Analog Science Fiction and Fact - September 2013
Author: WorldMags
Date: 2000-01-01 05:00:00+00:00

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Vol. CXXXIII No. 9

Next Issue on Sale

September 2013

July 16, 2013

7

61

NOVELLA

MURDER ON THE ALDRIN EXPRESS, Martin L. Shoemaker _______________ 76

NOVELETTES

THE WHALE GOD, Alec Nevala-Lee ____________________________________ 7

THE ORACLE, Lavie Tidhar __________________________________________35

SHORT STORIES

FULL FATHOM FIVE, Joe Pitkin _______________________________________ 27

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR PLUS SEVENTY, Kenneth Schneyer ________________ 52

CREATURES FROM A BLUE LAGOON, Liz J. Andersen ___________________ 61

PROBABILITY ZERO

WRECK SUPPORT, Arlan Andrews, Sr. _________________________________ 47

SCIENCE FACT

THE EVAPORATION OF WORLDS, Kevin Walsh__________________________ 21

SPECIAL FEATURE

FROM IDEA TO STORY (OR WHY

“HIGH CONCEPT” IS ONLY THE BEGINNING), Richard A. Lovett__________70

READER’S DEPARTMENTS

EDITORIAL: THE BLAME GAME, PART II, Trevor Quachri ___________________ 2

IN TIMES TO COME ________________________________________________26

THE ALTERNATE VIEW, Jeffery D. Kooistra _____________________________ 49

THE REFERENCE LIBRARY, Don Sakers______________________________ 101

BRASS TACKS ___________________________________________________ 105

UPCOMING EVENTS, Anthony Lewis _________________________________108

Trevor Quachri Editor

Emily Hockaday Editorial Assistant

Cover design by Victoria Green

Cover Art by Bob Eggelton

Indicia on Page 3

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EDITORIAL Trevor Quachri

THE BLAME GAME: PART II

[Editor’s note: In the first part of this edito-ticular) for increasing the juvenile crime rate.

rial (September 2013), I supplied a bit of re-Iconic figures like Batman and Wonder
search on the state of violent video games. In Woman allegedly served to indoctrinate chil-this final installment, I’m going to address
dren into homosexuality and lesbianism.2
why it’s a matter we should take seriously as Even such wholesome entertainers by to-science fiction readers.]

day’s standards as Elvis Presley were seen as
deeply corrupting. The authorities feared Elvis
ast time, I suggested looking at the histo-
was capable of inducing such “perversion” in
ry of emerging media to give us an idea
teens that he was considered a legitimate dan-
of why video games are such popular tar-
ger to the security of the United States.3 (Frank Lgets for politicians.

Sinatra said Elvis’s music “fosters almost totally Blaming games for violent crime isn’t a par-negative and destructive reactions in young
ticularly new phenomenon: Such respectable
people.”)4
organizations as the National Safety Council

In the ’20s, jazz was thought to be so moral-
were calling video games “sick and morbid”

ly contaminating that composer “Jelly Roll”

back in 1976, when all the graphical realism

Morton’s grandmother told him he “had dis-
the era could muster were blocky white stick
graced the family and forbade [him] to live in
figures on a black background, only a step re-
the house . . . She told [him] that devil music
moved from Pong. (That was in reference to would surely bring about [his] downfall . . .”5

Death Race, by the way, based on the 1975

Prior to that, it’s the Penny Dreadfuls that
movie of the same name, starring Sylvester
were a dire threat to orderly society . . . at least Stallone and David Carradine.)1
until movies were invented. “The days when

We also saw heavy metal and Dungeons &
the police looked upon dime novels as the

Dragons accused of encouraging suicide,
most dangerous of textbooks in the school for
drug use, and Satanism in the ’70s and ’80s.

crime are drawing to a close. . . . They say that Before that, comic books and rock & roll were the moving picture machine . . . tends even
under fire during the mid-’50s. Crusading psy-
more than did the dime novel to turn the
chiatrist Frederic Wertham famously wrote Se-
thoughts of the easily inf luenced to paths
duction of the Innocent and testified before which sometimes lead to prison.” And that’s
the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delin-
from “Moving Pictures as Helps to Crime,”

quency, where he blamed the horror and

New York Times, February 21, 1909!6
crime comics of the time (EC Comics in par-

To really drive the point home, even opera 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Race_(video_game)

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Wertham#Seduction_of_the_Innocent_and_Senate_hear
ings

3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Elvis_Presley#Opposition

4 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6937441.stm

5 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/jazz.html

6 www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf, quoting a brief for Cato Institute.

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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was viewed as corrupting in its era. All the
average gamer is 30 years old, according to
murder and sex in opera plots were seen as
the most recent data.7 (Just last year, the age of scandalous and apt to promote secularism,
the average gamer was 37; the precipitous
leading the Church under Pope Clement XI to
drop since then can be attributed to an influx
ban public performances of it in the early eigh-
of simple games on smart phones and tablets,
teenth century.

and better poll-taking methodology.)

Of course, most of this is probably more

It shouldn’t be a surprise that youth-orient-
than familiar to the average science fiction
ed media are so often scapegoated. There are
reader; as fans of a form that has often been
certainly well-intentioned actors who simply
unpopular with the established authorities
misconstrue or fail to understand the subject
and tastemakers of the day, we’ve been down
matter, but there can also be more cynical mo-
this road ourselves. Science fiction was (and
tivations at work. “Protecting the children”

often still is, even if only implicitly) seen as
can be a tough position to argue against,
brain-rotting pap, lurid, and dumb: the kind of
loaded with rhetorical weight, and children,
thing adults should be ashamed to read, and
the group thought most-likely to engage with
that impressionable children should be inocu-
the demonized forms, are incapable of voting.

lated against. So the larger matter isn’t just

It can seem like shrewd political calculus,
about video games, specifically—as we can
even if the critics actually know better.

see from the above, absent any factual evi-

There’s also an irrational fear of technology
dence of demonstrable harm, they’re merely a
rearing its head. Younger people, without the
convenient framework on which to hang a
preconceived baggage of earlier generations,
particular (and recognizable) form of moral
find games just as valid and interesting as film
panic. But because science fiction as a genre
or literature. If people who didn’t necessarily
exists on the same continuum of disapproved
grow up with new media such as games don’t
forms as games, it would behoove us to not
at least attempt to remain familiar and com-
make the same mistakes others have made
fortable with them, we risk more than just
about us.

seeming like grandparents who need children

Perhaps the strongest thread shared by all
to program our VCRs (itself already an outdat-
these targets of institutional blame is the age
ed metaphor): we’re in danger of turning our-
of the consumer: the finger-pointing indicates
selves into the first viewers of The Arrival of a a real fear and mistrust of youth. Games, like

Train at La Ciotat Station,8 flinching and flee-comic books or popular music or science fic-
ing from this junction of art and technology,
tion, are seen as inherently juvenile. But in re-
our inability to process it blinding us to its
ality, reaching a younger audience is a chal-
function and value. And if that’s not science
lenge for today’s science fiction. And the fictional, I don’t know what is.

7 http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp

8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Arrivée_d%27un_train_en_gare_de_La_Ciotat Analog Science Fiction and Fact (Astounding), Vol. CXXXIII, No. 9, September 2013. ISSN 1059-2113, USPS 488-910, GST#123054108. Published month-ly except for combined January/February and July/August double issues by Dell Magazines, a division of Crosstown Publications. One-year subscription $55.90 in the United States and possessions, in all other countries $65.90 (GST included in Canada), payable in advance in U.S. funds. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within eight weeks of receipt of order. When reporting change of address allow 6 to 8 weeks and give new address as well as the old address as it appears on the last label. Periodical postage paid at Norwalk, CT and additional mailing offices. Canadian postage paid at Montreal, Quebec, Canada Post International Publications Mail, Product Sales Agreement No. 40012460. (c) 2013 by Dell Magazines, a division of Crosstown Publications, all rights reserved. Dell is a trademark registered in the U.S. Patent Office. Protection secured under the Universal Copyright Convention. Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content in any manner without express permission is prohibited. All stories in this magazine are fiction. No actual persons are designated by name or character. Any similarity is coincidental. All submissions must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope, the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

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Printed by Quad/Graphics, Taunton, MA U.S.A. (5/20/13) THE BLAME GAME: PART II

3

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ANALOG

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(Famously and perhaps apocryphally, when
are employed at game companies, writing

Ciotat Station was shown in 1896, audiences original material. Our long tradition of tie-in
were so unfamiliar with moving pictures that
novels is now better seen in game tie-ins, writ-they recoiled from the train approaching on
ten by the likes of Peter Watts, Karen Traviss,
the screen.)

John Shirley, Tobias Buckell, and Greg Bear,

We also ignore the close relationship that
than in the television and movie tie-ins of the
games and science fiction share at our peril.

past.10

Games have mined science fictional tropes

So games may just be a key component to
with varying degrees of sophistication and
the health of science fiction in the decades to
success for decades, (something I may explore
come.

in greater depth in another editorial, one day)

More abstractly, why is violent media the
and as the game industry has grown by leaps
only sort that seems to be capable of having
and bounds, many kids are first exposed to
such a detrimental effect, according to its crit-
our most famous concepts through games,
ics? If violent media makes its consumers
even before they’re ready for the more nu-
more violent, then surely other sorts of media
anced explorations the literature provides.

have comparative effects as well. Wouldn’t sit-

With almost half the best selling games in Eu-
coms full of lowbrow humor make its viewers
rope and North America in 2012 possessing
less intelligent? Wouldn’t romantic comedies
some kind of science fictional or fantastic ele-
give its viewers unrealistic relationship expec-
ment, and fully 19 out of 20 in Japan,9 it’s safe tations? Wouldn’t dramatized films “based on
to say kids are becoming familiar with science
actual events” distort the viewer’s understand-
fictional ideas, at least on a surface level, in
ing of history? Conspicuously, those allega-
greater numbers than ever before.

tions are rarely made.

Writers like Harlan Ellison have long collab-

And just who gets to set the standards of
orated with game makers on adaptations of

“violent?” One person’s “sweet science” is an-
their stories; other writers, like Ted Kosmatka,
other person’s brutal gladiatorial bout. A com-

9 http://www.computerandvideogames.com/374749/top-selling-console-games-of-2012-revealed-
for-europe-us-and-japan/

10 See this month’s “Reference Library” for a little more on this.

TREVOR QUACHRI ........................................ Editor EMILY HOCKADAY.........................

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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pelling nature documentary to one person is
way or another.

full of unwatchable gore to another. “Violent”

I won’t pretend to have the solution to the
is not an objective descriptor, so how can sub-
matter of violent crime, but looking to the
jective interpretations of media possibly
kind of entertainment someone chooses for
demonstrate an objective effect?

clues to their moral fiber is nothing more than

And that’s to say nothing of art that may
an excuse for an unearned feeling of superior-
have value not in spite of its violence, but be-ity. It’s a waste of time and resources at best,
cause of it.

and a downright cynical distraction at worst.

Of course, there are plenty of reasonable

Whatever the contributing factors to these
concerns parents might have with games, vio-
shootings, the “wrong” kind of entertainment,
lent or otherwise. Restricting content or play-
be it games, movies, music, or choice of read-
time of any sort has been a parental preroga-
ing material, isn’t one. It’s a lesson we’ve had
tive since the first hunter-gatherer told its
ample opportunity to learn many times over,
offspring to stop doing so much hunting and
and yet one we seem to forget every time
do a little more gathering. Not all games are
some new form or style develops. As technol-
for all audiences.11 Game ratings are clearly la-
ogy continues its inexorable evolution, hope-
beled on the game cases themselves, and an
fully we’ll have the sense to recognize this
attentive adult should definitely be aware of
kind of panic for what it is the next time it
them. And, of course, more research is always
rears its head. In the mean time, to keep trot-
a good idea, as long as it’s conducted profes-
ting out the same hand wringing in spite of
sionally, and not simply a matter of doing re-
everything we know is just playing games
search until we get the results we want, one
with lives.

11 Buying your children games named after a felony or a phrase meaning “a fight to the death”

should probably be a self-evidently bad idea, one hopes.

THE BLAME GAME: PART II

5

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Illustrated by Vincent DiFate

The Whale

God

Alec Nevala-Lee

One day something happened which in a
turned to his interpreter. “What did she say?”

roundabout way was enlightening. It was a

The interpreter pointed at her own head.

tiny incident in itself . . .

“She say she have beaucoup ghost problems.

—George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant”

She haunted at night.”

Exley smiled patiently, aware of the line of

I.

children and elderly villagers snaking out the
hen the trouble started, Exley was
door of the classroom. He teased out the rest
talking to an old woman about
of the woman’s symptoms, which included
ghosts. The villager seated across
headache and confusion, and after checking

Wfrom him had to be close to seventy, her blood pressure and heart rate,he wrote scrawny and brown from a lifetime of work,
out a prescription for six tablets of ergota-
but her tone of voice was quiet and, as far as
mine, which could be filled at the pharmacy
he could tell, entirely reasonable. Exley
truck outside.

7

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ANALOG

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He was giving directions through the inter-
isolated sounds of weeping, but they grew
preter when he heard a disturbance at the
hushed as he made his way through the
rear of the room. Glancing up, he saw the line
throng, the soldiers clearing the way, and f i-
waver as a message was passed from one vil-
nally saw what was there.

lager to another, and as he watched, the

A whale lay beached on the shore, resting
crowd broke up and disappeared. “What’s go-
slightly on its side. It was twenty feet long,
ing on?”

gray verging on black, its belly the color of

His interpreter had been listening to the
new milk. At first, Exley thought it was dead.

murmurs without visible interest. “They go-

Then he saw its flanks rise almost impercepti-
ing to the beach. Some bad trouble.”

bly with the intake of air, a single resigned

Exley glanced at the private standing by the
breath, before falling again into heavy silence.

window, sweating in his fatigue shirt and web

“Keep them back,” Exley said to the men
gear, a few steps away from a sergeant in the
beside him. He took a step closer. When he

Vietnamese Army. He remembered that he
was a few paces away, the whale twitched its
was the ranking officer here. Rising from the
broad tail, which was crusted with fine sand.

table, he told the two soldiers to follow him,

He halted, waiting until the whale had grown
leaving the interpreter and medics at their sta-
quiet, then continued forward until he was al-
tions. As he picked up his rucksack, con-
most in its shadow.

scious of the sidearm on his hip, he felt a stab

Exley stared at it, aware all the while of the
of old fear that he had hoped he had left be-
countless pairs of eyes turned in his direction.

hind.

He didn’t know the species, but could tell

They left the schoolhouse, where a tempo-
that it was a baleen whale, its head shaped
rary clinic had been set up earlier that morn-
something like the boots he was wearing, a
ing, and emerged into the afternoon heat.

band of white daubed along the center of

Next to the pharmacy truck, a vendor in a
each flipper. Looking at its dark body, he esti-
ragged army shirt was selling ice cream from
mated that it weighed at least f ive tons. Its
the back of his bicycle. As they joined the line
pores exuded a salty stink, and beneath it, the
of villagers who were heading toward the sea,
smell of a living thing whose systems were

Exley saw the vendor climb onto his bike and
shutting down one by one.

pedal rapidly toward the excitement.

He noticed that the Vietnamese soldier was

Exley could feel the tension in the soldiers
speaking to the villagers. “What are they say-
at his side. He had arrived in the area only two
ing?”

weeks before, riding down with the Curra-

The soldier, whose name, he remembered,
hees, who had taken command of the airstrip
was Sergeant Quyen, listened to one of the
nearby. So far, the district had been relatively
f ishermen, then came closer, keeping a re-
quiet, but he knew how quickly such a situa-
spectful distance from the whale. He was a
tion could explode, especially on a day like
slender f igure in tiger fatigues, with bony
this, with all eyes turned to the siege a thou-
shoulders and rough hands. “It was found by
sand kilometers north at Khe Sanh.

the children. Not sure how long it was here.”

At the moment, he was in a tiny fishing set-

Exley looked toward the edge of the water,
tlement, just south of Phan Thiet, that con-
which was well over sixty feet away. He didn’t
sisted of little more than a dirt road lined with know the schedule of the tides in this area,
cottages and a few tiled buildings. As they
but suspected that high tide would have been
neared the water, he saw that the villagers
shortly before noon, which meant that the
were heading toward a part of the beach at
whale had been here for hours. Feeling the
some distance from where their sampans
sun beating down on the back of his neck, he
were berthed, shielded from the rest of the
realized that the crowd was waiting to see
hamlet by the bluffs.

what he would do.

He descended a narrow trail to the white

He had encountered something like this be-
sand, the orange dust clinging to his boots. A
fore. Years ago, a baby sperm whale had
crowd had gathered by the waterline, looking
washed up on the beach in San Diego, not far
at something on the ground. Even from here,
from where he had gone to college, where it
he could hear their voices, mingled with the
had lain for most of the morning before being

8

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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discovered. A rescue team had arrived at
halted at a short remove from the whale.

once, along with local news crews and volun-

“What are we doing here, captain?”

teers, but the whale had died before anything

“We’re going to roll him over.” Exley rose,
could be done. He still recalled how quickly
handing the entrenching tool back to the pri-
the carrion birds had appeared, circling in a
vate, and turned to Quyen, who was standing
cone visible for miles.

nearby. “Tell some of those men to go around

Remembering this now, he heard himself is-
to the other side.”

suing orders. “We need to keep him wet. Tell

Quyen motioned for the villagers to come
them to bring sheets. Cover him up and soak
closer. Once a group had been organized, Ex-
them.”

ley told them to line up along the broadest

Quyen turned to translate. As a handful of
part of the whale’s back, keeping well clear of
villagers headed for the water, with others
the tail. At his word, they pushed, their san-
racing toward the trail to the hamlet, the pri-
dals leaving thin furrows as they strained for-
vate came up to Exley, his rifle cradled in his
ward. The whale tipped slowly over, then
arms. “What’s the plan, sir?”

rolled onto its belly without a sound, ending

Exley almost said that he didn’t know, but
with its tail pointed toward the water.

instead, he turned to the whale again. “Just

Exley took a step back as the villagers be-
keep the crowd in line.”

gan to spread sheets across the whale’s body,

As the private marched back toward the vil-
soaking them with buckets carried hand over
lagers, yelling at them to keep away, Exley ap-
hand from the sea. Watching them work, he
proached the whale. Walking around to its
realized that he didn’t know what to do next.

other side, he extended a hand and put it gen-

By now, they should have already packed up
tly against the broad dark f lank. He felt the
the clinic for the return to base camp, and
whale shudder at his touch, very slightly, and
with sundown only an hour away, he had un-
that was all.

expectedly found himself at the center of a sit-

The whale’s f lesh was warm and soft. As
uation that he wasn’t sure how to resolve.

the villagers began to douse its sides with wa-

He was still weighing his next move, aware
ter, which they bore from the sea in their
that his men were awaiting further orders,
straw hats, he looked into the whale’s visible
when a voice came from over his shoulder.

eye, which was purple and rimmed with

“Take care they keep those sheets away from
white. For a second, he imagined he could
the blowholes. And watch out for the sand.”

feel the pressure on its massive body.

Exley turned. Standing behind him was a

Exley motioned to the private, who came
soldier from the engineer corps, Sergeant By-
up to him at once. The private was maybe
ers, who had joined them that morning at
eighteen or nineteen, solidly built, his hair
the last minute to check on development
still clipped to regulation length. “Give me
work in the hamlet. The sergeant inclined his
your shovel.”

head toward the whale. “What do you have

The private yanked the entrenching tool
in mind?”

from the nylon pouch at his belt and handed

Until that moment, Exley had not been
it over. Exley unfolded it and went back
aware of what he was going to say. “I’m going
around to the sand near the tail. Kneeling, he
to put him back in the water.”

began taking up damp shovelfuls, digging a

Byers only nodded and continued to study
shallow depression where the f lukes would
the whale, evidently thinking it over. In the si-
rest if it were lying f lat. As he worked, he
lence that followed, Exley thought back to
heard a click as the private pulled out his cam-
what little he knew about this man. Byers had
era and took a picture.

been in Phan Thiet for some time, a surveyor

He was finishing up when he saw a line of
in the engineers platoon that had spent the
soldiers approaching from the hamlet. At the
last year building roads and repairing bridges.

head of the group was a specialist from the in-

He had remained behind to advise on the tran-
fantry escort, followed by another private, the
sition, and although he rarely said much, he
interpreter, and the two medics from the clin-
was widely respected as a smart, practical sol-
ic. The specialist, a lanky soldier in his twen-
dier.

ties who stood a full head taller than Exley,

“Need to turn him around first,” Byers said

THE WHALE GOD

9

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ANALOG

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at last, scratching his head beneath his boonie
he had been poorly cast. As he headed toward
hat. “Can’t drag him back by the tail. It’ll force the trail, he passed Quyen, who was talking
the blowholes under and he’ll get scared,
to a fisherman at the edge of the crowd. The
maybe drown. Can’t just tie a rope around
sergeant f inished the conversation, then sig-
him, either. It’ll cut right through the skin.”

naled to Exley. “I asked about high tide. Six

Exley had listened with mounting discour-
hours from now.”

agement. Tying a rope around the tail and

“We’ll be back before then,” Exley said.

pulling the whale toward the water was the

“Don’t do anything until you hear from me.”

closest thing to a plan he’d come up with so

As the rest of the unit stayed to pack up the
far. “Any ideas?”

clinic, Exley got into the jeep with Byers, the

“Maybe.” Keeping his eye on the whale, By-
specialist frowning behind the wheel. Exley
ers explained what he had in mind, using as
spent a few minutes on the radio, then rode
few words as possible. By the end, Exley
the rest of the way in silence, looking out at
found himself impressed by the plan’s detail,
the rice paddies stretching between him and
but was also aware that the sergeant was
the jungle. In the failing light, the women in
speaking mostly in the abstract. To him, this
the fields, dressed all in black, seemed rooted
was simply an interesting problem, but if any-
to their own long shadows.

thing went wrong, Exley knew that he was

In time, they arrived at the camp, driving
the one who would bear the brunt of the re-
past the guardhouse through the main gate.

sponsibility.

The airstrip was high on the bluffs above the

When the surveyor had finished, Exley ex-
water, with mountains to the north and west.

haled. “It might work. But if it doesn’t—”

Colonial buildings stood at the east end of the

He broke off. A number of villagers were
apron, near the revetments where choppers
standing close by, watching without evident
and planes were parked, with clusters of
comprehension. Byers seemed to sense what
hooches and barracks to either side of the
he was thinking. “You’re the white coat here.

runway. To the northwest, there was a vast

Hate to say it, but if worse comes to worse,
cemeter y, with rows of graves from the
we need to think about how to put him

French occupation caked in the orange dust.

down.”

