them."

It was several hours before they returned. Beaming. Especially Amber.

"We can send them home. First…"

She looked at Howard. "I know you were upset about the idea that the Miran might have blown that airlock. It appears that the guilty party were the geniuses inside the habitat. I was able to hook up to the datanet and habitat brain and find out just what happened. They've apparently been making their own weaponry and ammunition and explosives for centuries. They packed the airlock-solid, just about-with high explosive. Set a timer and blew open what they thought was the route to the aliens. The habitat had explosive decompression of about sixty percent of the air pressure before an emergency shutter could be put in place by the surviving repair-'bots." She pulled a grim face. "There is pretty little left alive. No people at all. According to the habitat brain they were down to about a thousand anyway, and had long gone to cannibalism. Real cannibalism. The environment was poisoned, damaged and dying. The macro-'bots were mostly destroyed in the fighting, that's why the repairs took so long.

"Anyway… the other news is that the habitat brain has reordered from its allocation in the tender. Atmosphere is being replenished. The 'bots have an inner door to the airlock in place. We're hoping to place an outer one, fabricated from colonist stock in the last bead. With some work, Abret and Kretz will be going home."

Howard hugged her. That didn't seem very hard now.

The two aliens stood smiling, too.

"We have something to suggest," said Abret tentatively.

"It's a very large habitat," said Kretz.

"And very empty, for two of us," said Abret. "We wondered… Miran do not occupy space well. We have discovered humans-the right humans-are a species we wish to be friends with. Our world… is our world. We do not think humans would enjoy it much. Even the cooler regions are warmer than you would find comfortable. But we would welcome you in our space. Well. We would welcome some humans-such as our friends here. If you wished for a place of your own: There is Miran's sun's companion. It has a gaseous world you might be able to use as a fliers' haven. There are some rocky planetoids…"

He trailed off.

Kretz turned to Howard and Lani. "You once said you dreamed of a world of your own, you two. Would you come with us? We would leave you a world of your own?"

"The habitat belonged to your species. You have a claim to it," said Abret.

Howard looked at Lani. She looked back at him.

"It's not genetically practicable," said Amber. "Not two of you."

"Oh. I think we can recruit a few other sets of genes," said Lani cheerfully. "If that is okay with the Miran, that is. I quite fancy the companion star. We wouldn't be quite in each other's sandwiches. But we'd be close enough."

"What are sandwiches…?"

"Details. Along with the many other details, I will explain them to you. Howard will probably show you with pieces of dead parrot and bread."

Sister Thirsdaughter often found some reason to walk down to the airlock, through Howard Dansson's lands. In another month, the council might just accede to brother Galsson's pointed suggestions that the area be reallocated. It was a shame, really. Howard had been a nice boy, and a good husbandman. She was surprised at how many young men-and women-had troubled her for the story. They regarded the poor boy as something of a hero, it seemed.

She was too old for the shock of seeing him standing on the path looking at the wilderness that his tomatoes had become. He, and the young woman with him, had to catch her as she fell.

She sat there, looking at them holding hands. Howard certainly had found some courage out there, as well as a rather striking-looking girl. He, and she, shone with happiness and almost crackled with an energy of purpose. The Howard who had left here had not known what to do with his life. This Howard seemed to have found out.

"Well," she said. "Did you get Brother Kretz back to his people?"