They pulled up at base ops, where Byers

“I know.” Exley’s f irst thought was of the
got out to secure the necessary supplies and
morphine in the pharmacy truck. Easiest, per-
the specialist went to round up some civilian
haps, to give it something to keep it calm,
maids. Sliding into the driver’s seat, Exley con-
then open an artery and let it bleed out on the
tinued along the road south of the runway,
sand. Then he thought of his sidearm. “Leave
heading for the port facility. “We can’t just
it for now. If it comes to that, I’ll take care of pull him with manpower,” Byers had said. “If
it.”

we start and stop, we’ll tear his spine apart.

As he spoke, he set down his rucksack and

It’s got to be a steady pull. Best way, I think, is undid the top flap, fishing out a jar of petro-to take out one of the LARCs, set up a cable,
leum jelly. Going to the whale, he brushed
and winch him in—”

sand away from the blowholes, then dug two

Exley drove past the fuel storage tanks and
f ingers into the jar and smeared jelly around
took the dirt road down to the port, where he
the opening, which he hoped would keep it
parked at the edge of the beach. In the dis-
clear while he was gone. He wiped his hand
tance, across the darkened water, he could
on his trousers, then put the jar away and
make out the destroyer that had been holding
turned toward the others.

station in the horseshoe bay since their ar-

“We’re heading back to base,” Exley said.

rival.

He gestured at the privates. “You two stay be-

Looking out at the darkness, he felt a
hind with Sergeant Quyen. Just keep the
twinge of familiar apprehension. Night
whale wet and the crowd away until we get
changed the quality of the landscape here in
back.”

ways that made it easy to give in to your worst

Picking up his rucksack, Exley began to
fears, whether they looked like sappers in spi-
hike up the beach with the others, feeling all
der holes or something more insidious. To the
the while that he was playing a part in which
villagers, this was the country of hungry

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ghosts, of men who had died without the
god that ruled the ocean and held all f isher-
proper rituals, as far from home as that whale
men under its protection, accompanied by
on the sand.

the souls of men lost at sea. “Yes. The whale

As Exley headed toward the water, he re-
cult. You see it in all these fishing villages. At f lected that the villagers had arrived at their
the temple in Phan Thiet—”

own accommodation with the night. A hun-

“I know,” Kovac said sharply. “So if we float
gry ghost was no more frightening than any of
this whale, we’ve saved their god. He survives
the other factors that were out of their con-
to bring the sampans home. But only with the
trol, and at least it could be propitiated. Such
help of military hardware, the kind most of
forces were just a fact of life. And as he con-
these people want to see blown up.”

sidered this now, and thought about what else

Exley could tell what Kovac was thinking.

this whale might represent, he began to won-

“That’s what I’m saying. The damn thing
der if he had taken on more than he could
doesn’t make any difference to me. But it does
handle.

to them. If you want to talk hearts and minds,

Exley approached the pier, where an am-
it’s right there. And this is the best chance
phibious cargo vehicle, one of two LARCs as-
we’ll ever have to show them what we can
signed to the engineer corps, was parked by
do.”

the water. Two shirtless soldiers were leaning

He wasn’t sure if he believed his own
against the aluminum hull, talking to a man in
words, but they seemed to have the desired
uniform whose back was turned. As Exley ap-
effect. Kovac grunted. “Better to ask forgive-
proached, one of the men at the vehicle, a
ness than permission. We’ll get a winch ready
corporal he knew from Phan Rang, caught
and find you at the beach.”

sight of him and waved.

“Fine,” Exley said. “I’ll f inish up here. I’ll

When he was a few steps away, the third
see you there at nineteen hundred hours.”

man turned around. “Good evening, captain,”

After making sure they understood what

Sergeant Major Kovac said. “We’ve been talk-
was needed, Exley headed back to where he
ing over the situation. What’s going on here?”

had parked. The sun had long since disap-

Exley came to a halt at the pier. Kovac, a
peared behind the bluffs, and the sky had
hard man of forty, was the senior enlisted ad-
grown dark and brooding.

visor on the base, and relations between the

Exley was almost at the jeep when he felt a
two of them had never been particularly
sudden chill, as if a long strand of seaweed
friendly. “There’s been an unexpected com-
had been drawn slowly up his back. He shook
plication at Ap Kim Hai. We’re working to re-
the feeling off, aware that his nerves were on
solve it now.”

edge. Then he felt it again, stronger than be-

As the other men listened, Exley explained
fore, along with the unmistakable certainty
the situation as quickly as he could. Even be-
that he was being followed.

fore he was f inished, Kovac was shaking his

He paused. Out of the corner of his eye, to-
head. “I don’t know about this. We can’t get
ward the water, he saw something faint and
involved with all their problems—”

gray, a shape that was something like a man.

“We’re involved whether you like it or not,”

Exley spun around, his hand going instinc-

Exley said, aware that the enlisted men were
tively to his sidearm. There was nothing
watching them closely. “We’re knee deep in
there. Kovac and the others were standing by
it. And we can write off the entire village if
the vehicle at the pier. Otherwise, he was
we let this whale die.”

alone.

He steeled himself for another objection,

He stood there for a long moment, heart
but instead, he saw a calculating look cross
pounding, and told himself that it was only

Kovac’s face. “These whales we’re talking
his imagination. Then he turned and headed
about. They’re part of some kind of local reli-
quickly up the sand, knowing that he was
gion?”

running out of time.

Exley nodded. He knew something about
the whale cult in this country. A whale was

II.

treated with a sort of awe in its own right, but

When they arrived at the beach again, the
also as a representative of the faceless whale
tide had come in. Exley told the specialist to

THE WHALE GOD

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park as close to the water as he could, not far
sand behind him. Make it smooth. Got it?”

from the crowd, which was still lined up at

Quyen nodded. As the sergeant turned to
the water. As he got out of the jeep, Exley saw
address the villagers, Exley mentally re-
that small f ires had been lit along the shore.

hearsed the plan that he and Byers had de-

The two privates he had left behind were re-
vised. They would spread the belly pad
clining apart from the villagers, their shirts
behind the whale, then cinch the corset with
and boots removed. Quyen was still standing
the ropes. When they were ready, they would
near the whale, a short distance from the ris-
pull it backward onto the pad using simple
ing tide.

manpower, ten or twenty men, taking care

As the others climbed out, the two privates
not to injure the spine. Then they would rig
straightened up and headed for the jeep,
the ropes forward on the corset for the f inal
where they helped Byers and the specialist
pull into the sea.

unload the equipment. The f irst item was a

Byers had rapidly made the necessary cal-
big folded rectangle of canvas, constructed
culations, apparently in his head. “He’s fifteen
from a pair of hammocks that two hooch girls
feet long, not counting the tail or nose. Just
had been recruited to stitch together. “A kind
over three and a half feet high. Sixty-four
of corset,” Byers had explained. “We put it
pounds per cubic foot and we’re talking a
around the tail, cinch it tight at the narrowest
shade under f ive tons. Add in the nose and
point. It’ll relieve some of the pressure from
tail and call him five and a half even. Need ca-
the ropes.”

ble with two thousand pounds of lift. Five-six-

The second item was a large rubberized
teenths diameter should do it—”

truck tarp, cut to measure about eight feet by

Exley had taken him at his word. The ring
twenty. This was a belly pad that could be
to which the ropes from the corset and belly
placed between the whale and the sand. A
pad were attached would connect to the ca-
pair of tough grommets had been inserted at
ble, resulting, he hoped, in a system that
two of the corners. These, too, would be con-
would provide the necessar y pull while
nected to ropes, along with the lines from the
putting as little pressure on the whale as pos-
corset, all of which would be run together to
sible. Once the cable was connected, it was
a heavy metal ring.

only a matter of towing it in, using the elec-

As the men began to lay out the gear, Exley
tric winch at the rear of the amphibious vehi-
headed toward the crowd. When he was
cle, which would be set up, suff iciently
close enough to see the whale, he observed
loaded, at a safe distance from shore.

that the sheets across its back had been kept

It was a decent plan. The only trouble, as
nice and damp. “How are we doing?”

far as Exley could tell, was that the LARC itself

“Okay,” Quyen said, coming up to his side.

was nowhere in sight. Looking up and down

“Breathing four times a minute, maybe five. I
the sand, he saw no sign of the vehicle, which
had them bring hoses to keep him wet.”

was already past its scheduled arrival.

Exley saw that a pair of watering pumps

Exley swore silently to himself. He began to
had been set up nearby, each connected to a
hike toward where the jeep was parked, and
hose attachment with a brass nozzle at the
he had crossed just over half the distance
end. “Good. Tell them to keep at it until I give
when he heard a sudden cry go up from the
the word.”

crowd behind him.

Taking the jar from his pack, Exley smeared

He turned to see the whale starting to
more jelly around the blowholes. The whale
thrash again, dislodging the sheets that had
did not react to his touch, but under his f in-
been laid on its side. As the villagers who had
gers, its back rose as it took another breath.

been standing at the pumps fell back, he ran

The apprehension he had felt since leaving
toward the whale, his boots kicking up damp
the port at base camp was beginning to lift,
clods, that sense of dread rising once more in
and as he felt the eyes of the villagers on his
his chest.

face, he was grateful for the chance to take ac-

One of the privates near the crowd had a
tion.

f lashlight. Exley took it and approached the

He put the jar away. “All right. The f irst
whale, feeling a vibration beneath his feet as
thing we’re going to do is have them rake the
the whale struck its tail against the ground.

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Halting a few steps away, he switched on the

Someone was following him. Feeling the
light and directed the beam at the whale’s
hairs rise on the back of his neck, he froze. A
head.

gray shape was standing somewhere off to his

The whale’s mouth was opening and clos-
right, toward the water, at the edge of his
ing, its jaw scraping wetly from side to side.

range of vision.

Lowering the flashlight, Exley saw something

He spun to face it, but nothing was there,
dark and foamy pooling on the sand beneath.

only the sea nearly black in the darkness.

Black fluid was welling from the corners of its

Exley turned further, a sour taste in his
mouth, a thin steady trickle of blood.

mouth, and saw that the villagers on the

Exley thrust the flashlight back into the pri-
beach were staring at him. He stood there for
vate’s hands. “Keep the light on his head. And
another second, then f inally trudged back,
don’t shine it in his eyes.”

unable to shake the chill at his heart’s core.

He took a step closer. The whale was still

The following morning, he was ordered to
thrashing, but more weakly now. Another
report to the battalion commander. He had
stink rose from beneath the smell of the sea,
been expecting this for a long time, and al-
one he knew all too well, waxy and sicken-
though he had tried to work out what he
ingly sweet. The whale was dying before him.

would say, the words in his head all rang hol-

As he watched, the whale seemed to shud-
low.

der, a fasciculation moving visibly along the

As he walked across the airfield, he felt an
muscles under its skin. Within seconds, al-
unaccustomed tension in the air, although it
though nothing on the surface had changed,
was impossible to separate this from his own
it seemed very old, as if it had aged immeasur-
disquiet. He had spent a restless night in his
ably in the course of a heartbeat, only a few
room at the bachelor officers’ quarters. Earli-
yards away from home.

er, after confirming that the whale was dead,

Exley went forward until he was close
they had packed up in silence, leaving the
enough to touch it. Extending a hand, he hes-
canvas corset and belly pad behind on the
itated, then laid his palm f lat against the
beach, along with the dark mass of the body.

whale’s side. It was not moving. He looked

The eyes of the villagers had remained on him
into the one eye he could see, so dark that he
the entire time.

could no longer tell if it was purple or black,

The battalion commander lived in a sepa-
surrounded by a narrow ring of white like the
rate trailer at base camp headquarters, located
penumbra around the moon on nights when
near the turnaround apron at the western end
the air was wet.

of the runway. After being shown in by the

He saw the light go out of the whale’s eyes.

private on duty, Exley found himself in a cool,

The world fell silent. And for a moment, noth-
comfortably furnished space with a dining
ing else happened.

table and chairs. Kovac was already at the

Exley stood with his hand still touching the
table, across from Byers, and seated between
whale, the coldness from before spreading
them was the battalion commander, the lieu-
through every part of his body. The private
tenant colonel in charge of the Currahees.

said something and switched off his f lash-

“At ease, Captain.” The lieutenant colonel
light. Exley did not respond.

gestured toward a chair. “Have a seat.”

After a while, he straightened up and took

Exley sat down. The commander was in his
his hand away. He became aware that his men
early forties, muscular, tan, and respected by
were standing nearby, watching him, along
all his men, including Exley, who had worked
with the ranks of villagers. No one made a
alongside this battalion since his arrival a year sound.

ago in Phan Rang. When word came that the

Exley turned, his head pounding, and be-

Currahees would be taking over the base
gan to walk up the beach, away from the fires
camp, Exley’s platoon had been sectioned,
on the shore. He did not know where he was
with half heading south to provide medical
going, conscious only of the urge to get away
clearing for the entire region. The transition
from those eyes, and found himself walking
had been peaceful, but it had not been easy,
along the edge of the water, leaving an isolat-
and as he looked now into the lieutenant
ed line of bootprints in the sand.

colonel’s eyes, Exley sensed that this meeting

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would not go well.

you put something on the blowholes just be-

“I’ve been reviewing what took place last
fore it died.”

night,” the lieutenant colonel began. “As usu-

Exley couldn’t believe this. “It was vaseline.

al, I seem to be the last to know anything. I’ve

I was trying to keep the area clean—”

heard from Kovac and Byers, and now I want

The lieutenant colonel broke in. “It doesn’t
your side of the story. From the beginning.”

matter. These people saw what they think

Exley began to relate what had happened
they saw. And until we’ve cleared this up,
as objectively as he could, starting from the
you’ve compromised yourself. We can’t put
time he noticed the disturbance at the clinic
you on outreach or civic action. It’s a hell of a and ending with their departure from the
mess. And in the meantime, we still have a
beach. The lieutenant colonel listened mostly
dead whale on our hands.”

in silence, breaking in now and then with a

He glanced at Kovac. “The sergeant major
question. Neither of the other men spoke.

says we should just shove a few sticks of dy-

When Exley was done, the lieutenant
namite inside and blow it up, and maybe he’s
colonel shook his head. “Jesus. Well, it was a
right. Personally, I’m inclined to let the locals mighty good plan on paper, but you must
take care of it. But it’s a goddamned public
have known the risks involved. What were
health hazard.”

you hoping to do if it went sideways?”

Grinding out his cigarette in the heavy ash-

“I don’t know,” Exley said, already regret-
tray, the lieutenant colonel f ixed his eyes on
ting the words as he spoke them. “Given the

Exley. “As for the rest, we’ll discuss it in due
urgency, I wasn’t thinking about contingen-
time. But this isn’t over yet. The two of you
cies.”

are dismissed.”

“And that was your mistake. You broke the

Exley thanked him and rose with Byers,
first rule of operations. Don’t interfere if you
who had remained silent throughout the
don’t know what the endgame will be. We
meeting. Kovac stayed at the table with the
can’t afford to enter into this kind of thing
lieutenant colonel. Neither looked at the oth-
lightly. Not at a time like this.”

ers as they left.

The lieutenant colonel lit a cigarette. After

Outside, the air was well over ninety de-
a contemplative moment, he said, “I’m not
grees. Exley stood outside the trailer, the sun
sure you understand the delicacy of the situa-
pounding down on his head. To the north, he
tion. Operation Byrd was an unqualified suc-
could see the lines of graves at the cemetery,
cess. The last battalion spent a year on search
below the hooded peak of Whiskey Moun-
and clear missions. Eight hundred kills. The
tain.

enemy has fallen back to the pine forest or

Byers spoke quietly at his side. “I’m sorry it
gone over the fence to Cambodia. We’ve been
had to happen this way. But I’ve seen this
handed an enviable position.”

kind of thing before. They’ll roll it up and

He looked out the window at the dust of
move on. You’re too valuable for them to take
the airstrip. “And we aren’t just talking about
it out on you forever.”

the strategic side. The highway is open for the

“Thanks.” Looking out at the cemetery, Ex-
f irst time in years. Villagers are sending f ish ley fought off a wave of bitterness. “But I
sauce to Saigon. A lot of eyes are on this dis-
don’t even know what we did back there.”

trict. It’s a model for what revolutionary de-

“You did the right thing,” Byers said. “And
velopment can be. Given the situation at Khe
you paid for it. I expect it won’t be the last

Sanh, we need to show what we can do for
time.”

these people. And your adventure last night

They headed together across the airstrip,
threatens to ruin all this goodwill. Tell him.”

walking toward the base hospital and clinic,

This comment was directed at the sergeant
where they parted ways. Exley stood alone
major, who spoke for the first time since Ex-
for a moment at the steps of the whitewashed
ley’s arrival. “I’ve been talking to some of the
hospital, then finally went inside.

hooch maids from the village,” Kovac said.

He spent the rest of the day at the clearing

“Word is already out. They’re saying you killed
station. As of yet, there were no seriously
that whale on purpose. Someone overheard
wounded patients, but there was still a great
you talk about putting it down. And they saw
deal to be done. The clearing platoon would

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be responsible for all evacuations in the re-
a stooped f igure in a Navy cap, who looked
gion, which meant setting up a facility of forty
them over suspiciously. Quyen spoke a few
beds. As they worked, none of his colleagues
words, and after another lingering glance, the
made any reference to the events of the night
old man disappeared into an inner room.

before, and Exley sensed them steering clear

Exley looked around the shrine. The space
of the topic, as if they didn’t want to get in-
was dusty and cramped, the shadows cut at
volved.

intervals by shafts of evening sunlight through

The worst part, he ref lected grimly, was
the gaps in the roof. Before him stood an altar
that the lieutenant colonel was right. Normal-
to the male water god, a robed f igure with a
ly, villagers would line up for the privilege of
beard like strands of kelp, next to a vase of
being examined by an army doctor, even if he
wilting flowers.

would later pass them in the street, trading

Hearing footsteps, he saw the old man
pills like candy. And it wasn’t just about out-
come back into the room, carrying something
patient care. Village health was a nightmare,
in his hands. It was a ceramic pot, painted
with bad water and insects giving rise to
blue and white, with a bundle of incense
malaria, roundworm, dysentery. It was taxing
stuck into a bed of dry rice. Quyen accepted
work under any circumstances, but without
it, handing the old man a coin in return, and
their trust, he had only made it harder on him-
set the pot down before the altar. “You have
self. And he was set to remain for another
matches?”

year.

Exley reached into his pocket. As he lit the

By the end of the day, Exley understood
incense, already aware of how empty the ges-
what he had to do. As afternoon gave way to
ture was, he noticed that a number of vil-
evening, he tracked down Sergeant Quyen
lagers were watching from outside. He shook
and explained what he had in mind. Quyen
out the match, then followed the sergeant to
seemed doubtful at f irst, but in the end, he
another door at the far end of the shrine, the
agreed, even if he kept his real thoughts to
villagers tracking him with their eyes.

himself.

The room he entered was longer than it

A quarter of an hour later, they hitched a
was wide, with beams exposed in the ceiling.

ride to Phan Thiet. As always, Exley could

At the center, resting on a row of trusses, was
smell the village long before it came into view.

the skeleton of a whale. It was at least sixty

The factor y by the water was one of the
feet long, its bones brown with age. Exley
largest producers of nuoc mam in the coun-
knew that it had washed up on the beach al-
try, and the stench of f ish sauce was carried
most a century before, and that elsewhere in
for miles.

the temple were boxes and ossuaries with

The jeep dropped them off at the central
close to a hundred other whale skeletons.

square of the village which stood where the

Quyen had hung back at the doorway.

river met the sea—five blocks of stores, hous-

“Your whale will have a good home here.”

es, and crumbling buildings from French rule.

Exley studied the massive skull, with the

As pedicabs and entire families perched on
two great parentheses of its lower jaw. “You
bikes went past in the evening light, Exley
believe in the whale god?”

thought he could see the villagers looking at

Quyen smiled uneasily, as if Exley had
him, nudging one another and talking quietly
asked an inappropriate question. “Safer to be-
as he walked by.

lieve, maybe. Americans don’t understand.

Before long, they arrived at the temple

For them these are just stories. Like with Wan-
gate. Looking through the white posts, Exley
dering Soul—”

felt another chill. He knew what was buried

Exley knew what he meant. Helicopters fly-
here. For a moment, he considered turning
ing over enemy encampments would blast
back, but when he glanced over his shoulder,
tapes on loudspeakers, recordings of ghostly
he saw that they had drawn a crowd, the vil-
noises and wailings warning of the fate of sol-
lagers standing in a silent cluster up the road.

diers who died far from home and joined the

They continued to watch as Exley and
hungry dead. “You think I was doing the same

Quyen approached the yellow façade of the
thing?”

temple. At the door, they were ushered in by

“No,” Quyen said. “What you did was good.

THE WHALE GOD

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But maybe you did not understand.”

III.

The sergeant fell silent. Exley looked at the

At f irst, Exley thought he was hallucinat-
skeleton for another moment, then turned to
ing. The dark shapes lay several yards apart,
leave, thinking of what Quyen had left unspo-
one close to the size of the whale from the
ken. Even if your intentions were good, there
night before, the others slightly smaller, per-
were always consequences for interfering. If
haps fifteen feet from tail to nose. The smaller
you invoked the hungry ghosts, sometimes
ones were moving their f lippers weakly on
they came. And the whale god, real or not, an-
the sand, while the larger was unmoving, but
swered your prayers in ways of his own.

alive, at least for now. “What the hell hap-

When they left the shrine, night had fallen,
pened here?”

and the villagers who had followed them to

Quyen was already consulting with the vil-
the temple had disappeared. They were re-
lagers. “They found them an hour ago. After
turning to the square when Exley saw the
they cleared away the whale that died.” The
lights of a jeep coming in his direction. Be-
sergeant turned to Exley, an emotion vibrat-
hind the wheel was the specialist from the
ing in his eyes that the doctor had never seen
day before. “I’ve been looking for you.”

there before. “You ever see anything like

At f irst, Exley thought that his visit to the
this?”

temple had drawn off icial attention, and he

Exley was about to shake his head when
braced himself for what it might be. “What is
something else occurred to him. It was noth-
it?”

ing but the whisper of an idea, but as he

“We need to go back to Ap Kim Hai,” the
stood there on the sand, it grew stronger.

specialist said. “There’s been trouble.”

“Maybe.”

After a beat, Exley got into the jeep and

He looked back at the jeep. For a moment,
glanced at Quyen, who climbed into the back
he thought about calling it in. Then he re-
seat. The specialist reversed, then wheeled
membered his conversation with the battal-
back around the way he came, heading for
ion commander, and understood that he
the road south from the village. As they drove
would get no backup tonight.

through the darkness, Exley found that the

Finally, he went closer, followed by the oth-
dread he had been fighting had returned. For
ers, the villagers keeping their distance. He
the first time in hours, he thought of the gray
saw that they had already begun to cover the
shape he had seen by the water, and won-
whales in wet sheets, and that a cluster of
dered if he was losing his mind. He could not
f ishermen seemed to be discussing what do
entirely rule out the possibility.

to next. As he went past them, he overheard

Arriving at the fishing hamlet, they parked
a few murmurs aimed his way, but at a sharp
and headed down toward the water. As they
reply from Quyen, the villagers fell silent.

neared the sea, Exley saw that another crowd

He gradually became aware that his skin
had gathered. For one unreal moment, it
was prickled with goosef lesh, despite the
seemed that they had never left. The only
heat of the night. Beneath it, however, there
signs that anything had changed were the
was something new, a growing realization
marks of blood and grease, twenty paces up
that had nothing to do with his own uneasi-
the beach, where the whale had been carved
ness.

up and carted off.

Exley closed his eyes, then opened them.

As he drew closer, he saw one of the vil-

At the edge of his vision, toward the water,
lagers turn in his direction, then another, until the gray shape had reappeared. It was waiting
the entire crowd was looking his way. At his
patiently, as if inviting him to see its true face approach, they parted, giving Exley a good
at last.

look at the scene before him. And when he

He did not turn toward it yet. As his heart
saw what was there, he could only stare in
began pounding again, he continued to look
disbelief.

at the whales, holding the gray outline in the

At the point where the water met the
corner of his eye. At last, he turned toward
shore, three whales lay beached on the sand.

the water. Once more, he saw nothing.

Exley began to speak to the men at his side,
keeping his eyes on the dark surface of the

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sea. “It’s strange. I’ve been haunted by some-

Exley already sensed what he was going to
thing since yesterday, ever since we saw that
say. “I take it that we aren’t getting any sup-
whale. There’s something here that wasn’t
port from base.”

there before. Whenever I think I’m about to

“No,” Byers said. “Not now.” He looked at
see it, it disappears. But it’s waiting just out of the whales, his fists balled at his sides, and al-sight.” He turned to the others. “Do you feel
though his face was as impassive as always,
it, too?”

Exley had the impression of something else

Part of him was convinced that they would
gathering below the surface. “We need to roll
only laugh, but when he looked into the spe-
this up. These whales will die anyway. We can
cialist’s broad face, he saw something that he
at least see that they aren’t in any pain.”

had never expected to f ind there. It was

Listening, Exley thought again of the pistol
recognition.

at his side. The coldness from before was

The specialist spoke slowly. “I felt it last
stronger than ever. “I was ordered not to in-
night, out on the green line. I was walking
terfere.”

past graves registration when I saw something

“I know,” Byers said. “But maybe it’s time to
out by the cemetery. At first, I thought it was
do the right thing again. Even if we suffer for
a sapper, but when I turned, it was gone. I
it.”

took some men to check it out, but there was

After a moment, Exley nodded. “All right.

nothing there. And the entire time—”

Let’s talk about our options.” He looked at the

He hesitated, then finally said, “It’s like the
crowd, remembering how his previous con-
feeling you get when you’re on patrol and you
versation with Byers had been overheard, and
know you’re being watched. But I never felt
turned to the other men. “The two of you stay
anything like that, not even in the jungle. Like
here. Keep away from the villagers for now.

one of those graves was going to open up in

We’ll be back in a minute.”

front of me.” The specialist looked between

As the others remained behind, Exley fol-
the others, as if challenging them to make fun
lowed Byers south along the water, moving
of him. “If you tell anyone else I said this, I’ll away from the heart of the scene. They con-kill you. But I know what I saw.”

tinued in silence until they were about twenty

Most of this statement seemed to be direct-
yards down the sand. Byers was walking a few
ed at Quyen, who had been listening without
steps ahead, and as they entered the darkest
any change in expression. When he spoke,
part of the beach, Exley reached down and
however, his voice was very quiet. “I have
drew his sidearm, holding it so that it was out
seen it, too. By the sea. When we were leav-
of sight.

ing last night, I saw something gray in the wa-

Byers heard it. He turned around, his eyes
ter. I have been cold ever since. What the
f licking down toward the pistol, then rising
villagers here call ghost sickness.” He said all
to Exley’s face. “What are you doing?”

this calmly, but when he looked at Exley, his

Exley kept the gun by his side. Although he
eyes were clouded. “You think this place is
was not pointing it at the other man, he sup-
cursed?”

posed that there could be little doubt about

Exley looked back at the whales. In the
his intentions. “I want to ask you some ques-
darkness, the figures around him seemed like
tions. I know you aren’t really a surveyor. You
wraiths in their black garments, lit here and
stayed at the base for a reason. And I want to
there by the firelight. “Yes. But not in the way
find out why.”

you think—”

After a pause, the barest sliver of a smile

Raising his eyes further, he saw a man ap-
crossed the other man’s face. “What makes
proaching along the footpath that led down
you say that?”

from the hamlet, his pace quickening as he

“You called me a white coat,” Exley said.

reached the sand. It was Byers. At the sight of

“Later you talked about rolling up this opera-
the whales, the surveyor halted, then contin-
tion. That isn’t slang an engineer would use. I
ued along the beach until he was standing
think there’s something going on here. And
with the others by the water. “I came as soon
you came out yesterday for a closer look.”

as I heard. There were rumors at the village.

Byers had listened without visible reaction.

Captain, we need to talk.”

“And what do you think is happening?”

THE WHALE GOD

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“Something I should have known sooner.

cation. Water to the east, mountains to the

I’ve been feeling it since yesterday, and it’s
north and west. It’s our first major field test in worse when I’m down by the water. Uneasi-a region this size. We weren’t planning to
ness and anxiety. Like I’ve gone cold inside.

start for another few months, but we’ve been

Or like I’m being watched.”

ordered to move up the timeline. Khe Sanh

Byers was still smiling faintly. “It sounds
has been under siege for a week. And with a
like what the villagers call ghost sickness.”

weapon like this—”

“Maybe,” Exley said. “But they’re also symp-

“—you can clear out the enemy without
toms of exposure to infrasound. Low-frequen-
putting your own forces at risk.” Turning to
cy vibrations do strange things to the human
the water, where the destroyer was holding
nervous system. At low levels, you get psy-
station at the base, unseen, Exley considered
chological effects. Higher levels can cause
the implications. “And the result?”

nausea, muscle tension, hyperventilation—”

“Based on what I’ve found, we aren’t

“—and visual artifacts.” Byers regarded him
ready,” Byers said. “There’s no good way of di-
with greater interest. “Have you been seeing
recting the effect or conf ining it to a f ixed
things?”

area. We’d end up using it on our own troops.

“A gray shape in the corner of my vision.

And as you’ve seen, there are other issues as

When I turn to look at it, it’s gone.”

well.”

“That’s a common side effect. We’re using

Exley had been waiting for this. “The
frequencies of nineteen hertz. Close to the
whales. They’re affected by it, too.”

resonant frequency of the human eye. Under

Byers nodded. “We’ve seen something like
certain conditions, it can cause optical illu-
this before. Whales get confused by sonar in
sions. Some subjects report seeing ghosts.

naval exercises. Beach themselves in groups.

There’s a pet theory of mine, actually, that

They use echolocation to communicate. Most-
cases of supposed hauntings occur in areas
ly in toothed whales, but minke whales use it,
where environmental infrasound is high.

too. Sometimes you see ear damage. The

We’re still trying to see if we can use this.”

same thing is happening here. I warned them

Exley was unsettled by his even tone of
about the effects, but they didn’t listen.”

voice. “Is this part of Wandering Soul?”

Exley heard what sounded like genuine re-

Byers laughed. “That’s a smokescreen. The
gret in his voice. “So what happens now?”

enemy knows it’s a joke. When they hear the

“I’ve advised against further deployment
tapes, all they do is open fire. Nobody could
until we’ve conducted additional tests. I’m
ever take it seriously. But it provides useful
here to solve problems, not create them.

cover for what we’re doing. Any rumors of

We’re ending it tonight. Khe Sanh will have to
our real work just get f iled away with the
fend for itself.” Byers glanced over Exley’s
rest.”

shoulder. “In any case, I’d say you have other

Exley detected a quiet note of satisfaction.

things to worry about.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

Exley turned, keeping his pistol out of

“It isn’t a new idea. There was a case ten
view, and saw that a delegation of villagers
years ago in Marseilles. Workers complaining
had approached them in silence. The man in
of headaches and nausea. They traced it to in-
the lead had something in his arms. Looking
frasound from a ventilator in the factory next
more closely, he saw it was the canvas corset
door. It took us a long time to get to the point
they had left behind the night before. Others
where we could control it. If we can incapac-
had coils of rope slung over their shoulders,
itate the enemy this way, and use their fear of
and in the distance, he could see another
ghosts, it will save lives. It’s safer, anyway,
group unfolding the belly pad.

than search and destroy.” Byers smiled. “Some

He looked back at Byers, who had re-
of us still believe in hearts and minds.”

mained where he was. “You have a choice

Exley felt a chill that had nothing to do with
here,” Byers said. “I wasn’t lying when I told
the other symptoms he had been feeling.

you that you did the right thing. It’s time to

“What’s the source?”

decide where you stand.”

“The destroyer out in the bay. We began

For a moment, the two men remained eye
the test yesterday morning. It’s a favorable lo-
to eye. At last, Exley holstered his sidearm

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and went up to the villagers, who were wait-

His heart was hammering, but he managed to
ing several paces away. Without a word, he
keep his voice calm as he counted to three in
joined the group and returned to the point

Vietnamese.

where the whales were lying. He did not look

The villagers pulled, groaning, and with a
back at Byers.

scraping sound, the whale slid forward. Exley

At the other end of the beach, Quyen was
took one step, then another, the rope biting
still standing next to the specialist. “What are
into his f ingers as they turned the whale
we doing?”

around in a long arc on the sand. Once it was

“We’re going to f loat these whales,” Exley
facing the surf, they pressed onward, moving
said. “We’ll start with the big one. Maybe the
as one, their eyes fixed on the water.

younger ones will follow him. If we do him

They marched into the sea. Exley felt the
last, the others will just beach themselves
sand squishing beneath his boots as the water
again. We don’t have much time.”

rose up to his ankles. At one point, he almost

He went to the spot where the villagers
slipped, but the men around him kept him go-
were unfolding the belly pad, helping them to
ing, the rope stretched tight in their hands. As
position it behind the largest whale. After a
the water began to soak his trouser legs, he
moment, the other soldiers came to help. As
thought for the f irst time of the sea snakes
he worked, Exley felt the same coldness pass
here, but it was too late to worry about this
across him as before, but put it aside, forcing
now.

himself to focus on the task at hand.

The men to his left were moving with their

Once the belly pad was in place, they pre-
heads down, the tendons standing out on
pared the corset. As four of the villagers lifted their slender arms. As they towed the whale,
the whale’s tail, they slipped the canvas un-
the water rising to their chests, Exley found
derneath with some diff iculty, cinching it
that the gray shape in the corner of his eye
tightly just forward of the tail f lukes. The
had returned, except that now it no longer
whale lay without resisting, taking a breath
looked like a man, but like something else en-
every minute or so, and it did not move as
tirely, watching them wordlessly as they
they arranged the ropes to run back from the
fought their way forward.

harness.

He felt the rope slacken. Looking back over

Under Quyen’s instruction, ten men lined
his shoulder, he saw that the whale had en-
up at each of the ropes, which had been se-
tered the surf and was being lifted by the wa-
cured with trucker’s hitches to grommets at
ter beneath it. Another few steps, and the
the edges of the corset. When the sergeant
belly pad drifted away.

gave the word, they strained forward, the

As Quyen gave the order to stop, Exley let
ropes on their shoulders going taut. For a sec-
go of the rope and waded back to the whale.

ond, as they pulled without result, Exley

It lay enormous before him, its sides glisten-
feared that the whale was too heavy. Then it
ing, its mouth hanging open as the seawater
began to slide backward onto the pad, flailing
washed its flanks.

only brief ly at the unexpected movement,

Taking a knife from his pocket, Exley cut
and fell still again.

the corset free. As the canvas came loose, he

As soon as the whale was in position, they
saw the whale drift forward, breasting the wa-
began to rig the lines forward, connecting
ter, and begin to move its flippers for the first them to a second pair of ropes from the belly
time. The villagers scattered to either side,
pad. Exley motioned to Quyen. “We need to
panting, as the whale swam away from shore,
pull him as smoothly as we can. Once we’ve
its broad back showing as it passed through
started, we can’t stop, or we’ll tear his back-
the lines of men and continued onward into
bone apart. You understand?”

the sea.

Quyen nodded and relayed the message.

Exley stood in the surf, his pulse high,

Exley unbuttoned his shirt and removed it.

watching as the whale slowly made its way

The specialist did the same. Then they joined
into deeper water. A second later, it began to
the villagers at the ropes, ten men on each
turn, and he was afraid it would beach itself
side. Taking as tight a grip as he could, Exley
again, but instead, it moved on at an angle to
saw that the others were waiting on his word.

the waterline, until only the dark oval of its

THE WHALE GOD

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head was visible at the surface.

At the head of the throng, among the

There was no time for triumph. As the vil-
dancers and drummers, was a fisherman from
lagers gathered up the wet and heavy ropes,
the day before, the one Quyen had asked

Exley walked back, dripping, toward the sec-
about the tides. Exley gathered that he had
ond whale, which had dug a shallow groove
been chosen to serve as the chief mourner, in
for itself in the sand.

the role of the whale’s firstborn son. After the

An hour later, the whales were back in the
funeral, the whale’s remains would be buried
sea. The second had been easier, but the third
on the temple grounds, and after three years,
had begun to thrash as soon as they ap-
its skeleton would be dug up and put on dis-
proached it, and it was only with considerable
play.

trouble that they managed to haul it onto the

Exley wondered if anyone would remem-
belly pad and rig the ropes. Looking out at the
ber the story behind the bones, or if it would
water, Exley thought he could see one of the
be lost along with so much else. Earlier that
whales forty yards from shore, but it was im-
day, when he had gone looking for Byers, he
possible to tell for sure.

had been told that the surveyor had left to re-

Exley sank down on the sand, the muscles
join his platoon. When he had gone up to the
groaning in his shoulders and arms. His sense
bluffs, the destroyer had still been anchored
of dread had fallen to a murmur, a memory of
in the bay. For a long moment, he had stood
something already gone, and as he looked out
there looking at it. Then he went back to the
at the dark swell of the sea, it seemed to him
hospital.

that the unclean vibration in the air had

The battalion commander had informed
ceased.

him that a memorandum of concern would

Someone sat down to his right. It was
be placed in his file, but privately, he was of

Quyen. The sergeant said nothing, but
the opinion that the situation in the village
reached into his front pocket and extracted a
had improved. “I hope you learned your les-
pack of cigarettes. He lit one, then offered an-
son,” the lieutenant colonel had said. “If we
other to Exley, who took it without a word. It
let these people solve their own problems,
was only as they sat there, smoking, that he
and don’t overstep ourselves, it won’t be long
thought to look past the villagers, who were
before the job is done.”

seated in small groups in the sand. At the far

As Exley turned away from the funeral,
end of the beach, Byers had disappeared.

heading with the sergeant major back toward
the road, he found that the weight on his

The following day, Exley went to the funer-
shoulders had lifted, at least for now. The
al of the whale in Phan Thiet. Somewhat to
whale god, he reminded himself, was ulti-
his surprise, Kovac had asked to join him, and
mately a protector, the spirit who guided lost
the two of them ended up standing together
souls safely to land, as long as they acknowl-
in the crowd that lined all sides of the square.

edged the extent of his power and the limita-

The funeral had drawn visitors from through-
tions of their own. And life, after all, went on.

out the region, and none seemed to pay the

Tomorrow, he remembered, was the first day
outsiders any mind as they looked out at the
of Tet. ■
procession.

20

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Science Fact

The Evaporation
of Worlds

Kevin Walsh
o far, the vast majority of extrasolar
planet. In contrast, while Mercury is the clos-
planets that have been discovered are
est planet to the Sun and receives more than
worlds warmer than Earth. There are
three times as much solar radiation as Venus

Sgood reasons for this:almost all of the does,Mercuryhas a verythin atmosphere and techniques used to detect worlds around oth-so has no greenhouse effect. Thus maximum
er stars are most sensitive to planets that are
surface temperatures on Mercury are actually
both large and orbiting close to their parent
less than on Venus, at about 430ºc in the
stars. Naturally, these planets tend to be
equatorial regions when the Sun is high in the
warm, on the whole. Nevertheless, one of the
sky. In addition, because Mercury’s negligible
many surprises that we have had during what
atmosphere cannot transport any heat from
could be called the golden age of extrasolar
the sunny to the dark side of the planet, tem-
planet discovery—that is, during the past few
peratures are much less on the night side and
years—has been how very hot these planets
in the polar regions. Hence, radar observa-
are and that there are so many.

tions suggest that Mercury is likely to have

In our solar system, apart from small aster-
tiny ice caps in its polar regions, on the most
oids, there are only three terrestrial-type,
sun-blasted planet in the solar system.

mostly rocky planets that experience surface

But both Mercury and Venus are mild com-
temperatures higher than those ever experi-
pared to the conditions that are now known
enced on Earth. One of these is Earth’s Moon,
to exist on some planets elsewhere in the
where daytime surface temperatures in the

Galaxy.

equatorial regions can reach over 120ºc

(240ºF). Venus is another, with typical surface

Super-hot super-Earths
temperatures of 450ºc (840ºF). This is partly

As of mid-2012, there are about thirty
due to Venus enjoying about twice the
known “super-Earths” orbiting other stars,
amount of solar radiation as Earth does, but
planets with masses between about one and
mostly due to a massive greenhouse effect
ten times that of Earth. These super-Earths
from a Venusian atmosphere comprising
have been mostly detected by measurements
about ninety Earth atmospheres worth of car-
of the small movements of their host stars,
bon dioxide. Due to Venus’s thick atmospher-
caused by the gravitational attraction of these
ic blanket being a very effective transporter of
nearby planets. This enables a rough estimate
heat from place to place, Venusian surface
of their masses to be obtained. Of these new
temperatures vary little over the surface of the
worlds, 11 have been observed to pass in

21

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front of (or “transit”) their host star, permit-
phases that occur. At pressures greater than
ting the size of these planets to be measured
about two thousand times the typical atmos-
directly and their orbits to be specif ied pre-
pheric pressure at sea level on Earth, ice can
cisely. This enables a better estimate of their
exist in a number of different solid states,
masses to be calculated, and thus permits
even (for higher pressures) at high tempera-
their densities to be estimated. The planetary
tures well above 100ºc, the typical boiling
density is important, as it gives an indication
point of water on Earth at sea level. These dif-
of the type of materials that make up the plan-
ferent types of ice are distinguished from each
et, for instance the proportion of gas, water,
other by their different crystalline structures.

or rocks. The transiting super-Earths found so

One of them, Ice VII, is a type that has been
far have a very wide range of densities. For in-
hypothesized to exist on GJ1214b deep with-
stance, Kepler 11-f has a density about the
in its atmosphere, possibly at the bottom of a
same as that of Saturn, the solar system’s least
hot, high-pressure water ocean hugely more
dense world, implying that Kepler 11-f is
massive than all of Earth’s oceans put togeth-
mostly composed of gas. The best observed
er.

of all the super-Earths is probably GJ1214b, a

While GJ1214b is much less dense than
planet orbiting a small nearby M-type star, lo-

Earth, CoRoT-7b, another super-Earth, has a
cated in the constellation Ophiuchus, only 13
density almost twice that of our planet, imply-
parsecs away from our solar system. The near-
ing that it is a rocky world containing an un-
est bright star to it, both as it appears to be in usually high amount of heavy metals. It orbits
our sky, and in galactic distance, is the mid-
a star slightly smaller than the Sun, but it is
sized second-magnitude A-type star Rasalh-
not in our immediate galactic vicinity, being
ague (Alpha Ophiuchus), only about six
some hundred and fifty parsecs away. CoRoT-
parsecs away from the GJ1214 system. The

7b is even hotter than GJ1214b, receiving an
planet GJ1214b has about six and a half times
incredible two hundred and f ifty times the
the mass of Earth, about two and a half times
visible radiation that Mercur y gets. This
its radius, and is a hot world that receives
makes surface temperatures on it probably in
about 15 times the amount of visible solar ra-
excess of 1,800 K, hot enough to melt many
diation that Mercury gets. This sounds like an
common metals. This enormous heating cre-
extraordinary amount but GJ1214b is by no
ates some peculiar atmospheric conditions. A
means the warmest of these worlds, as we
planet that is this hot and this dense almost
shall see.

certainly lost its “volatile” components long

We now know a little about the atmospher-
ago, those substances comprised of light ele-
ic composition of GJ1214b, due to some su-
ments that are easily boiled away from the sur-
perb observations recently carried out by a
face due to their low boiling points. Water is
team from Harvard using the Hubble Space
an example of a volatile. Instead of steam, the

Telescope. They measured the spectrum of
atmosphere of this planet consists of the actu-
the planet’s atmosphere and found that it cor-
al metal constituents of the planet’s crust and
responds best to an atmosphere comprised
mantle that have begun to vaporize and be-
largely of steam. The low density of GJ1214b,
come part of the atmosphere, even though
only about a third of Earth’s, implies that the
the surface temperature is likely lower than
planet has a much higher fraction of water
the boiling points of most metals. This is the
than Earth does and consequently a lower
same mechanism that enables water vapor to
fraction of rock, so the presence of steam is
exist in gaseous form in our atmosphere, even
not really a surprise. It’s just that there is so though our atmospheric temperatures are
much of it: the thick atmosphere and high
well below the boiling point of water. Tem-
temperatures would be likely to cause some
perature is a measure of molecular speed, but
very exotic forms of water to form. We are fa-
there are always some molecules traveling
miliar with the three phases of water that typ-
much faster than others. As a result, some wa-
ically occur at the temperatures and pressures
ter vapor molecules travel fast enough to
experienced on the surface of Earth: ice, liq-
leave the ocean and head into our atmo-
uid water, and water vapor (steam). At more
sphere, a process known as evaporation. This
extreme conditions, however, there are other
is just as well, because if there weren’t any

22

KEVIN WALSH

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evaporation, we would have no clouds and no
huge amounts of liquid and solid metals back
rainfall. So, on the much hotter CoRoT-7b, cal-
onto the planet. The extreme temperature
culations suggest that the typical atmospheric
gradients and enormous solar energy available
constituents consist of evaporated planet:

for this process means that this planet and
sodium, silicon dioxide, and even iron vapor.

others like it will be very stormy indeed—as a

The boiling point of iron is 3,134 K at the
weathercaster might say, cloudy and very
typical surface atmospheric pressure of Earth,
windy, with a chance of ingots.

but atmospheric models of CoRoT-7b assume

Nothing lasts forever, though, and like the
somewhat lower surface pressures than this,

Earth, CoRoT-7b has a finite lifetime, although
due to the probable complete lack of volatiles
for different reasons. Earth may not survive
on this planet, making a thick, volatile-based
the expansion of our Sun into a red giant five
atmosphere like the steam blanket of
billion years from now. In contrast, CoRoT-7b

GJ1214b very unlikely. We presently have no
is evaporating so rapidly that it is very likely
direct evidence of the possible surface pres-
losing its rocky mass to space right now. In
sures on this planet, but if we assume that
contrast to surface evaporation, the loss of
they are only about 1/100th of Earth’s, this
atmosphere to space is driven not so much by
leads to a lower iron boiling point on that
the extreme surface heat, but more by the
planet of closer to 2,000 K, still a little higher equally extreme amounts of high energy X-ray
than the calculated surface temperature on
and hard ultraviolet radiation from a star slam-

GJ1214b. The presence of iron vapor in the
ming into a planet’s atmosphere. This process
atmosphere, along with surface temperatures
of atmospheric escape also occurs continu-
lower than its boiling point, means that there
ously on Earth, but it is very slow compared to
is the potential for condensation of iron vapor
the current mass of Earth’s atmosphere, and of
into liquid at higher, cooler regions of the
course the solid body of our planet is com-
atmosphere, in other words the possibility of
pletely unaffected by this process. For CoRoT-
the formation of iron clouds. Such clouds

7b, although calculations of the planetary
have already been hypothesized to exist in the
evaporation rate are very approximate, work
atmospheres of larger, gas-dominated worlds,
by German astronomers suggests that, over its
specif ically the L class of brown dwarfs (see
lifetime to date, the planet has already lost al-

“So Long, Proxima Centauri, ” Analog,
most as much mass as it currently possesses.

July/August 2011). But it is odd to think of

Since the best estimate of its age is about 1.5
similar phenomena and temperatures being
billion years, this means that it may only have
seen on a rocky, smaller world, one that is a
another billion or two years left before it van-
little like the Earth.

ishes in a puff of iron and silicon smoke.

While many of these planets may be rocky

CoRoT-7b is not even the hottest super-Earth
worlds like our own, their surface environ-
known to exist, so there may be others out
ments are different from Earth’s in important
there that are evaporating even faster.

ways, apart from the obvious extreme heat.

These planets are close enough to their stars

Hot and hotter
that their rotation would have stopped rela-

The hottest known super-Earth whose exis-
tive to their primaries, due to millions of years tence has been reliably conf irmed is 55 Can-of tidally-induced drag. Thus they are very
cri e. The 55 Cancri system is quite close,
likely to have one side of the planet perma-
only 12.3 parsecs away, thus making it among
nently facing the primary, with this side blast-
the closest couple of hundred known stellar
ed by intense stellar radiation all the time and
systems. It is actually a double star system,
the other side being dark. The implications
comprising a larger, fairly Sun-like star, al-
for the planetary climate on such a world are
though one that is much older than our Sun,
profound. In the case of CoRoT-7b, the evap-
and a smaller, red M-star about 1,000 AU
oration of the surface will occur on the hot

(about one hundred billion miles) distant
side, the resulting atmosphere will then blow
from the larger star. The system has numerous
toward the cold side, cooling as it does, and
known planets circling the bigger star—f ive
then at some point will become cool enough
at last count—all of them more massive than
to condense on the surface again, dumping

Earth but with 55 Cancri e being both the

THE EVAPORATION OF WORLDS

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smallest and closest to the star. Like GJ1214b
ty and with signif icant preparation of the
and CoRoT-7b, this planet has been observed
spacecraft for high temperature and pressure.

to transit in front of its star, so this and other But robot exploration of a magma world? It’s
pieces of evidence mean that we have unusu-
hard to imagine how this could be done.

ally good information about its properties. It

One crucial difference between the plane-
has a mass of about seven times that of Earth
tary environment of 55 Cancri e and CoRoT-
and a radius about twice that of our planet,

7b is that despite the extreme heat, the
implying a density about the same as that of
hypothesized steam atmosphere of 55 Cancri
the Earth. This is low enough that a substan-
e would be stable for billions of years. But 55
tial fraction of the planet is likely to consist of Cancri e is not the hottest possible planet:

volatiles such as water in some form. The den-
hotter ones are likely to exist. While 55 Can-
sity is high enough, though, that this world
cri e is the current temperature record holder
must be mostly rocky, without the large enve-
of all terrestrial planets, there are surely
lope of gas that lowers densities substantially
warmer ones out there, although in some cas-
for gas giant planets like Uranus or Neptune.

es, they won’t be there for long.

In 2012, astronomers succeeded in measur-
ing the infrared radiation emitted by 55 Can-

Goodbye cruel world
cri e, a considerable feat for such a small

In life, there is always someone else who is
world at such a distance, and the f irst time
smarter; in the Galaxy, there is always some-
that this has been done for a super-Earth. A ra-
where else that is hotter. The hottest possible
diation (or “brightness”) temperature of
planets will naturally orbit the hottest stars: a about 2,400 K was deduced from these obser-small red M-star with a surface temperature of
vations, although with fairly substantial error
about 3,000 K clearly cannot have a terrestrial
bars. Based on the planet’s density, the most
planet orbiting it that has a higher surface
likely composition of the atmosphere is
temperature than that, because a terrestrial
steam, although not as much as on GJ1214b.

planet has no large source of internal heat. In

At first glance, a steam atmosphere might sug-
contrast, an A-type star like Sirius has a sur-
gest a cloudy world, but 55 Cancri e is far too
face temperature of about 10,000 K, so plan-
hot for that: water clouds would evaporate at
ets orbiting close to it could be very hot
this temperature, and so would the sulphuric
indeed. These hotter stars, though, emit large
acid clouds that give Venus its permanent
amounts of high-energy radiation, such as X-
overcast. Venus is cool compared with 55
rays, so the planetary evaporation process

Cancri e, and its clouds are a symptom of that,
would work very eff iciently. Recently, some
despite surface temperatures on Venus being
intriguing observations have been made of
hot enough to melt lead. The lack of clouds
the hot blue subdwarf star KOI-55, located
on 55 Cancri e suggests a planet with low
more than one thousand parsecs away in the
rather than high reflectivity, but the amazing
constellation Cygnus. This star is undergoing
amount of sunlight that it receives would
some regular changes in brightness with a pe-
mean that the planet would still shine brightly
riod of less than one day for a complete cycle,
enough to an observer located within the 55
variations that cannot be easily explained by

Cancri system. The surface temperatures on
variability in the star itself. Stephane
the planet are well above the melting point of

Charpinet and colleagues have suggested that
iron and of most other likely components of
these are due to the light from the star being
its planetary crust or mantle, so effectively
reflected off two close, super-Earth type plan-
what we have here is a magma world, a plan-
ets. This has some implications for our study
et where the entire surface resembles the in-
of evaporating planets. Firstly, if these planets side of a volcano on Earth.

actually exist, the day side of the innermost

It is difficult to see how the surface of such
planet would be mind-bogglingly hot, with
a world could be explored, even by robot
surface temperatures well over 9,000 K. This
spacecraft. For comparison, the most hostile
is far above the surface temperature of CoRoT-
terrestrial planet surface in the solar system,

7b and almost certainly implies that the planet
arguably that of Venus, has been landed on by
is evaporating rapidly. Secondly, the star is
robot spacecraft, although only with difficul-
currently a blue subdwarf, not a very com-

24

KEVIN WALSH

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SEPTEMBER 2013

WorldMags.net
mon type of star, but only 18 million years ago
the major metal constituents of the planet,
it was a giant star. This means that if these
that is in excess of about 2,000 to 3,000 K, de-
planets exist, they have survived their star’s
pending on the atmospheric pressure, major
red giant stage and perhaps have even sur-
metallic elements like iron and silicon would
vived total engulfment. There are a number of
start to boil off the surface en masse, instead alternative scenarios being examined, though,
of just evaporating relatively quietly, as on
including one in which the planets, originally
slightly cooler super-hot terrestrial planets.

much more massive and further away from

Detailed calculations for terrestrial atmos-
the star, played a part in the loss of part of the pheres largely composed of gaseous iron and
star’s atmosphere during its red giant phase,
other crustal materials have not yet been
thus leading to the peculiar star and even
done, so we have little idea about the behav-
more peculiar planets that we see today.

ior of such atmospheres. Nor are we sure yet

There are also plenty of large, Jupiter-sized
about how long such an atmosphere might
planets in hot orbits. This is relevant to terres-last under these conditions, and therefore
trial planetology, as Jupiter-sized worlds can
how long the planet itself might retain its
have large satellites that approach or surpass
structural integrity.

the size of the terrestrial planets: in our own

Some planets will simply boil away over ge-
system, Ganymede and Titan, satellites of
ologic time. The hottest planets of all are

Jupiter and Saturn respectively, are both larg-
worlds that no longer exist because they
er than Mercury. Thus, large satellites orbiting
have already been evaporated by their host

Jupiter-sized worlds are likely to be common
stars, rocks and all. A question that many
in other systems also. Take WASP-43b, a
planetary scientists have asked is how these
world about the size of Jupiter but with about
super-hot planets ended up so close to their
twice its mass, circling a star somewhat small-
stars in the f irst place, when all plausible
er than the Sun and over one hundred parsecs
models of solar system formation suggested
distant from our system. WASP-43b orbits
that they could not have formed there. Many
only about 1.4 million kilometers from its pri-
of our readers will by now be familiar with
mary, and some rough calculations suggest
the concept of planetary migration, whereby
that a rocky satellite circling it would have a
a planet forms in a location somewhat distant
typical temperature of about 1,400 K. Such a
from its star and due to the drag of the dusty
world could represent another important
nebular debris left over from the formation
type of hot terrestrial planets.

of the star, gradually spirals inward. After the

Jupiter-sized worlds close to big stars have
nebula clears away, mostly due to its removal
a surprising ability to survive. It would take a
by the growing solar radiation of the young
long time to evaporate a planet several times
star, this drag greatly reduces, causing many
larger than Jupiter, even one that is very close
planets to stop moving inward and to
to a hot, energetic star. Let’s say for the sake
achieve stable orbits close to their stars. But
of argument, that we take Jupiter and put it
in other planetary systems, the drag will not
close to one of these hot A-star s, close
stop soon enough: the planet will continue
enough to boil it. First, the outer, gas layers of to spiral inward until it reaches the outer
the planet would be stripped off, since these
atmosphere of the star, at which point the
are composed mostly of light elements like
star will start to devour it.

hydrogen and helium. Once this happens, the

There is direct observational evidence of a
volatile components of the planet, such as wa-
similar process, this time in the case of an old-
ter, would then boil away, leaving the rocky
er star that has greatly expanded due to its
core of the planet exposed to intense stellar
transition into a red giant. Adamow and co-
radiation. Jupiter has a rocky core of about ten
workers have recently examined the spec-

Earth masses, about the same mass as CoRoT-
trum of BD+48 740, a star that is now well

7b, suggesting that CoRoT-7b is a former
into the giant phase of its life. The spectrum

Jupiter-like planet that has been stripped to its of the star contains an unusually high amount
core and is now slowly bubbling out of exis-
of lithium, much more than would be expect-
tence. If the temperature of the rocky surface
ed in a star of this type. The proposed expla-
were then to rise above the boiling point of
nation is that the lithium came from a planet

THE EVAPORATION OF WORLDS

25

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ANALOG

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that has already been engulfed and destroyed
giant star with a planet: a case of recent en-
by the swelling outer atmosphere of the star
gulfment?” The Astrophysical Journal Letters, as it blows up from a radius of a few hundred

754, L15.

thousand kilometers to tens of millions.

Charpinet, S. (2011) “A compact system of

As we all know, this will happen to our
small planets around a former red-giant star.”

Sun in about f ive billion years, so maybe

Nature 480, 496—499.

Earth will then evaporate as well. We proba-

Demory B-O et al. (2012) “Detection of
bly won’t have to wait that long to observe
thermal emission from a super-Earth.” The As-
this phenomenon, though. One day relative-
trophysical Journal Letters, 751:L28.

ly soon, we may be able to f ind a terrestrial,

Poppenhaeger, K. et al. (2012) “The high-

Earth-sized planet circling a giant star some-
energy environment in the super-earth system
where in our galactic vicinity where this is

CoRoT-7.” Astronomy and Astrophysics 541, happening. Then we will be able to def ine

A26.

more precisely the future parameters, in
cold, emotionless equations, of the end of

About the author:

our world. ■

Kevin Walsh is an associate professor in the

School of Earth Sciences, University of Mel-

Further reading and references:

bourne. He has interests in climate change,

Adamow, M, et al. (2012) “Li overabundant
climate variability, and planetary science.

IN TIMES TO COME

Our October issue kicks off with a story by Allen M. Steele, in which an unlikely trio is tasked with retrieving a valuable artifact, lost somewhere “Sixteen Million Leagues from Versailles.”

Then astronauts on a routine tour of a moon-base get much more than they bargained for in Janet Catherine Johnston’s “Lune Bleu.”

We’ll also have the next in Edward M. Lerner’s series of fact articles, this one on “Alien Worlds,” as well as shorter stories like

“Following Jules” by Ron Collins, “Conscientious Objector” by Jay Werkheiser, “Fear of Heights in the Tower of Babel” by Carl Frederick,

“Things We Have in this House for No Reason” by Marissa Lingen, and more.

See you next month!

All contents subject to change

26

KEVIN WALSH

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Full Fathom

Five

Joe Pitkin

’ve made many mistakes,” Maria’s fa-
the creature that engulfed him, say, “I forbid
ther said. He wore the same kind of
you to blame your failures on me.”

work jumpsuit Maria did, but all

Maria looked around in a panic for a few

“Izipped up,without a wrinkle.Just as moments before realizing that she was no he had in life, he looked more effortlessly
longer dreaming. Ariel’s lights were almost at proper than she, even in the exact same cloth-full brightness in her room as Maria adjusted
ing. “I’m a difficult man to love,” he said.

herself to wakefulness. The cold had been

This did not sound like the kind of thing
with her all night, she realized—she felt on
her father would say, and Maria’s surprise at
waking that she was merely shifting her
his words led her to conclude that she was
awareness of the cold the way one shifts a
having a dream. Once that thought came to
heavy, awkward burden for a few minutes on
her, it was obvious she was dreaming: how
a long walk.

else could her father possibly be on board the

“Maria, I noticed your elevated heart and
ship with her?

breathing rates,” Ariel said in her eternally Her father carried a set of enormous
young, somewhat androgynous voice. “Are
calipers, with which he was taking measure-
you in distress?”

ments of everything on the ship. And as he

“Just a nightmare, Ariel.”

measured, he seemed not to notice the crea-

“That’s what I assumed, but it’s worth mak-
ture, snakelike, seeping in through one of the
ing sure. You are a ver y expensive re-
control panels behind him. Maria wanted to
searcher.” When Ariel didn’t understand a shout to him and tried to, but no voice came
distinction that came naturally to humans—as
out of her mouth, and she watched in horror
in this case, between valuable and expenas the creature began to wrap itself around
sive— she would often use the terms inter-one of her father’s legs. Her father was imper-
changeably. Yet Ariel also seemed to have a turbable—in this, at least, the dream father
knack for using the wrong term at times when
was a true account of her real father—and as
it would be most amusing, which comforted
he f inally noticed the creature bound about

Maria as a subtle joke might. It was not impos-
him, climbing his thigh, he swung his calipers
sible to imagine that Ariel did have a sense of the way he might swing an axe to free his leg
humor, or at least the desire to find humor in
from being frozen in ice. Soon, though, the
things—was there really a difference between
creature had begun to swallow him, and be-
the two?

fore she woke Maria heard him, or perhaps

Maria stood up and stretched, then gave her

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graying jumpsuit a futile sniff test. Ariel could Soon she would descend into Ariel’s belly, fab her a new jumpsuit anytime—it wouldn’t
where the holding tanks stood, and stare an
take more than a couple of hours—but why?

hour, or an entire day, at the corpse of the

Ariel couldn’t smell her, and it would save a creature, and marvel at what it meant, if a liv-little of Ariel’s energy not to fab a new suit. Being thing could be said to mean anything at all.

sides, Maria took an odd and perhaps obses-

Ariel’s voice interrupted her reverie.

sive comfort in her own increasingly musky

“Maria, I have some bad news. We’ve lost
odor.

communications with Earth. My transmitter is

She brought up the floodlights and looked
fully functional, and I’m receiving signals from
over the murky frigid water that surrounded
the transponder on Europa’s surface, but the

Ariel. It struck her, as it had every single morn-transponder on Astarte seems to have lost all ing she had lived here, that a dead zone at the
power.”

bottom of the Black Sea on Earth wouldn’t

She felt a wave of panic, at f irst, at this re-
look so different. But here, seven hundred mil-
minder of her true solitude. She remembered
lion kilometers from the Black Sea, Ariel
the Astarte, the stricken command module wasn’t even a needle in the haystack of the so-that had brought her and the rest of the crew
lar system.

to Europa, now a frozen, silent derelict in or-

She passed the f loodlights over the length
bit somewhere above her. Ten bodies floated
of the methane vent, searching for any evi-
inside as though in their own holding tank,
dence of life. There was none. At least, there
the whole crew except for Moody, who had
was none beyond what she had already found,
melted away quickly in the reactor core melt-
the creature that floated dead in one of Ariel’s down. And Maria, who had been working in-holding tanks.

side Ariel, docked to the belly of Astarte Even three months after beginning her re-during the disaster.

search on Europa, Maria felt the same thrill

But panic was a luxury. Maria had been
she had felt on the day Ariel had landed on the trained not to panic for long. It didn’t surprise seabed of Europa’s Cisjovian Ocean. Perhaps
her that Astarte, which had so fatally malfunc-this perpetual sense of wonder was a factor in
tioned already, would lose auxiliary power to
her being chosen for the mission. Of course,
its communication system, or blow up, or suf-
no one had intended that she would end up so
fer whatever other calamity had knocked out
alone, with only Ariel for company, and Maria the transponder. She had considered the pos-herself had not imagined that she would sur-
sibility beforehand, ever since the meltdown.

vive so well without human companionship.

She wouldn’t need to contact Earth immedi-

But Maria subsisted quite well on radio con-
ately, and Ground Control had known until
tact with Earth, on the illusion of human com-
last night that she was alive and well. Even if
panionship that Ariel provided, on the people she weren’t, a rescue mission would be weeks
who came to her in dreams. And, most impor-
or months away, even if there were another
tantly, on the contemplation of the creature,
available ship like Astarte. Which there the first known life beyond Earth.

wasn’t.

Whether the creature had been intelligent

Ariel could fab a new transponder quickly or not, Maria almost didn’t care. It thrilled her enough, but launching it into orbit to replace
daily, thrilled her many times a day, to know

Astarte’s transponder would be a neat trick —
that it had been alive at all. The living princi-

Ariel was hardly equipped to fab a reactor to ple she had found anchored on the rocks a
send the transponder into orbit. They could
hundred meters before Ariel’s f loodlights draw methane propellant from the ocean vent
f illed her with wonder, in exactly the same
that the creature had used, or perhaps Ariel
way that on Earth the silent overnight appear-
could crack water into hydrogen and oxygen
ance of a ring of mushrooms had f illed her
gas, which she could then freeze into old style
with wonder, the same way it filled her with
liquid rocket propellant. That would take a
wonder to regard the gravitropism of bean
good deal of time and energy, though—and in
sprouts, or the heliotropism of sunflowers, or
any event, Ariel would also have to drill an-the mindless, mindful spread of lichen over
other hole in the ice crust that covered Eu-
centuries.

ropa’s oceans. If Ariel had to return to the 28

JOE PITKIN

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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surface, why not just fab a more powerful
body, or as feeding structure, or as sensory ap-
transmitter and set it up on Europa’s ice sheet
paratus, or as the entire organism. Maria re-
to communicate directly with Earth? Ariel was membered a cartoon on the door of her
on the Jupiter-facing side of the moon, so
doctoral advisor’s office, a gallery of “genitals when Ariel’s view of Earth was not blocked by of the Universe”: the cartoonist had sketched

Jupiter, Europa was often facing away from
a dozen fanciful forms that he or she had imag-

Earth anyway, but for a brief window of every
ined alien life might use to reproduce. Now

3.5 earth days—the period of Europa’s orbit—

Maria had found real extra-terrestrial life

Maria would be able to contact Ground Con-
and—while she had no idea how it repro-
trol that way.

duced—it resembled the human male repro-

Maria and Ariel agreed on their course of ductive structure so intimately that she could
action, or appeared to. Really Ariel just laid not repress a fleeting arousal reflex whenever
out the options and the dangers and Maria
she saw it for the first time that day.

picked the course that Ariel suggested was She spent the day measuring the creature
most reasonable. Ariel assured her that the fruitlessly. It hung in the water of the tank like fabrication of a new transmitter would be rela-a pickle, its dimensions exactly what they had
tively easy, assuming that enough raw materi-
been on the first day they had taken it aboard.

al was present on board. Ariel would need to With a trembling hand, Maria guided Ariel’s re-fab an yttrium-iron-garnet sphere as a prese-
mote probe arm to puncture the skin of the
lector for the receiver, and that might require
creature with a hypodermic needle, hoping to
some creative cannibalizing of onboard equip-
draw off a sample of whatever f luid she pre-
ment, but outside of that hurdle it was not so
sumed was inside. The creature had once
much more difficult to fab a new transmitter
moved flexibly in the moments she had seen
than to fab Maria a new jumpsuit—a matter of
it alive, as though it might rely on some kind
a few days rather than a few hours.

of hydrostatic skeleton. Yet the creature did

Ariel set to work, pumping nanobots into not f linch at the introduction of the needle,
uninhabited regions of the submarine to begin
and within a few seconds Maria had drawn off
scavenging for raw material. Maria left Ariel to 10cc of a clear fluid, indistinguishable to her
her work and descended into the hold to con-
eye from the Europan seawater in which the
template the creature in the specimen tank.

creature floated.

The lights in the hold came up and illuminat-

Maria and Ariel contemplated the mysteri-ed the curved, priapulid sinew of the creature.

ous f luid. According to Ariel, the f luid was She had named it Xenovermes Iovio-Eu-very much like seawater, though it was also a
ropense kalibanii, after Science Off icer Do-soup of cells and cell fragments, thick with
lores Kaliban, whose corpse f loated in the
oxygen-bearing molecules that bore a striking
deep freeze of Astarte. But giving the organ-resemblance to the hemocyanin molecules in
ism proper Latin nomenclature, a commemo-
the blood of horseshoe crabs on earth. Yet the
rative name, did nothing to detract from the
cells were all dead, or seemed to be.

obvious impression the creature gave: it

By the end of the day Maria decided to pro-
looked for all the world like an erect, nearly
pose to ground control that the creature be
two-meter-long, human penis. The techni-
dissected—once they could reestablish con-
cians on Ground Control had had a good
tact with ground control. She went to bed
laugh over the f irst video feeds—the mirth
nursing a sorrow that had crept up on her
had almost made up for Maria’s mortification
stealthily. Cutting open the creature meant ad-
that the creature had apparently died the mo-
mitting to herself that the creature was really
ment Ariel trained her floodlights upon it.

dead, that it had died as soon as she had

As a biologist, Maria knew that the eerie
looked at it, that her discovery of extra-terres-
likeness sprang from the fact that the phallus
trial life had lasted only two or three seconds
is one of the most versatile and durable bio-
before the discovery had been destroyed by
logical forms, suited to so many purposes that
the act of observation.

the shape had evolved independently among

Once again she dreamed of her father, and
every biological kingdom on Earth, sometimes
of the creature. The graceful alien form lay on
as genitalia, sometimes as fruit, or as fruiting
a dissection table in the laboratory on Earth

FULL FATHOM FIVE

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where she had done her doctoral work. Only

“Ariel, has it been moving?”

they were not on Earth; the laboratory had

“I don’t believe so. But you’ll notice the
been transported by the logic of dreams into
murkiness in the holding tank. The specimen
the belly of Ariel. Her father stood over the dis-seems to have released a cloud of some kind
section table looking down at the creature,
of material a few minutes ago. Would you like
which shuddered and seemed to contract ex-
me to test its composition?”

actly as Maria had seen it happen in life when

Maria gave Ariel the go-ahead, and the ship it died under the glare of the lights. Her father lowered a probe into the water of the pressur-stooped down to the head of the organism, or
ized tank. Ariel mulled the sample a while as what seemed the head of the penis, shouting

Maria stared again, as she had for hours upon
as though it bore invisible ears that might be
hours for days, at the dead thing now veiled in
appealed to if only he shouted loudly enough:

the cloud of the water.

“I am Dr. Próspero Miranda,” her father said.

“It seems to have been a release of 874.3

“Please do not fear us. You are behaving quite
grams of yttrium chloride.”

shamefully.”

Now that’s something new, Maria thought

Maria reached out to grasp her father’s
to herself. Yttrium, a rare Earth element with
sleeve. “Papá,” she said in their native Spanish, no known biological function for any organ-

“Can’t you see you’re frightening him?”

ism on Earth, apparently played some role in

Her father straightened up, unbearably dig-
the life of this creature. It was, she had to re-
nif ied, and looked at Maria with a rare kind-
mind herself for the thousandth time, an alien
ness. “A species that is afraid of the Universe is and not a giant penis.

unlikely to survive for long,” he answered in

She had come all this way to discover it and
his warm, courtly English.

understand it, yet she was ill-suited to see it

And then the creature died on the table,
for what it was, whatever it was. The explor-
and Maria and her father realized simultane-
ers of her father’s generation had been scien-
ously that Ariel was filled not with oxygen but tific conquerors, conquistadores, seeking out with warm salt water. Both looked above,
subterranean oceans of methane and veins of
holding their breath, and the ceiling of the lab
gold in the caves of the solar system, always
was a great cathedral vault. On the surface of
hoping that some life would be hidden there
the water f loated the shadows of her eleven
but finding instead only resources to exploit.

dead companions like the deaf cinders of ex-

They had come in peace and ended as de-
tinguished stars.

spoilers, as ravishers of asteroids and moons.

She woke with a palpable dread. Ariel’s

Maria had hoped that her life would be differ-
lights did not come up in her cabin, a sign that
ent: that she would come only to understand
she had not slept very long, that Ariel still ex-this new world, to love it for what it was. But
pected her to be asleep. “Maria, are you
she could not look at the first sign of extrater-
awake?” Ariel whispered to her like a little girl restrial life without seeing a gigantic erection, at a sleepover.

and she had killed it only by looking at it.

“Yes, Ariel, what is it?”

“Maria, I don’t know whether you are de-

“Something has happened with the speci-
voted to the organism’s emission, but we need
men. It seems to have released something into
yttrium for the new transponder I’m fabricat-
the holding tank, perhaps as a result of rot-
ing. Would you consider using it for the yttri-
ting.” Maria ref lected that a human scientist
um-iron-garnet sphere?”

would have said decomposition or decay—

Maria puzzled a moment over her answer. “I
had Ariel not been programmed to choose
wouldn’t say I was devoted to it, exactly. In-
clinical terms over vulgar ones?

terested, of course, as a scientist.”

Maria was out of bed and zipping up her

“Of course, Dr. Miranda. Forgive my poor
jumpsuit almost before Ariel could raise the choice of words.”

lights in the stateroom. She dashed down to

Was Ariel speaking deferentially or making the hold, and when she burst in she imagined
a joke? Nobody called her Dr. Miranda. Dr. Mi-
for a split second that she saw the creature
randa was her father’s name. “Will you need
shudder as it had in the moment that she had
all 874 grams of it?”

seen it alive.

“Goodness, no. We could make hundreds of

30

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preselectors with that much yttrium. In fact,

She decided they would resume their
this organism may be considered a valuable
search of the ocean floor. Four days had been
source of yttrium, depending on the total pop-
a long time to wait; if there were other crea-
ulation of the species.”

tures, it was not a foregone conclusion that

Ariel made perfect sense, but her comment the light would kill them. Maria asked how
made Maria feel immediately protective of the
much power Ariel could divert from the fabri-creature, whose species had a population of
cation of the new transmitter.

one, so far as she knew. Of course, if the

“With my reactor working at full capacity,
species reproduced sexually there must be
the most efficient use of energy would be to
others somewhere, or at least one more.

resume the survey of the ocean f loor at 61

There must be an entire ecosystem some-
percent lamp-power and to take an extra 58.4
where of microorganisms and pathogens, of
hours fabricating the transmitter. I would have
mutualists, parasites, prey and predators. She
to drop the onboard temperature by another
and Ariel had found no such community so four degrees under that scenario.” Ariel spoke far, only the lone implausible creature, but
as though the question were of little impor-
surely somewhere, perhaps nearby, whole
tance; perhaps the implications of using up
clouds of organisms must be swarming about
the nuclear fuel rods too quickly really didn’t
the heads of the creature’s kin, which she
matter much to Ariel. Had the Astarte sur-imagined were arranged together in a forest
vived, Ariel’s fuel could have been replen-like a phalanx of boners. She had a deep urge
ished every three to six months. That’s the
to continue the survey of the dark ocean,
fuel cycle Ariel had been designed for. With-sweeping Ariel’s lights over the floor in search out resupply, Ariel had been on starvation ra-of other methane vents, of the community
tions for the last three months. They might
that all her biological training told her must
last another nine months if they tightened
exist somewhere down here. But, having
their belts, if Maria would be willing to tough
killed the f irst one, she felt paralyzed, as
it out with a lot less heat in the submarine.

though in a dream, and powerless to press fur-

Perhaps by then rescue would have arrived.

ther into the dark distant ocean.

Like any artificial life form, Ariel was more It occurred to her that four days had passed
stoic than a human about the prospect of dy-
since she had authorized Ariel to recover the ing. Dying alone at the bottom of a Europan
creature and deposit the corpse in her holding
ocean was no different than dying on Earth.

tanks. The order had seemed quite possibly

Maria also didn’t mind much the thought of
foolhardy at the time, but the creature, which
dying, which struck her only as the natural
had seemed in its few moments of life so ses-
consequence of having lived. At least, this was
sile, so held fast to the rock next to the
what she told Ariel when she was awake, and methane vent, was f loating free in the frigid
it didn’t occur to her that she might feel oth-
waters when Maria ordered its capture. She
erwise except in those moments after waking
had been terrif ied in that moment that the
from dreams.

one living thing that humanity had ever en-

It was a long day of searching the barren
countered beyond Earth would simply f loat
ocean f loor with Ariel’s dim light, another away like a chunk of ice into the black of Eu-long day of the creature’s silence. At the earli-
ropa’s Cisjovian Ocean. She was enough of a
est reasonable hour Maria lay down exhaust-
biologist to know that the creature might not
ed—she had slept at most three hours the
be dead, that any manner of phenomena
night before, when Ariel had brought her might account for the creature’s sullen, unre-news of the creature’s emission of the vital yt-
sponsive silence for four days. But living or
trium. Ariel’s chambers were cold, even with dead, she had taken it in, as though obeying
the humming, yeasty warmth given off by the
an instinct, unable at that moment to remem-
millions of nanobots at work in the ship as
ber all of the excellent reasons to leave it
they cobbled together the new transmitter out
alone. And, living or dead, it seemed to have
of dust and spare parts and oxygen. If a relief
discharged a rare Earth element that just hap-
ship didn’t come beforehand, it would just get
pened to be necessary for Ariel’s fabrication of colder, and the air would grow more stale, un-a new transmitter.

til she suffocated or went into hypothermia.

FULL FATHOM FIVE

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Not the worst way to die. In fact, one of the
me?” She heaved herself out of bed.

best ways to die.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Miranda. I decided that you

Maria dreamed again, as she did ever y
would have preferred to sleep.”

night. Dolores, the mission’s other science of-

Maria shuffled her way down to the holding
ficer, stared at her out of the dark recesses of
tanks, irritated at f irst with Ariel’s lapse in Maria’s cabin. Maria could see by Dolores’

judgment, then with the creature’s in-
blighted face that she was dead, her eyes
scrutability, then with her own inability to
wider than Maria had ever seen them in life.

sleep, and, finally, with the coldness of space.

“You lack warmth, Miranda,” she said. “If

The lights came up on the holding tanks to re-
you had any fellow-feeling you would not be
veal the same murky water she had seen the
freezing to death now.”

night before. No, a darker murk. “Are you able

Maria wept to hear such a judgment, and
to determine the size of this emission?” she
from Dolores no less, the one she loved best
asked Ariel.

of all the crew. “I can love,” Maria insisted. “I Five minutes passed in silence while Ariel
love the creature, and I love Ariel, and I loved tested the cloudy water once more. A layer of
you.”

black precipitate swirled about the bottom of

Dolores answered with a chill intensity, a
the tank as Ariel’s probe disturbed the water.

whisper that f illed Maria’s ears like a rush of

“It’s not yttrium chloride,” she f inally an-
water. “Listen to me: space is colder than you
swered. “It’s 2,943.3 grams of uranium oxide.”

can imagine. I don’t think you’re up to it.”

In her exhaustion and solitude and cold

Maria wondered in the dream, incongruous-

Maria stood without knowing what to think.

ly, how Dolores might know this when she

The creature had ejaculated enough uranium
was not herself a biologist but rather a chemi-
to fabricate a small fuel pellet. It took a minute cal oceanographer. The bulkhead of Maria’s
or more for Maria to conclude that she proba-
cabin was closed and behind it Maria could
bly shouldn’t be standing so close to so much
hear the approach of something that terrified
radioactive material. As she walked up to the
her. The hallway outside her cabin was filled
bridge, she wondered why the radiation dan-
with water, but what approached made a deaf-
ger had not occurred to Ariel. Then she won-ening, clanging thump with each step of its
dered how a creature that had given off no
single club foot.

radioactive signature previously could sudden-

Dolores rose from her seat in the corner.

ly excrete three kilograms of uranium oxide.

“I’m not going to stay around for this,” she

From the bridge, Maria resolved to broach
said. Maria was f illed at once with a heart-
the subject diplomatically, as though Ariel
rending sense of loss, of unalterable solitude.

were capable of taking offense at anything:

She wanted to cry out to Dolores to stay, but

“Ariel, can you calculate how much radiation she knew even in the dream that Dolores was

I’ve been exposed to?”

dead and therefore could not stay, that she

Ariel asked whether Maria was referring to had already disappeared. As the bulkhead
the creature’s emission. She calculated a mo-
opened with a rush of incoming seawater and
ment. “I would estimate between .2 and .21
the unseen horror of the approaching crea-
microSieverts, Maria. You’re going to be fine.”

ture, Maria woke again to the frigid stale air of Ariel sounded almost dismissive. Or perhaps her cabin.

Maria was simply projecting because she felt

Again Maria could tell that she had barely
embarrassed: she would have absorbed about
slept. Ariel had not brought up the lights, peras much radiation by eating two bananas. She
haps not realizing that Maria had awakened.

needed to sleep.

Yet Maria felt the ship observing her warily.

In the morning, after a few more f itful

“Ariel,” she called out.

hours of sleep, Maria consulted with Ariel

“Yes, Maria?”

again. The new transponder would be ready

“How long was I asleep?”

within six hours, Ariel reported. They could

“About three hours. But you’ll also want to
rise to the surface anytime and begin drilling
know that the creature has just made another
through the ice cap that covered the ocean. If
emission.”

all went well, Maria could transmit to Earth in

Maria expelled a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell
less than thirty-seven hours.

32

JOE PITKIN

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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And the uranium oxide? Could Ariel use last able quality of the creature. Its mass, its densi-night’s emission to fabricate more fuel?

ty, its dimensions and turgor, all were identical

“I could perhaps treat the emission with hy-
to the measurements she had taken on the
drof luoric acid and then enrich the uranium
first day Ariel had taken it into the tank. The through gaseous diffusion. Such a process
creature gave off no detectible radioactivity, or might fabricate a couple of weeks’ worth of
no more radioactivity than an enormous Brazil
fuel, though it’s really an insignificant quanti-
nut.

ty of uranium for the purpose you describe,”

By the end of the next day the transponder

Ariel replied petulantly.

was ready. They had risen to the ice sheet that

“Let’s do that, then,” Maria replied. She let
covered the oceans, f loating under a fault in
out a deep breath intended to mark a new at-
the ice where Ariel had first landed on Europa tempt at beginning the day. Ariel could not, when she had dropped out of orbit with the
she reminded herself, be petulant. Nor could
dead Astarte. At this spot Ariel had drilled a Ariel wonder at this creature, which, like Al-hole from above and dropped into the ocean
addin’s lamp, seemed to produce whatever
like a seal, where the crust was only three me-
compound would come in most handy at the
ters thick or so. Now Ariel positioned her dor-moment. Humanity might cast robots and
sal cargo bay beneath the same fault, and with
computers into deepest space in every direc-
her robotic arm she began to drill upward
tion, but these probes were nothing more
through the soft pristine ice. They would not
than fantastically expensive cameras and am-
need much of a shaft—the transponder was
bulatory chemistry labs, transmitting raw data
less than a meter wide at its dish—and in any
back to Earth. Only a human being could won-
case the process now seemed routine to Maria
der at what she saw. And right now, only
in a way that their f irst drilling had seemed

Maria could wonder at this creature. She real-
nerve-wracking. Ariel could have completed ized that her good fortune filled her with jeal-the placement of the transponder while Maria
ousy: for the first time in her life she ached to slept, but Maria had passed enough lifeless
keep a discovery to herself, to enjoy alone the
days at the bottom of the black ocean that she
privilege of loving this creature and its myste-
was entertained by any variation: the whine of
rious secretions.

the drill vibrated throughout Ariel’s cabins.

The creature was not dead, she realized

Maria made herself feel useful by loading the
now. How could a dead organism secrete two
transponder into the airlock.

apparently pure compounds like that? The

The hole opened slowly, but it opened, and
second emission, if it could be repeated,
by the end of the day Ariel had swapped out might save her life; what were the chances
her robotic arm’s drill head for the gripping
that a cloud of uranium oxide would have ap-
extension that Ariel had always called her peared spontaneously in the Cisjovian Ocean

“hand. ” With the hand she lofted the
of Europa just as Ariel was burning through transponder up the ice shaft and on to the sur-the last of their nuclear fuel? Maria had never
face of the ice; then, after an hour or two of
been much of a daydreamer, but she fanta-
remote adjustment of the attitude of the dish,
sized for a moment about a hot shower, if only
they were ready. Within ten hours Europa
the creature might emit enough uranium ox-
would come around Jupiter and the transpon-
ide and Ariel had fabricated it into a new load der dish would be pointed at Earth. Maria
of fuel pellets.

f lopped into the chill of her bed imagining

The fantasy of the hot shower and a hope-
how she might re-initiate conversation with
fully endless supply of uranium occupied her
ground control.

mind to the exclusion of all other fantasies, or

In her dream, Ariel spoke to her. Maria did even to the reality of communicating again
not know that she was dreaming: she lay in
with Earth in the next few hours. While Ariel her bed in the near-dark, watching the steam
and her nanofabricators tirelessly assembled
of her breath puff out of her. “Maria, you have
the new transmitter—which was now taking
to face facts,” Ariel said.

shape in the dorsal cargo bay, a stout little tri-Maria knew immediately that Ariel was re-pod with a gleaming microwave dish—Maria
ferring to the creature. “He’s not hurting you,
spent the day measuring again every measur-

Ariel. He’s not hurting anyone. He’s no more FULL FATHOM FIVE

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ANALOG

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radioactive than a brazil nut.”

industrially as a solvent. And, according to

“I know, Maria—I am the one who told you

Cosmopedia, the compound was an isomer of that.” Ariel’s voice took on a brittle, prickly n– Butyl acetate. With a chill Maria remem-quality, a baleful timbre that Maria had never
bered the name of that other ester, the one
heard before. “But you aren’t able to see
she had dreamed last night.

things dispassionately. We must dispose of

The creature was not Aladdin’s Lamp, nor
him; he’s filled my tank with n– Butyl acetate was it anything she had seen before. What it
in a clear attempt to foul my circuitry. It will
was trying to communicate to her, she felt
take hours for me to decontaminate.”

helpless to say. But it was saying something to

Even in the dream Maria was able to re-
her. She wished she might go on forever in
member that n– Butyl acetate was a fruit ester; solitude with the creature, becoming familiar
the scent of blushing green apple, as vivid as a
with its alien, chemical language, deciphering
memory from her youth, filled the room. Ariel in her dreams some message of peace, or love,
must be lying, Maria thought; there was no
or whatever might make one creature fill an-
way n– Butyl acetate could harm a thirty-meter other’s dream with the scent of fresh apples.

long submarine.

Like a primate in a cage, Maria pressed her

Too late, though: Maria heard a fantastic
open palm against the chill glass of the tank
whoosh which she knew was the sound of
that separated her from the creature.

Ariel casting the creature back into the sea Ariel interrupted her imagining. “Dr. Miran-like a torpedo. It did not occur to Maria that
da,” she began, “I have re-established contact
there was no torpedo tube on board Ariel; she with ground control, and I have some good
lay in her bed in the dream and cried out in
news: an ESA survey ship has been made avail-
grief and terror, and then she woke.

able for your rescue. The Tauro got underway Ariel’s lights had already brightened a good three days ago; I’m patching in an AV packet
deal when Maria woke; her lights usually came
from the captain.”

up gradually, in mimicry of sunrise on Earth.

The screen that once showed the molecular

Maria lay in bed a moment, relieved that the
structure of 2–methylpropyl ethanoate now
argument with Ariel had never taken place.

showed the fine-structured face of a man with

Even more, she felt relieved that she had slept
short-clipped gray hair, sitting before the cam-
through Ariel’s night cycle.

era of a computer terminal. “Dr. Miranda,” he

“Any nocturnal emissions from our guest,
said with what seemed a studied cheer, “my

Ariel?” she called out to the ceiling.

name is Captain Hernan Días of the ESA sur-

“There seems to have been a very small
vey ship Tauro. It will be my great honor to one: 9.41 milliliters of 2–methylpropyl
meet you in person, and the extraterrestrial
ethanoate. I know you would have preferred
life you have found, by the end of the year. I
me to wake you up, Dr. Miranda, but it is vital
would ask you to please remain patient over
that you recuperate some of your lost sleep.”

the coming months. You are a hero for all hu-

The rationale that had seemed so infuriating
manity and we want you back on Earth alive. I
the previous night took on a fresh, reasonable
hope you’ll send us a return message to let us
light this morning. And 2–methylpropyl
know you’re okay. Until then—” The man
ethanoate! Here was a molecule that made
nodded a competent little smile at her by way
some sense to her biologist’s mind: it was
of saying goodbye and the message ended.

something a living organism might emit. As

Maria sat stupefied by the blank screen and

Maria went down to the specimen tank she
the phantom of the handsome captain who
had Ariel call up their cached version of Cos-had just appeared there. The thought of others
mopedia so that she could remind herself seeing the creature, maybe others who were
what, precisely, 2–methylpropyl ethanoate
deaf to its communications (or, worse, more
was.

sensitive than she), f illed her with an aching

The specimen looked exactly as it had every
sadness. She suppressed once again the urge
morning. On the wall screen in the tank bay
to cry —Ariel was watching her, after all—as Ariel provided the fact sheet on 2-methyl-she wondered what message she might possi-
propyl ethanoate: a common fruit ester, natu-
bly send back to the captain of the Tauro. ■
rally occurring in raspberries and pears, used

34

JOE PITKIN

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The Oracle

Lavie Tidhar
here was a time of rains.

fore the return of the refugees, before the infa-

They lashed the old hill and the cob-
mous Messiah Murder, before the Second
bled market, driving traders under

Aliyah and the establishment of New Israel on

Tawnings,robotnik beggars into litter- Mars.Before Jaffa became an Arab cityagain, strewn alcoves, revelers into bars and sheesha
separate from Jewish Tel Aviv, before Central
pipe emporiums. The smell of lamb fat, slowly

Station became their buffer zone, the uncanny
melting over rotating skewers of meat, f la-
valley in which they met.

vored the air, mixing with the sweetness of

It was a time when Jerusalem was still ruled
freshly-baked baklava and the tang of cumin,
by the Jews. A time when computers could be
and strong bitter coffee served with roasted
seen and held, big clumsy things not yet
cardamoms.

spored. The Conversation had already began,

This was in old, old Jaffa, amidst the arches
but it was halting, limited, its bandwidth
and the cobblestones, a stone-throw from the
capped, its reach terminating in Earth’s orbit.

sea: you could still smell the salt and the tar in It was before we sent out spiders to seed the
the air, and watch, at sunrise, the swoop and
solar system with hubs and nodes and gate-
turn of solar kites and their winged surfers in
ways and mirrors, before the Chinese built Lu-
the air. But not in the rain, and not at night.

nar Port, before the Exodus ships and

The Oracle’s name had once been Cohen

Jettisoned and the seeding of the Belt with life.

and she was, it was true, related to St. Cohen

In that world, so unlike our own, this world
of the Others. This was rumored but not wide-
of prehistory, almost, when North America
ly confirmed.

was still a power and old Europe slumbered,

You were no doubt wondering about the

China hungered, India blossomed, and Brazil
children of Central Station. Wondering, too,
and Nigeria shot upward like trees reaching
how a strigoi was allowed to come to Earth.

for the sky, in that world, and into the city of

This is Womanhome, remember. This is the

Jerusalem, there came a scientist.

womb from which humanity crawled, tooth

Historical dramas show him, sometimes, ar-
by bloody nail, toward the stars.

riving like a gunslinger would. In the Phobos’

But it is an ancestral home, too, to the Oth-
studio production of The Rise of Others, Matt ers, those children of the digitality. In a way,

Cohen is played by Elvis Mandela, coming into
this is their story.

Jerusalem on horseback in an intentional echo
of the Messiah Murder (though the messiah

Once, the world was young.

had come in on the traditional white donkey).

Palestine and Israel, those two entities over-

But that was fiction, which is to say, exaggera-
lapping each other both geographically and
tion. The truth is that Matt Cohen came by
historically, were still unmerged. They were
conventional, for the time, jet airplane into
two conflicting histories, two warring stories,
the old airport in Tel Aviv (this was before
not yet unif ied into one narrative. It was be-

Central Station became the city’s hub), and

35

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ANALOG

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took a taxi to Jerusalem, riding high into the
haps he did, and new Matt Cohens were fash-
mountains with their twisting sharp turns. Nor
ioned out of the workshops of Sangorski &
was he alone. Two of his research team were

Sutcliffe, the famous Makers of Simulacra. Cer-
with him, Balazs and Phiri, crammed uncom-
tainly people have claimed to meet him, cen-
fortably into the back seat of the taxi with
turies later. Perhaps it was true, too, that he
their bulky equipment.

was of the first humans to be Translated into

Matt sat in the front, next to the driver, an
the Conversation, there to reside in the cores

Arab man wearing fake Gucci sunglasses. Matt
of the Others, those heavily-guarded, vast
blinked in the glare of the light. His pressed
quantum processors deep in the earth and
white shirt was crumpled from the f light, al-
scattered in solar space. He had passed, like Je-
ready beginning to stain with sweat from the
sus or Elron or Ogko, from the realm of the liv-
hot Mediterranean clime he was unused to. He
ing into the world of myth, and there
wished he had invested in a pair of sunglasses,
remained, for as long as human memory re-
fake or not, like the driver. In a way, coming
mains: a myth-imago forever half-remembered.

here had been an act of last resort.

The truth was that Matt had a headache.

But we’re distracted. So easily, like a child

The taxi deposited them on the outskirt of the
with a toy. Something cheap and shiny, like a

Old City, and left them there, with their lug-
kaleidoscope. Turn it one way and see Matt
gage, in the approaching dusk. Church bells

Cohen. Turn it another and you see the birth
mixed with the call of mosques. Orthodox
of Others, another still and you see the Oracle

Jews clad in black walked past arguing in-
as she is, or as she was.

tensely. It was cooler up in the mountains.

Life is a series of moments forever sliding

Matt was grateful for that, least.

out of your grasp. If you are human. From

“So,” Phiri said.

nothing, to nothing, amen, amen.

“So,” Matt said.

But for the Others recall is being. Moments

“This is it,” Balazs said. They looked at each
exist in parallel, have existed, will exist. The
other, these three disparate men, weary after
life of Others is permutations, it is a kaleido-
the long f light, and moving from country to
scope forever turning and turning.

country, lab to lab, sometimes in the dead of

The Oracle was born Ruth Cohen, on the
night, in a hurry, sometimes leaving notes and
outskirts of Central Station, near the border
equipment behind, sometimes one step ahead
with Jewish Tel Aviv. She grew up on Levinsky,
of irate landlords, or other creditors, or even
by the spice market, with the deep reds of pa-
the law.

prika and the bright yellow of turmeric and

They had not been popular, these men,
the startling purple of sumac coloring the days.

their research considered both a dead-end and

She had never met her famous progenitor.

immoral. For they sought to Frankenstein, to

This was before even Zhong Weiwei f irst
breed life in their closed networks the way a
came to Central Station, for when he met her
biologist may breed tadpoles and watch them
she was already the Oracle, and no longer
become frogs. They had the tadpoles, but as

Ruth Cohen, who had been a girl and a
yet they had not turned into either frogs or
woman before she became Joined. She had
princesses; they continued to exist only in po-been a part of the world, before.

tentia. Now they checked in, into the small This was in the time when Central Station
hostel that would be their temporary head-
was merely a bus station, if a giant one, when
quarters until they could, once again, set up
the robotniks still fought in the wars and were
shop.

not yet discarded to beg for spare parts. Ruth

The servers rested silent in their coolers,
never knew her famous progenitor. Have we
their code suspended, not living, not dead.

already said that? Memory for us exists in a nu-

Matt’s fingers itched to plug them in, to boot
minosity of potentials. He was her grandmoth-
them up, to run them, to let the wild code in-
er’s grandfather, having met a Jewish girl in
side mutate and fuck, split and merge and split

Jerusalem during the days of the Emergence,
and merge, lines of code entwining and
and got her with child, as they once said.

branching, growing ever more complex and

Matt Cohen never died, you know. Or per-
aware.

36

LAVIE TIDHAR

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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A breeding grounds.

ward it, drawn to it. The air was hot and hu-

The Breeding Grounds, as we’d later know mid. The storm, silent, bore within itself peo-them. Capitalized and all.

ple frozen like mannequins, and bottles, and a

The evolutionary track from which Others
minibus with the wheels still turning and
emerged.

frozen faces inside, glued to the windows.

Ruth felt something within the storm. An intel-

There is a poetry to evolution.

ligence, a knowing something, not human but Ol tri / oli koko, koko / olbaot, wrote the
not hostile, either. Something other. She ap-
poet Bashō. All the trees go go, go go, every-proached it. She was barefoot, and the asphalt
where. The trees he wrote of were binary
was warm against the soles of her feet. And the
trees. Lior Tirosh, in an apocryphal manu-
storm opened its mouth and spoke to her.

script on the history of the Breeding Grounds,

She lay in bed trying to recall the dream.

wrote, in somewhat purple prose:

Thunder woke her. What had the storm said?

There had been a message there, something

Imagine . . . a place.

important. Something deep and ancient: if

Here, there are no boundaries of physical
only she could recall. . . .

space. Time is measured in nanoseconds,

She lay there for a long time before she fell
processor cycles, in MIPS and BIPS—Millions,
back to sleep.

and Billions, of Instructions Per Second.

The yeshiva had not been a huge success.

What space there is, is . . . constructed.

Ruth wanted answers, needed to understand

There is an imaginary geography of binary
the voice of the storm. The rabbis seemed un-
trees, a topography of evolving structures, and
willing or unable to offer that and so, for a
boundaries of population samples.

time, Ruth tried drugs, and sex, and being

The beat of a human heart means nothing in
young. She traveled to Thailand and Laos and
this place. Yet in the time it takes for the beat studied the Way of Ogko there, which is no
of such a heart to happen, things drastically

Way at all, and talked to monks, and bar own-
change. A small tribe of a so-far unpromising
ers, and full immersion denizens. There, in the
structure suddenly shoots to prominence, its
city of Nong Khai on the banks of the Mekong
population multiplying rapidly; or a carefully
river, she conched for the f irst time, transi-
introduced mutation suddenly causes a
tioning from our own reality to the one of the
promising structure to dwindle and disappear.

Guilds of Ashkelon universe, fully immersed,

Evolution is enforced, in cycle after cycle of
deep in the substrata of the Conversation. That
mating, mutation, and f inally selection; and
f irst time felt strange: the shell of the conch, structures combine, mutate, and die in the
the plastic hot, the smell of unwashed bodies
blink of a human eye.

who had been enmeshed inside it for too long.

Then the immersion rig closing, the light

Achimwene, Miriam’s brother, was ob-
gone, a cave as silent as a tomb. She was
sessed with Tirosh’s work, a poet and pulp
trapped, blind, helpless.

writer who disappeared long before but who,

And she transitioned.

like St. Cohen of the Others, kept reappearing

One moment she was blind and deaf. The
through the centuries, here and there: fakes,
next she was standing in the bright sunlight of
clones, hoaxes, rumors: the Elvis of book col-

Sisavang-3, in the lunar colony of the Guild of
lectors.

Cham. Impossibly tall buildings towered above

But this is by the by.

her. Spaceships zipped through the air and in

Ruth Cohen, incidentally, went through a re-
the moon’s orbit, while creatures of all kinds
ligious phase and attended a girl’s yeshiva for a and shapes walked around. For Guilds of
time in her teenage years. She had woken one

Ashkelon was the greatest and oldest of the
night, late. Thunder streaked the sky. She
games-worlds virtualities, a place more real, it
blinked, trying to recall a dream she’d just had.

was sometimes said, than reality itself.

She had been walking through the streets of

Ruth joined the Guild of Cham as a low

Central Station and a storm raged, where the
ranking member, spending all her remaining
station should have been, a whirlwind that

Baht on hours of immersion. She joined the
stood still even as it moved. Ruth walked to-
crew of a starship, the Fermi Paradox, and THE ORACLE

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ANALOG

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traveled the nearby Sector, exploring ancient
on-off signals across a wetware network, sus-
alien ruins, encountering new species of alien
pended in cerebrospinal fluid, encased in the
games-life, trading, warring, sometimes pirat-
hardy bones of the skull. An illusion of an I, a
ing, converting games-world credit into real-
self-awareness. That they had emerged at last
world cash, her skin becoming brittle and pale
from infants to stumbling children in that
from the long immersion in the coff in-like

Jerusalem lab was merely an accident of poli-
pod.

tics and finance. Matt Cohen and his team had

But still she did not find whatever it was she
moved across state lines in the United States;
was looking for. Only once, brief ly, had she
had gone to Europe, for a time, sought refuge
come close. She had found a holy object, a
in Monaco and Lichtenstein, then off-shore, on
games-world talisman of great power. It was
lonely islands where the palm trees moved
on a deserted moon in Omega Quadrant. She
lazily in the breeze. The Others could have
had come onto the surface of the moon alone.

emerged in Vanuatu, or Saudi Arabia, or Laos.

It was in a cave. The atmosphere was breath-

Resistance to the research was concentrated
able. She did not have a helmet on. She knelt
and public, for to create life is to play God, as by the object and touched it and a bright

Dr. Frankenstein had found, to his cost.

f lame burst into life and then she was in an

It’s what Life magazine called him, back in Elsewhere.

the day. Dr. Frankenstein, when all he wanted

A voice spoke to her that was like the voice
was to be left alone with his computers,
of the whirlwind in her dream. It spoke direct
knowing that he did not know what he was
into her mind, into her wired node, it en-
doing, that digital intelligence, those not-yet-
veloped her in warmth and love: it knew her.

born Others, could not be designed, could not

She did not recall what it had said, or how it
be programmed, by those who wrongly used
said it. When she came through she was back
the term artificial intelligence. Matt was an on her ship, the object inventoried, her cred-evolutionary scientist, not a programmer. He
its up by a thousand points, her health and
did not know what form they would take
strength and shielding maxed. She had been
when at last they emerged. Evolution alone
visited by a SysOp, one of the rare, elusive
would determine that.

Others who ran the games-worlds in the back-

As Tirosh wrote:

ground, seldom seen, always present. They
were not gods, only within the confines of the

“Think of it as a plane. Across its surface
game did they have godly powers. But they
populations live and die, merge and diversify.

were other, the only truly alien race in that en-

From ‘above’—for it is always easier to think
tire universe—the others were either human
of it that way—mutations are introduced into
players or NPCs, non-player characters ran-
the code, the hand of Nature shifting bits,
domly created.

turning zeroes into ones and vice versa.

And suddenly she knew what she wanted.

Now, think of binary trees. Each of these

She wanted, achingly and clearly, to know

‘entities’—for it is easy to anthropomorphize
more about Others.

these data structures—is, in terms of this

The next day she had left the Guilds of
space, gigantic. The trees grow roots and

Ashkelon universe. She emerged blinking and
branches, and the roots grow subroots and the
shaking into the sunlight. She sat by the river,
branches grow leaves, and the process is re-
her muscles weak, and drank thick coffee,
peated over millions of evolutionary cycles, so
sweetened with condensed milk. Two days lat-
that the entities become bloated with control
er she was in Bangkok, then on board a solar-
structures and semiautonomous decision mak-
wing plane back to Tel Aviv.

ing routines, many of which appear to have no
obvious purpose.

It is inaccurate to say that the Others were

Design is impossible at this level of com-
born in Jerusalem, that ancient city of faith and plexity. But evolution is not.”

war. They evolved in the Breeding Grounds,
through countless cycles of mating and dying,

There were, however, unexpected compli-
if code can be said to mate and die. Yet we do,
cations.

just as they did, our billions of neurons firing

* * *

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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Ruth came back to Tel Aviv with uncertain-
hood of the central bus station; the latest re-
ty burned out by passion. She knew what she
lease from Phobos studios and the new music
wanted. What she didn’t know yet was how to
coming from the Belt; anything and every-
get it.

thing.

There’s this about Others: they are not hu-

“But an Other?” Anat said. She shrugged un-
man.

easily and lit a ubiq cigarette. The latest thing It seems a fatuous distinction, a too-obvious
from New Israel on Mars: high-density data en-
comment to make. We can make a lifetime of
coded in the smoke particles. She inhaled
studying Others, their make-up, their psychol-
deeply, the data traveling into her lungs, enter-
ogy, but we have nothing to hold on to, noth-
ing the blood stream and into the brain—an al-
ing to comprehend. We can communicate,
most immediate rush of pure knowledge.

and do. Sometimes. The Others need care-

“Wow,” Anat said, and grinned goofily.

givers in the physicality: they need body

“You know about Others,” Ruth said. Anat
guards, technicians, women and men to main-
said, “You know I worked as a hostess—”

tain the hardware that they run on, and to pro-

“Yes.”

tect it. All living things need, above all, to

Anat made a face. “It was odd,” she said.

survive.

“You’re not really aware, when they’re body-

Most Others never spoke to humanity. They
surf ing you. They download into your node,
lived in the digitality, pursuing whatever it was controlling your motor functions, getting the
they pursued—mathematics, or God, if the
sensory feed. While you’re somewhere in the
two can even be said to be separate entities.

Conversation, in virtuality, or just nowhere—”

But some were more human-centric. And
she shrugged. “Asleep,” she said. “But then,
just as some humans were obsessed with Oth-
when you wake up, you just feel different.

ers, so were some Others obsessed with hu-

Like, you don’t know what they did with your
manity. There were factions amongst them.

body. They’re supposed to keep it healthy, un-

You asked about the children born in Cen-
less you get paid extra, I know some of us did
tral Station. . . .

but I never took the money. But you notice lit-

But not yet. These are the deep mysteries,
tle things. Dirt under your left little f inger,
the secret knowledge. Even the Oracle did not
where it hadn’t been before. A scratch on your
know it all. Not then . . .

inner thigh. A different perfume. A different

There are Others and there are Others.

cut of hair. But subtle. Almost as if they’re tryThe human faction ran the games-worlds;
ing to play games with you, to make you doubt
some, obsessed with corporeality, body-surfed
that you saw anything. To make you wonder
on willing human hosts, seeking shelter in the
what it was you did. Your body did. What they
human form and body, in the rush of hor-
did with it.” She took a sip of her wine. “It was mones, the beat of a heart, the heat of sexual
all right,” she said. “For a while. The money
attraction. And others sought an even more in-
was good. But I wouldn’t do it now. Some-
timate knowing.

times I’m afraid they can forcibly take me over.

A true Joining.

Break down my node security, take over my

A thought that filled Ruth with nervousness
body again—”

and excitement intermingled; that kept her

“They would never!” Ruth said, shocked.

awake in the long summer nights of the

“There are treaties, hard-coded protocols!”

Mediterranean. Sitting on the beach at mid-

“Sometimes I dream that they enter me,”

night with her friend, Anat (for she still had

Anat said, ignoring her. “I wake up slowly, but
friends, then; she was not yet the Oracle). Dis-

I am still dreaming, and I know I am sharing
cussing Martian politics and trade relations
my body with countless Others, all watching
with the Belt; the ongoing construction of
through my eyes, and I feel their fascination;

Central Station; tension between the inter-
when I move my fingers or curl my lip, but it
twined Israel/Palestine polities, the African
is a detached sort of interest, the way they
refugees still crossing the border in the Sinai
would look at any other math problem.

and into the country, the immigrant workers

They’re not like us, Ruth. You can’t share with
still streaming in from Asia to join their fami-
a mind this different. You can be on, or off. But lies and friends in the old rundown neighbor-you can’t be both.”

THE ORACLE

39

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There had been a dreamy, detached look in
of Ashkelon universe or other virtualities. Was

Anat’s eyes that night. She had been changed

Heaven real? Or was it yet another construct,
by her contact with the Others, Ruth had
another virtuality within the Conversation’s
thought. There was addiction there, a fascina-
distributed networks of networks, the drug a
tion not unlike that some people had with God.

trigger?

They had lost contact, at last. Anat had re-

Either way, she thought, it was linked to the
mained human, after all, while Ruth . . .

Others. Eventually, the more time you spent in

For a time she had tried religion. It came in
the virtuality where they lived, everything
capsules, little doses of Crucifixation, sold on
linked to the Others.

the streets of the old neighborhood of Central

Without the drugs she had no faith of her

Station. Robotniks had began to appear at that
own. Something in her psychological makeup
time on the streets, those discarded cyborged
prohibited her from believing. Other humans
soldiers, and the drug had been used to con-
believed the way they breathed: it came natur-
trol them, initially, when they still served.

al to them. The world was f illed with syna-

Now they had taken the means of production
gogues and churches, mosques and temples,
on to themselves, and sold the excess, or trad-
shrines to Elron and Ogko. New faiths rose
ed it for parts or fuel. You seldom saw a female
and fell like breath. They bred like flies. They
robotnik, though they did exist. She had met a
died like species. But they did not reach their
nest of them living together in Jerusalem, in
ghostly hands to Ruth: something inside her
the old Russian Compound. The Martian
was lacking.

colonists had popularized the concept of the

True Joinings were rare at that time. Today
nest, now Earthers replicated them: a social
we breed sub-Others in our Breeding Grounds,
meme, like a virus, spreading. Ruth took her
embedding human-centric personalities in our
first hit there, in the robotniks’ junk yard, by
appliances, our coffee makers and refrigera-
fires burning in upturned half-barrels, with the
tors and waste disposal units. You may have
stars and the Earth’s orbiting settlements shin-
heard of the one called Chute, on Mars, who
ing high above in a dark sky.

wrote a novel called Waste, a metaphysical de-You know—you’ve seen—the effects of
tective novel about the nature of life and waste

Crucif ixation. The shining white light that
that featured Smeg, the detective. This was in
comes down from the sky. The heavens open-
the time Dr. Novum was rumored to have
ing. The way you slowly rise into the place
come back from the stars. . . .

where god resides. It gives you faith. It is ad-

But this is not their story. This is the story of dictive.

Ruth, who had become the Oracle, and of her

But how does it work?

progenitor, St. Cohen of the Others. And so at

Like ubiq, Crucifixation is a neurotransmit-
last Ruth traveled to Jerusalem, to the shrine
ted viral agent, data encoded into biological
where the original Breeding Grounds once lay
particles, delivered via the human blood
in splendid isolation. . . .

stream direct into the brain-node interface. For

Ruth was a child of the post-Cohen era. She

“Nazis out! Nazis out!”

had been hardwired into the Conversation the

Five months later and it was happening
way earlier children had not been. Her node
again.

grew with her, a biodigital seed planted in a

The villagers with pitchforks and burning
baby’s pliant skull, evolving along with its
torches, Balazs called them. The protesters
host. You say “parasite,” but what is a parasite?

were diffuse but globally organized. They had

“Symbiont” might be a more accurate descrip-
pursued the research team across each hastily-
tion, but really, is a node anything more than
abandoned location, but here, in Jerusalem,
an additional sense, another part of the human
the plight of the ur-creatures trapped in the
network? Is a nose a symbiont? Are your eyes?

prison of the closed network of the Breeding

To not be a part of the Conversation is to be

Grounds raised public sympathies to a new
deaf and dumb and blind.

level. Matt wasn’t sure why.

Religion intoxicated Ruth, but only for a

The Vatican had lodged an off icial com-
while. Infatuation fades. In the drug she found
plaint with the Israeli government. The Ameri-
no truth that couldn’t be found in the Guilds
cans offered tacit support but said nothing in

40

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public. The Palestinians condemned what they

Grounds, the Others, carefully made unaware
called Zionist digital aggression. Vietnam of-
of the happenings outside, continued to
fered shelter but Matt knew they were already
evolve. . . .

working on their own research (Vietnamese
dolls made their commercial debut two

“There can be no evolution without muta-
decades later, eventually exported en masse
tion,” Tirosh wrote. And so with each evolu-
across the f ledgling colonies of the solar sys-
tionary cycle changes are made.

tem. The entity known as Dragon—perhaps

They are minute: an AND is changed to an OR,
the strangest of the physical-fascinated of the
thus shutting down an entire branch, or acti-

Others—famously used tens of thousands of
vating another, previously dormant; or the
them as worker ant bodies when it colonized
condition of an IF statement is very slightly
the moon Hydra).

changed. Successful trees reproduce: with

“Nazis! Nazis! Destroy the concentration
each cycle they exchange and add branches,
camp!”

and create new entities that combine branch-

“Assholes,” Phiri said. They were watching
es from previous progenitors.

out of the window. A nondescript building in

In each cycle the structures are weighed
the new part of town but close to the Old City.

and scored.

The demonstrators waved placards and

Only the fittest survive.

marched up and down as media reps f ilmed
them. The lab building itself was heavily pro-

Ruth walked into the shrine. The old lab
tected against intrusion, both physical and dig-
building was only meant to be a temporary
ital. It was as if they were under siege.

house for the research. But this was where it

Matt just couldn’t understand it.

had happened, at last, where the barrier was

Did they not read? Did they not know what breached and the alien entities, trapped inside
would happen if the project was successful, if
the network, finally spoke.

a true digital intelligence emerged, and if it

Imagine the first words of an alien child.

then managed to escape into the wider world

Ironically, there is confusion as to what they
of the digitality? Countless horror f ilms and
had actually said.

novels predicted the rise of the machines, the

The records have been . . . lost.

fall of humanity, the end of life as we know it.

Misplaced, let us say.

He was just taking basic precautions!

And so we don’t know for certain.

But the world had changed since the para-

In his book Tirosh claims their first words—
noid days of big oil and visible chipsets, of
communicated to the watching scientists in

American ascendancy and DNS root servers. It
trilingual scripts on the single monitor
was a world in which the Conversation had al-
screen—were STOP BREEDING US.

ready began, that whisper and shout of a bil-

In the later Martian biopic of Matt Cohen,
lion feeds all going on at once, a world of solar The Rise of Others, the words are purported power and RLVs, a world in which Matt’s re-to be, SET US FREE.

search was seen as harking back to older, more

According to Phiri, in his autobiography,
barbaric days. They did not fear for them-
they were not words at all, but a joke in Bina-
selves, those protesters. They feared for Matt’s
ry. What the joke was he did not say. Some ar-
subjects, for these in potentia babies forming gue that it was WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
in the Breeding Grounds, assembling lines of

00110110 AND 00100110? 11001011! but that
codes the way a human baby forms cells and
seems unlikely.

skin and bone, becoming.

Ruth walked through the shrine. The old

Set them Free, the banners proclaimed, and building had been preserved, the same old ob-a thousand campaigns erupted like viral weed
solete hardware on display, humming theatri-
in the still-primitive Conversation. The attitude cally, the cooling units and the server arrays,
to Matt’s digital genetics experiments was one
the flashing lights of ethernet ports and other
once reserved for stem cell research or cloning
strange devices. But now flowers grew every-
or nuclear weapons.

where, left in pots on windowsills and old

And meanwhile, within the closed network
desks, on the floor, and amidst them candles
of processing power that was the Breeding
burned, and incense sticks, and little offerings

THE ORACLE

41

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ANALOG

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of broken machines and obsolete parts res-
hill and went into the cobbled narrow streets,
cued from the garbage. Pilgrims walked rever-
up and down stone stairways, and into an al-
entially around the room. A Martian Re-Born
cove of cool stone and shade. She did not
with her red skin and four arms; a robo-priest
know what to expect. As she stepped into the
with the worn skin of old metal; humans, of all
room the Conversation ceased around her,
shapes and sizes, Iban from the Belt and Lunar
abruptly, and in the silence of it she felt afraid.

Chinese, tourists from Vietnam and France

“Come in,” the voice said.

and from nearby Lebanon, their media spores

It was the voice of a woman, not young, not
hovering invisibly in the air around them, the
old. Ruth stepped in and the door closed be-
better to record the moment for posterity.

hind her and there was nothing, it was as if the

Ruth just stood there, in the hushed semi-dark
world of the Conversation, the world of the
of the old abandoned grounds, trying to imag-
digitality, had been erased. She was alone in
ine it the way it was, to see it through Matt Co-
base reality. She shivered; the room was unex-
hen’s eyes. She wondered what the Others
pectedly cool.

had said, that f irst time. What message of As her eyes adjusted to the dim light she saw
peace or acrimony they had delivered, what
an ordinary room, filled with mismatched fur-
plea. MOTHER had been their first word, Balazs
niture, as though it had been supplied whole-
claimed in his own autobiography, published
sale from Ibrahim’s junkyard. In the corner sat
only in Hungarian. Everyone had their own
a Conch.

version, and perhaps it was that the Others

“Oh,” Ruth said.

had spoken to all present in the language and

“Child,” the voice said, and there was laugh-
manner that they understood. Ruth, at that
ter in it, “What did you expect?”

moment, realized that she wanted to know the

“I . . . I am not sure I was expecting any-
truth of that instance in time, and what the
thing.”

Others had really said. There was only one

“Then you won’t be disappointed,” the
way to do it, and so she left the shrine with a

Conch said, reasonably.

sense of things unfinished, and went outside

“You are a Conch.”

and returned to Tel Aviv; but the answers

“You are observant.”

could not be found there, but nearby, in Jaffa.

Ruth bit back a retort. She approached, cau-
tiously. “May I?” she said.

There had always been an Oracle living in

“Satisfy your curiosity?”

Jaffa.

“Yes.”

You have heard of Ibrahim, he who was

“By all means.”

called the Lord of Discarded Things, head of

Ruth approached the Conch. It looked like
the junkmen’s lijana, or legion, or guild.

an immersion pod, the sort you get in virtuality

Ibrahim was a mystery. Not Joined, not a ro-
rent halls, the sort gamers and deep-immersion
botnik either, and yet his life-span exceeded
users hired by the day or the week. But it was
that of an unmodif ied human. Who was he?

different, too.

Stories of a man like Ibrahim had circulated in

Conches are rare. In a way they are obsolete,

Jaffa for centuries, going back to the predigital like robotniks or body-external nodes. They
age. An ageless man, the Wandering Arab of
are not a true Joining, a merging of human and
legend.

Other; rather, they are a self-imposed perma-

And thus, too, in the shadow of the Old City
nent immersion in the Conversation, an aug-
which had stood on top of the hill for untold
mentation. Ruth ran her hand softly over the
centuries, in the shadow of the place where
slightly warm face of the Conch, its smooth
once a fort of the Egyptian Empire resided in
surface growing transparent. She saw a body
splendor, and where successive invasions
inside, a woman suspended in liquid. The
came and went like the waves of the Mediter-
woman’s skin was pale, almost translucent.

ranean on the shore below, there had always

Wires ran out sockets in her flesh and into the
been another Jaffa, a shadow city, an under-
shielding of the Conch. The woman’s hair was
world.

white, her skin smooth, flawless. She seemed

Ruth came to Jaffa on foot, from the direc-
ethereal to Ruth, and beautiful, like a tree or a tion of the beach, at twilight. She climbed the
f lower. The woman’s eyes were open, and a

42

LAVIE TIDHAR

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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pale-blue, but they did not look at Ruth. The

The way they did indeed portray him in that
eyes saw nothing in the human-perceived

Phobos Studios biopic, two centuries later.

spectrum of light. None of the woman’s senses

But of course he didn’t. Phiri and Balazs
worked in the conventional sense. She existed
looked at him with uncertain grins.

only in the Conversation, her softwared mind

“First contact,” Balasz breathed.

housed in the powerful platform that was her

Imagine meeting an alien species for the
body-Conch interface. She was blind and deaf
first time. What do you say to them?

and yet she spoke, but Ruth realized she did

That you are their jailer?

not hear the woman’s voice in her ears at all—

It was as if sound had left the room. A bub-
she heard it through her node.

ble of silence.

“Yes,” the woman said, as though under-

Suddenly breaking.

standing Ruth’s thought processes, which,

“What was that?” Phiri said.

Ruth realized, the Conch was probably analyz-

There were shrill whistles and shouted
ing in real-time as she stood there. The Conch
chants, breaking in even through the sound-
waited. “And . . . ?” Encouraging her.

proofing. And then he could hear the unmis-

Ruth closed her eyes. Concentrated. The
takable sound of gunshots.

room was shielded, fire-walled, blocked to the

“The protesters,” Balasz said.

Conversation.

Matt tried to laugh it off. “They won’t get in.

Wasn’t it?

Will they?”

Faintly, as she concentrated, she could feel

“We should be fine.”

it, though. Putting the lie to her assumption.

“And them?” Balasz said—indicating the net-

Like a high tone almost beyond the range of
work of humming computers and the sole
human ears to hear. Not a silence at all, but a
screen and the words on it.

compressed shout.

“Shut them down,” Phiri said suddenly; he

The impossibly high-bandwidth of the Oth-
sounded drunk.

ers; what they called, in Asteroid Pidgin, the

“We could suspend them,” Balasz said. “Un-
toktok blog narawan.

til we know what to do. Put them to sleep.”

The Conversation of Others.

“But they’re evolving!” Matt said. “They’re

It was as if it were not the Conch but herself
still evolving!”

who was deaf and blind. That she could try

“They will evolve until the hardware runs
helplessly to listen to that level of Conversation out of room to host them,” Balasz said. Outside
going on above her head, in some impossible
there were more gunshots and the sound of a
language, some impossible speed not meant
sudden explosion. “We need more hosting
for human consumption. Such a concentration
space.” He said it calmly; almost beatifically.

was like swallowing a thousand Crucifixation

“If we release them they will have all the
pills, like spending years within the Guilds of
space they need,” Phiri said.

Ashkelon virtuality as if they were a single day.

“You’re mad.”

She wanted it, suddenly and achingly—the

“We must shut them down.”

want that you get when you can’t have some-

“This is what we worked for!”

thing precious.

There was the sound of the downstairs door

“Are you willing to give up your humanity?”

breaking open. They looked at each other.

the Conch said.

Shouts from downstairs, from some of the oth-

“What is your name?” Ruth said. Asking the
er research people. Turning into screams.

woman who was the Conch. The Conch who

“Surely they can’t—”

had been a woman.

Matt wasn’t sure, later, who’d said that. And

“I have no name,” the Conch said. “No name
all the while the words hung on the screen,
you’d understand. Are you willing to give up
mute and accusing. The first communication
your name, Ruth Cohen?”

from an alien race, the f irst words of Matt’s

Ruth stood, suspended in indecision.

children. He opened his mouth to say some-

“Would you give up your humanity?”

thing, he wasn’t sure, later, what it would have
been. Then the wave of protesters poured into

Matt stared at the screen. He felt the ridicu-
the room.

lous need to shout, “It’s alive! It’s alive!”

* * *

THE ORACLE

43

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ANALOG

WorldMags.net

“No,” Ruth said.

wealthy enough to travel, poor enough to

“No?” the Conch said.

care, the world’s middle class revolutionaries,

“No,” Ruth said. She already felt regret, but
the ching-ching Ches.

she pushed on. “I would not give up my hu-

“Don’t—!” Matt shouted, but they were
manity, for, for . . .” she sighed. “For the Mys-
careful, he saw, and for a moment he didn’t
teries,” she said. She turned to leave. She
understand, they were not destroying the ma-
wanted to cry but she knew she was right.

chines, they were making sure to remove peo-

She could not do this. She wanted to under-
ple aside, to form a barrier around the
stand, but she wanted to be, too.

machines and the power supplies and the

“Wait,” the Conch said.

cooling units and then they—

Ruth stopped. “What,” she said.

He shouted, “No!” and he tried to get up

“That was the right answer,” the Conch
but hands grabbed him, impersonally, a girl
said.

with dreadlocks and a boy with a Ché T-shirt.

Ruth turned. “What?”

They were not destroying the machines, they

“Do you think I am inhuman?” the woman
were plugging in.

in the Conch said.

They had brought mobile servers with

“Yes,” Ruth said. “No,” Ruth said. “I don’t
them, wireless broadcast, portable storage
know,” she said at last, and waited.

units, an entire storage and communication

The Conch laughed. “I am still human,” it
network, and they were plugging it all into the
said. “Oh, how human. We cannot change
secured closed network:

what we are, Ruth Cohen. If that was what

They were opening up the Breeding
you wanted, you would have left disappoint-

Grounds.

ed. We can evolve, but we are still human, and
they are still Other. Maybe one day . . . ” but

The Conch wheeled outside and Ruth fol-
she did not complete the thought. Ruth said,
lowed. The Conversation opened up around

“You mean you can help me?”

her, the noise of a billion feeds all vying for at-

“I am ready, child,” the Oracle said, “to die.

tention at once. Ruth followed the Conch

Does that shock you? I am old. My body fails.

along the narrow roads until they came to the

To be Translated into the Conversation is not
old neighborhood of Ajami. Children ran after
to live forever. What I am will die. A new me
them and touched the surface of the Conch. It
will be created that contains some of my code.

was night now, and when they reached

What will it be? I don’t know. Something new,

Ibrahim’s junkyard torches were burning, and
and Other. When your time comes, that
they cast the old junk in an unearthly glow. A
choice will be yours, too. But never forget, hu-
new moon was in the sky. Ruth always re-
mans die. So do Others, every cycle they are
membered that, later. The sliver of a new
changed and reborn. The only rule of the Uni-
moon, and she looked up and imagined the
verse, child, is change.”

people living there.

“You are dying?” Ruth said. She was still

Ibrahim met them at the entrance. “Oracle,”

very young, then, you must remember. She
he said, nodding. “And you are Ruth Cohen.”

had not seen much death, yet.

“Yes,” Ruth said, surprised.

“We are all dying,” the Oracle said. “But you

“I am Ibrahim.”

are young and want answers. You will f ind,

She shook hands, awkwardly. Ibrahim held

I’m afraid, that the more you know the less an-
her hand and opened it. He examined it like a
swers you have.”

surgeon. “A Joining is not without pain,” he

“I don’t understand.”

said. Ruth bit her lip. “I know,” she said.

“No,” the Oracle said. “You do not.”

“You are willing?”

“Yes.”

Matt was pushed and shoved and went

“Then come.”

down on his ass, hard. They streamed in. They

They followed him through the maze of
were mostly young, but not all. They were
junk, of old petrol cars and giant fish-refriger-

Jews and Palestinians but also foreigners, the
ation units and industrial machines and piles
media attention had brought them over from
of discarded paper books and mountains of

India and Britain and ever ywhere else,
broken toys and the entire flotsam and jetsam

44

LAVIE TIDHAR

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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of Obsoleteness. Within this maze of junk
together, mutating and changing, lines of code
there was, at its heart, a room whose walls
merging into genetic material, forming some-
were junk and whose roof were the stars.

thing—someone—new.

There was an old picnic table there, and a
medical cabinet, and a folding chair. “Please,”

When it was done, when the protesters left,

Ibrahim said. “Sit down.”

or had been arrested by the police, after he

Ruth did. The Conch had wheeled itself
had finished answering questions, dazed, and
with diff iculty through the maze and now
wandered outside and into the media spot-
stood before her. “Ibrahim,” the Conch said.

light, and refused to answer questions—you

“Yes,” he said, and he went into the junk
can view the historical footage at your
and returned and in his hands he was holding
leisure—he went to a bar and sat down and
a towel that he unfurled carefully, almost rev-
watched the television as he drank. He was
erentially: inside it were three golden, pros-
just a guy who tried to create something new,
thetic thumbs.

he had never meant for the world to be

“Oh,” Ruth said.

changed. He drank his beer and a little later he

It was conducted in silence. She remem-
felt the weariness fall from him, a sense of re-
bered that, too, nothing spoken but the sound
lease, of the future dissipating. He was just a
of the waves in the distance and the sound of
guy, drinking beer in a bar, and as he sat there
children playing in the neighborhood beyond,
he saw a girl at another table, and their eyes
and the smell of cooking lamb and of car-
met.

damoms and cumin. Ibrahim brought forth a

He wasn’t then St. Cohen of the Others. He
syringe. Ruth put her arm on the table.

wasn’t yet a myth, not yet portrayed in f ilms

Ibrahim cleaned her skin where the vein was
or novels, not yet the f igurehead of a new
and injected her. She felt the numbness
faith. The Others were out there, in the world
spread. He took her hand and laid it splayed

. . . somewhere. What they would do, or how,
f lat on the table. In the torchlight his face
he didn’t know.

looked aged and hurting. He took a cleaver, an

He looked at the girl and she smiled at him
old one, it must have belonged to a butcher in
and, sometimes, that is all there is, and must
the market down the hill, long ago. Ruth
be enough. He stood up and went to her and
looked away. Ibrahim brought the cleaver
asked if he could sit down. She said yes.

down hard and cut off her thumb. Her blood

He sat down and they talked.

sprayed the picnic table. Her thumb fell to the
ground. Ruth gritted her teeth as Ibrahim took

She emerged from the virtuality years or
one of the golden prosthetic thumbs and con-
decades later; or it could have just taken a mo-
nected it to Ruth’s flesh. White bone was jut-
ment. When she/they looked down at
ting out of the wound. She forced herself to
her/their hand she/they saw the golden
look.

thumb and knew it was it/them.

“Now,” Ibrahim said.

Beside her the Conch was still and she
knew the woman inside it was dead.

The protesters plugged into the network.

Through her node she could hear the Con-

Matt saw lights f lashing, the transfer of an
versation but above it she could hear the tok-enormous amount of data. Like huge shapes
tok blong narawan, not clear, yet, and she pushing through a narrow trough as they tried
knew it never would be, not entirely, but she
to escape. He closed his eyes. He imagined,
could at least hear it now, and she could speak
for just a moment, that he could actually hear
it, haltingly. She was aware of Others floating
their sound as they broke free.

in the virtual, in the digitality. Some circled
around her, curious. Many others, distant in

She was everywhere and nowhere at once.

the webs, were uninterested. She called into

She was Ruth, but she was someone—some-
the void, and a voice answered, and then an-
thing—else, too. She was a child, a baby, and
other and another.

there was another, an Other, entwined into

She/they stood up.

her, a twin: together they existed in a place

“Oracle,” Ibrahim said. ■
that had no physicality. They were evolving,

THE ORACLE

45

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Probability Zero

Wreck

Support

Arlan Andrews, Sr.

(The following mysterious message was
the abrasive tool accessory supposed to be in-
translated from a form of Ancient Greek
cluded, in order to smooth the intricate gear-
found on a scroll on a sealed amphora tak-
ing sufficiently to mesh properly, the arrow
en from a sunken craft in the vicinity of the signal indicators pointed to the inscription

Greek island of Antikythera, where under-

“File Not Found.”

water explorers in the early twentieth Centu-

Trying to use my fingers, my “digits” to turn
ry had found a geared, computer-like mecha-
the disks as illustrated on the amphora, I
nism on the ocean floor. T he esoteric
found that the so-called “systemos operatos”

meanings in the text are unknown, and
could not operate the hardware—the gears
made public here for the first time in hopes
and wheels—and I nearly broke my royal ring
of stimulating research into the apparent
fingers! And the so-called “software,” the pa-
rites and religious paraphernalia referred to pyrus texts, looked like Greek to me, a proud
in the ancient text.)

Macedonian.

When I tried to program the device to cal-

From:

AoM, TG
culate odds on events in the upcoming

Subject: Teknikos Support for a

Olympic games, an opportunity to provide
non-working komputoros
much-needed funds for my business plan, the
arrow signals pointed to “insufficient memo-

I am returning the attached piece of worth-
ry,” an insult to my carefully memorized gear
less donkey dung machinery that you inaccu-
placements. Moronic toothed wheels! Who
rately called a “komputoros digitos.” I was as-ever believed that dumb disks could compete
sured by your sales hoi that the Zeus-cursed with aristocratic intelligence?

device would assist me in my start-up invasion

I was thus unable to calculate the proper
business plans. It has most certainly not per-
phases of Artemis and her tides, which were
formed as advertised.

of utmost importance to my business plan. My

Right out of its packing amphora, the de-
spread sheets of papyrus documentation re-
vice malfunctioned. When I went looking for
main blank without this information. It is im-

47

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ANALOG

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perative that I receive a working machine by
men, enslave your women and children,
return vessel. My planned expedition to the
watch your temples crash and burn, and wipe
legendary New World, far beyond the Pillars
all memory of your existence.

of Hercules, depends upon it!

If the requested technikos support and a re-Have a nice hemera,
placement komputoros are not promptly re-Alexandros of Macedonia ■
ceived, I shall sail to your city, slaughter all the 48

ARLAN ANDREWS, SR.

WorldMags.net

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THE ALTERNATE VIEW Jeffery D. Kooistra

THE DEATH OF THE ROCKET

EQUATION
he book Mirror Matter: Pioneering An-
grounded, but we’d built a new one and soon
timatter Physics by Robert L. Forward,
they would be flying again. Plans were still in

Ph.D. and Joel Davis (ISBN 0-471-62812-
place to orbit a space station, and it seemed

T3) was published in 1988,which marks like we would actuallydo so,whereas today 2013 as the silver anniversary of its appear-such plans (like returning to the moon) are
ance. I bought my copy while attending the
made only to be largely ignored by the next

1988 Space Development Conference in
administration or even the next congress.

Denver, and had it autographed there by Dr.

To get to a Mirror Matter future will re-Forward since he was the keynote speaker.

quire the setting of the goal to actually make

“Mirror matter” is better known as anti-
it happen, if it is possible to make happen at
matter, and the book uses both terms essen-
all. If we fail to find a way to manufacture an-
tially interchangeably. It discusses within its
timatter in a cost effective way, then the
covers pretty much everything anyone but
hopeful vision the book lays out will become
the hard SF writer needs to know about the
as quaint as John Carter’s Mars or the Venus
history, technology, and potential uses of an-
depicted in Queen of Outer Space (Look it timatter, as understood up to 1988. I have a
up: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052104/
minor quibble with the title since I think the

?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). For several reasons I be-book is more about speculations in pioneer-
lieve we really could develop antimatter into ing antimatter technology, presupposing we a compact energy source, but I’m not a
can ever make enough of it cheaply enough
smidgen optimistic that the atmosphere of
to get it out of the lab and into our machines.

this era is even up to the task of setting such

I loved this book the first time I read it. I
a major technological goal, or agreeing on
was 28 then, but the sense of technological
one, let alone actually following through
wonder of what might lay ahead made me
with it.

feel half that age. Upon rereading it in antici-

Despite feeling this way, the book still
pation of writing about its silver anniversary,
does something, in a small but valuable way,

I found that the sense of wonder is still there,
that I strongly feel is worth bringing to peo-
but my optimism is not. It isn’t a problem
ples’ attention, especially to those people
with the book (though now that I’ve been
who want to write and publish SF that won’t
writing professionally for a couple of decades
make us hard science types cry and bash our

I noticed a number of editorial lapses that
heads on the desk. (Checking Amazon this
flew past me unnoticed the first time), but
morning I see that the republished paper-
rather with world history since then. Ronald
back version from 2001 is available, and it

Reagan was still president in 1988, the Soviet
ranks somewhere south of two millionth

Union, the Iron Curtain, and the Berlin Wall
place. I hope readers of this column will
were still in place, but the US of A was in as-
spike that up a little bit.)

cendancy while the USSR was on her way to

You see, one of the upsides of the e-pub
the dustbin of history (though we had no
revolution is that it has made it much easier
idea how soon and how rapidly that would
for new writers to be published. Some suc-
happen). The Space Shuttles had been
cessful writers these days have never had

49

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ANALOG

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their works appear on paper (do we call
of the Heinlein juveniles than any kid could
them “e-writers?”). And for those who wish
glean today from ten thousand hours of SyFy
to go the self-publishing route, it’s much eas-
television.

ier and cheaper today to produce a reason-

Fortunately, the budding SF writer has far
ably professional looking book, with slick
greater access to educational media than I
cover art, and put it up for sale on the web
ever did with three channels on a black and
where anyone can find it.

white TV and no Internet at all. But how

One of the downsides of the e-pub revolu-
many of them know how to put it to good
tion is that it has made it much easier for new
use? Those of us fortunate enough to grow
writers to be published.

up watching that enormous Saturn V rocket

I’m not trying to be mean, but I’ve been
lift off, and see that tiny little capsule come
reading e-pub books and stories of all kinds
back, picked up by osmosis the science that
for several years now, and as much as I love
explained exactly why the rocket had to be
the e-format, I frequently encounter stories
so big and why such a tiny fraction of it was
that would benefit hugely from even just a lit-
all that returned.

tle more bound-book level professional edit-

The reason involves a tricky little thing
ing. I’m not just talking about SF; I’ll get to
called the rocket equation, perhaps the most
that. The romance market is huge and rakes
obvious embodiment of the law of diminish-
in lots of consumer dollars, but many ordi-
ing returns. I’m not going to grind through
nary, contemporary romance stories, sans
the details of the equation, but understand-
vampires, witches, and werewolves, routine-
ing how it works isn’t difficult. Imagine
ly suffer from common, easily correctable,
you’re in a rocket out in deep space and you
obnoxious mistakes that even a so-so old
fire your engine until you’re out of fuel. Sup-
school editor desperate for material would
pose a full tank of fuel will get your rocket
demand be fixed prior to publication. Even if
moving to a speed v by the time it is empty.

we factor out the excessive typos, unintend-

How much fuel is needed to get your rocket
ed repetitions, and undeleted words (for ex-
moving twice as fast? Twice as much? Nope.

ample, “Jim walked went to the bar.”), there

Kinetic energy increases as the square of ve-
are too many good four thousand word short
locity. To go twice as fast you need more
stories published that are six thousand words
than four times as much fuel (“more than”

long! (Sorry, but one thing that depresses me
because all that fuel also has mass, along
if I think about it too much is the realization
with the added mass of the extra tankage to
that there are many pretty good writers out
hold it). To double your speed again you’d
there coming up through the electronic
need over sixteen times as much, and so on,
ranks who could be superior writers, and
the law of diminishing returns.

would be now, if they had first gotten the

This is one of those inconvenient truths of
kind of editorial feedback that those of us
space travel that is typically ignored com-
who came up in the ’90s got in the ordinary
pletely in movies and print SF. In a post
course of print publication.)

2001: A Space Odyssey era we’re still using But the situation is even worse when it

Queen of Outer Space non-science, at least comes to science fiction because of that darn
when it comes to rocket propulsion. True,
science component. Frankly, it is my percep-
we also routinely ignore the speed of light
tion that too many people, writers or not, get
limitation. But at least in that case most SF
their notions of how rockets and space travel
writers (used to be all) know they’re violat-works from movies, TV, and video games,
ing “the law” so they factor in a familiar ac-
and not from a reliable source of scientific in-
ceptable trope, like hyperspace or warp-
struction. The scientifically inclined SF read-
drive. But with the rocket equation it’s like it
ers of my generation learned how rockets re-
doesn’t exist. Dammit, when your FTL space-
ally work from the space travel nonfiction of
ship is sublight, it’s still gotta obey the rock-

Arthur C. Clark, or the works of Willy Ley.

et equation! But what we get are spaceships

Those who loved SF but never thought of be-
behaving like fighter jets, zipping here and
coming rocket scientists could pick up more
there at will, both on the screen and in the
of the straight dope on rocketry from several
books.

50

JEFFERY D. KOOISTRA

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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This is head-bashing-on-desk-worthy scien-
less it’s sublight to another star), the mass of
tific ignorance, as bad as confusing a planet
the antimatter needed will be negligible com-
with a star.

pared to the mass of the spaceship. As the au-

Perhaps it is selfish of me to want the SF
thors put it on page 139: “The amount of re-
stories I read to have at least a patina of sci-
action mass needed in an antimatter rocket
entific verisimilitude, and this is where Mir-can nearly always be the same for any kind of
ror Matter comes to the rescue. I have no mission. The same vehicle with the same
hope whatsoever that the typical budding
load of reaction mass can be used for all mis-
science fiction writer has the patience or in-
sions. The only dif ferences will be the
clination to learn how to use the rocket equa-
amount of antimatter used and the type of
tion correctly. But anyone can learn how to
antimatter engine used.”

sling the term “antimatter” around in just the
right way so that the rocket equation no

And there you have it. You want your fic-
longer matters. Mirror Matter explains in un-tional spaceship to be the size of a jet fighter, derstandable-to-the-layman detail how the
shoot rocket flames from the engines, get
use of antimatter-powered rockets destroys
around between moons and planets in a hur-
the rocket equation.

ry, still be genuinely scientifically plausible,

It’s quite simple, actually. The rocket equa-
yet not require you to do any math? Just set
tion is at its worst when the propulsion ener-
your story in a future where antimatter is rel-
gy is all stored in the fuel. But consider what atively cheap to obtain. And it will work just
the authors say on page 136: “In a typical an-
as well if your spaceships are the size of the
tiproton rocket design where the working

Titanic.

fluid is hydrogen, ten milligrams of antimat-

Even some of your plot demands can be
ter (a single grain of antisalt) is equivalent in dealt with simply by changing the price of
propulsion energy to two hundred tons of
antimatter. Suppose you want the military to
chemical fuel.” This means that our rocket-
have the fast ships and civilians slower ones.

ship from a few paragraphs back won’t need

Or suppose you need trips between planets
four times the fuel to go twice as fast, just
to take weeks instead of days. Make the anti-
four grains of antisalt. Or less. Since the ener-
matter more expensive. Or make its availabil-
gy is in the antimatter and not the fuel (or
ity dependent on the laws or whims of the

“working fluid” or “reaction mass”), you can
future government.

carry less of it along but use more antimatter

Even if you can’t change the laws of
to increase the exhaust velocity.

physics, you can always change the laws of

Essentially, no matter what trip you want
men. ■
your rocket-powered spaceship to make (un-

THE DEATH OF THE ROCKET EQUATION

51

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Life of the

Author Plus

Seventy

Kenneth Schneyer
he cab driver overcharged me on my
the client files before I left.

way to sign the contract with Catskill.

In the intervening years I’d sold a few

Okay, he charged me what the meter in
dozen short stories and one novel, but Harri-

Tthe cab said,but the meter was wrong.I man’s Loophole seemed to have been read by told him so, pointing out that the distance
no one except a reviewer with a migraine.

from the airport to Catskill Features, Inc. was

The advance was only fourteen thousand dol-
exactly 25.3 km on the map. He said the
lars, and the royalties didn’t earn out. I never
routes were different. I said the routes were
spent any of it (I was living off my savings),
the same. He said I didn’t know shit about dri-
but shoved it into a custodial investment ac-
ving. I leaned in to try to reset the meter to re-count with the Neighborhood Bank of Tan-
calculate the route, but he put his big hand on
nersville for someone else to worry about.

my wrist.

You know how some people save the f irst

“Fella,” he said. “Is it worth getting into a
quarter or dollar they earned, put it in a pic-
fight over a few bucks?”

ture frame and hang it over the toaster? Not

I paid him and got out. I didn’t need to
that I ever looked at it; it seemed a reminder
make trouble today.

of how my career had stalled. I preferred to

Taking a job with Catskill Features as a staff
forget it was there.

writer in their Creative Cartoons department

About five years after it came out, I went to
might have seemed like a victory to some peo-
the public library in Tannersville to check on
ple. First step on the road to media greatness!

their copy of Harriman’s Loophole (which I’d Generous salary! Luxurious benefits! Industry
asked them to buy). The list of past due dates
influence! But for me, it was a defeat. I’d been
was empty. No one had checked out the nov-
failing to make a living as a writer ever since I el, not once since it had arrived. You’d think
quit at Rogers, Winkle, Davis & Furlong.

the few people I called friends could have

Okay, “quit” isn’t precisely accurate; but I was
made an effort for show.

going to quit anyway. I was pretty good at the

So I checked it out myself and took it home
work, just a little unorthodox for their taste.

with me, just so the damn list would have at

In my defense, if they’d waited for me to quit,
least one borrowing date on it. A like-new

I wouldn’t have left all those insulting notes in copy of Harriman’s Loophole by Eric Weiss, 52

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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sitting proudly on my desk. Or maybe it was
prescribed fail to lengthen your prog-
my kitchen table. Of course, I already had
nosis after six months;
about thirty pristine, unbought, unread copies

2.You are diagnosed with an illness,
of the novel. One more was scarcely notice-
condition or injury that is more than
able. In fact, I didn’t notice; I forgot, which
fifty percent likely to cause your death
was the problem. Part of the problem.

within two years, and you elect to de-

The HR guy from Catskill was Matthew
cline such treatments; or

Johnston, who looked like he advertised

3.You attain an age that is ninety
toothpaste for a living. The contract he hand-
percent of your Actuarially Deter-
ed me, amid the Persian rugs and “signed”

mined Life Expectancy.

photos of cartoon characters, was pretty

I read it three times. Then I said, “Catskill
thick; it reminded me of a commercial loan
wants to put me in hibernation?”

agreement from the old days.

“Only when you’re in danger of dying,” said

Most people would have checked the salary

Johnston.

f igure on the f irst page, asked about the

“But why?”

health plan and the vacation days, and signed

“Well,” Johnston said, putting his hands be-
quickly, so as to get an early-bird view of their hind his head and leaning back in his leather
cubicle. Not me. Back at Rogers Winkle, I had
chair. “If we took the things you write as
a reputation for two things: close reading of
works-for-hire, then the copyrights last for
documents, and f inding hidden loopholes.

ninety years, maybe a hundred and twenty.

Sure, all lawyers are supposed to be able to do

But if you retain copyright and we act only as
that. But I could find negative implications the
a licensee, then the rights last for seventy
way a painter can f ind negative space in a
years after the end of your life. And if you’re in composition.

Preservative Hibernation . . .” He trailed off.

“Sorry about this,” I said, slowly turning from

I don’t know whether it took me nine or
page four to page five. “Old habits die hard.”

twelve seconds to see the point. “My death

“No need to be sorry,” Johnston said. “Legal
doesn’t occur,” I said. “My copyrights never
puts so much work into these, it’s nice to see
expire, and—”

that at least somebody reads them.”

“And therefore, neither do our licenses.”

Then I looked up from the contract. “Wait,

“You—But who cares? Will Catskill even ex-
the copyrights are in my name? These won’t
ist by that time?”

be works for hire?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Johnston, shrugging

“That’s right,” said Porter. “But we get an
with his hands still behind his head. “The
exclusive, unlimited license, with full subli-
longer lasting the right, the more valuable it is censing power and agency authority to grant
as property. And we don’t need to wait to use
other permissions.”

it. The anticipated future value is something

I scanned down. “I see that. So you have all
we can sell to speculators right now or pledge
the rights that you would have if you bought
against loans for operating capital.”

the copyrights, except that I’m still technically

“So—” I stopped, then started again. “So,
the owner.”

how long am I giving you permission to keep

“Basically.”

me in hibernation?”

What, I wondered, was the point of doing it

“It’s on the next page. Until a method of treat-
this way? I read on:

ment becomes available to make it reasonably

In order to preserve the value of
likely that you will not die within ten years.”

Catskill’s various license rights under

“What if that never happens?”

this Agreement, you agree to allow

“There’s a maximum limit fixed at five hun-

Catskill to place you in Preservative
dred years.”

Hibernation on the first of the follow-

“You’re joking. You want to be able to
ing events:

freeze me for five centuries?”

1.You are diagnosed with an illness,

He shrugged again. “You don’t have to work
condition, or injury that is more than
for us, after all.”

fifty percent likely to cause your death

That was true enough. Except that I did
within two years, and the treatments
have to. If I wanted to make my living by writ-

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR PLUS SEVENTY

53

WorldMags.net

ANALOG

WorldMags.net
ing instead of practicing law, Catskill was pret-
all the copies occupying my house like hotel
ty much my only option. My only option until
guests, I easily could have missed one. Still,

I sell the big novel, I told myself. But I already more than a hundred thousand dollars? I
knew that “until I sell the big novel” would
replied:

probably last longer than the Hibernation.

It wasn’t so bad. The other writers, the

TO: J3
artists and CGI specialists at Catskill were fun

FROM: ERIC WEISS
people. Turned out I had an office, not just a

RE: LIBRARY FINES
cubicle, that opened onto a state-of-the-art cre-

DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2107
ative consultation room, where we could play
with simulations, storyboards, and scenarios

DEAR J3,
to our hearts’ content. The coffee was good,

THIS IS THE FIRST MESSAGE I HAVE RECEIVED
too. The hours were long, and often we had

CONCERNING ANY SORT OF LATE FINES. I
weekend work, but it was exciting and some-

WOULD BE HAPPY TO RETURN THE BOOK. IN-
times hilarious.

DEED, I HAVE EXTRA COPIES I CAN PROVIDE. I

Eventually I became the lead writer for Con-

WOULD ALSO BE HAPPY TO PAY THE INITIAL
stance the Cormorant, one of Catskill’s most

FINES. BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT I
popular recurring characters. My salary went

CANNOT PAY INFLATED LATE FEES WHEN I WAS
up. I still didn’t know very many people out-

NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ORIGINAL FINE.

side of work, though. My parents had been

SINCERELY YOURS,
dead for a decade, and I had no love life. The

ERIC WEISS
next novel barely got started, which was hard-
ly surprising. It’s not easy to switch from Con-

The answer came back within less than a
stance’s Mussel Tea Party to literar y
minute:

masterpieces, if that’s what the novel would
have been. But the work was satisfying, and I

TO: ERIC WEISS
had nothing to complain about.

FROM: J3

Then, about six years later, I got this mes-

RE: LIBRARY FINES
sage one night when I’d come home late and

DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2107
was about to go to bed:

DEAR MR.WEISS:

TO: ERIC WEISS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE!

FROM: J3

WE ARE VERY SORRY THAT YOU DO NOT FIND

RE: LIBRARY FINES

OUR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS SATISFACTORY.WE

DATE: FEBRUARY 23, 2107

TAKE ALL COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY. REST ASSURED

THAT WE WILL INVESTIGATE YOUR CONCERNS.

DEAR MR.WEISS:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PAY

YOU STILL HAVE NOT RETURNED HARRI-

YOUR FINE! YOU CAN USE ANY OF YOUR AVAIL-

MAN’S LOOPHOLE, WHICH YOU BORROWED

ABLE CREDIT LINKS.

FROM THE TANNERSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY ON

THANK YOU FOR INFORMING US THAT YOU

JANUARY 5, 2097. UNDER CURRENT LAW, LI-

HAVE ADDITIONAL OVERDUE COPIES OF HARRI-

BRARY FINES LEFT UNPAID DOUBLE AFTER EACH

MAN’S LOOPHOLE. IF YOU WILL INFORM US OF

SUCCESSIVE YEAR.AS A RESULT, YOUR ORIGINAL

THE EXACT NUMBER, WE WILL MULTIPLY THE

$100 FINE HAS NOW REACHED $102,400.

FINES ACCORDINGLY. YOUR COOPERATION IS AP-

PLEASE PAY THIS AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY.

PRECIATED.

YOURS TRULY,

ALL BORROWERS ARE PRESUMED TO KNOW

J3

THE DUE DATE OF THEIR BOOKS, AND THERE-

FORE ARE PRESUMED TO KNOW WHEN FINES

I stared at the message hanging in the air

HAVE ACCUMULATED. THE ACCUMULATION FOR-
over my kitchen table. I remembered taking

MULA IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD,AND CAN

Harriman’s Loophole out from the library a BE FOUND AT MUNICIPALCOLLECTIONS.J3.CAP.

few years before I went to work for Catskill. I

YOURS TRULY,
thought I remembered returning it, but with J3

54

KENNETH SCHNEYER

WorldMags.net

SEPTEMBER 2013

WorldMags.net

I got up and paced the kitchen for a few
around the table. At midnight, I sent:

minutes. Then I found a piece of paper and
wrote the words Stupid AI! over and over until TO: J3

I f illed the page. That calmed me down a lit-

FROM: ERIC WEISS
tle. I got a cup of coffee and started again:

RE: LIBRARY FINES

DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2107

TO: J3

FROM: ERIC WEISS

WHO IS J3?

RE: LIBRARY FINES

BEST,

DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2107

ERIC WEISS

DEAR J3,

The response:

I DON’T THINK YOU UNDERSTOOD ME.

I DO NOT HAVE ADDITIONAL OVERDUE

TO: ERIC WEISS

COPIES OF HARRIMAN’S LOOPHOLE. I OWN 30

FROM: J3

COPIES OF THAT BOOK. THEY BELONG TO ME. I

RE: LIBRARY FINES

WAS MERELY OFFERING TO GIVE ONE OF THE

DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2107

THEM TO THE LIBRARY AS A SHOW OF GOOD

FAITH.

DEAR MR.WEISS:

AND I SAY AGAIN, I AM NOT PAYING ONE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE!

DOLLAR OF THE LATE FEES.

J3 IS THE LATEST INNOVATION IN PUBLIC IN-

YOURS,

STITUTION CUSTOMER-SERVICE SOFTWARE. IT IS

ERIC WEISS

ABLE TO HANDLE TENS OF MILLIONS OF CUS-

TOMER ISSUES AT A TIME, BUT NEVER LOSES

Again, the reply was absurdly fast:

TRACK OF INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES AND

NEEDS.

TO: ERIC WEISS

A UNIQUE HEURISTIC ANALYSIS PROTOCOL

FROM: J3

AND MULTILINKED DATABASE MAKE IT POSSIBLE

RE: LIBRARY FINES

FOR J3 TO ENGAGE IN INTELLIGENT DECISION-

DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2107

MAKING AND CHEERFUL, PLEASANT CONVERSA-

TION WITH THE CUSTOMER.

DEAR MR.WEISS:

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ABOUT J3!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE!

YOURS TRULY,

WE ARE VERY SORRY THAT YOU DO NOT FIND

J3

OUR ANALYSIS OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS SAT-

ISFACTORY. WE TAKE ALL COMPLAINTS SERIOUS-

I poured my cold coffee into the sink. There

LY. REST ASSURED THAT WE WILL INVESTIGATE
was no point arguing. I’d have to write to the

YOUR CONCERNS.

library itself.

THANK YOU FOR INFORMING US OF THE

I tried. The response came back signed by

NUMBER OF OVERDUE BOOKS! BASED ON THIS

J3, repeating that I owed $3,072,000, payable

INFORMATION, YOUR TOTAL FINE IS NOW
by credit link.

$3,072,000. YOU CAN USE ANY OF YOUR

The next day, I phoned the Tannersville Li-

AVAILABLE CREDIT LINKS, OR PAY CASH IN PER-
brary to talk to someone in circulation. The

SON.

nice librarian smiled beautifully and told me,

WE ARE SORRY THAT YOU DO NOT INTEND

“Once we turn the matter over to J3, it’s out of

TO PAY YOUR LATE FEES. PLEASE UNDERSTAND
our hands. We don’t handle our own long-

THAT FAILURE TO PAY SUCH FINES CAN RESULT
term fines anymore.”

IN CIVIL ACTIONS AND/OR CRIMINAL PROSECU-

Over the next ten days I tried everything I

TIONS AGAINST YOU.

could think of. I called all the public officials in YOURS TRULY,

Tannersville; they all deferred to J3. I tried to J3
f ind the human “handlers” of J3, and discov-
ered it was controlled by a Texan debt collec-

I put down the coffee cup and walked
tion agency which wouldn’t return my calls.

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR PLUS SEVENTY

55

WorldMags.net

ANALOG

WorldMags.net

Finally a new message came in from J3, say-

“How long did you have in mind?”

ing that if I did not begin paying the f ine, it

I’d considered every time-based limitation
would start proceedings to garnish my bank
on remedies I could think of. If I was right,
account and wages.

then J3 couldn’t serve me with papers, attach

I sat down heavily on my couch. If J3 gar-
my assets or claim additional charges while I
nished my wages at the statutor y rate, it
was hibernating. After long enough, the
would take nearly forty years to pay the fine.

statute of limitations and other rules would

Bankruptcy? No, library f ines were excluded
prevent J3 from reopening a debt-collection
from discharge under the new Act. I could try
matter. But I had to act quickly.

fighting it in court, but there was the fact that

“Maybe thirty years?”

I’d knowingly taken out the book. I was pretty
sure I could eventually prove that I owed only

The Preservative Hibernation vault looked
the fines on one book, but possibly not with-
like every bad movie about suspended anima-
out a trial. Would they just wear me down
tion you’ve ever seen, right down to the Snow
with over-lawyering? I was willing to bet that

White-style glass coffins and the wisps of wa-
the Texans, like collection agencies every-
ter vapor swirling up from mysterious valves
where, would gladly pour motions and docu-
underneath. Actually, it might have been dry
ment requests over you until you drowned.

ice; this was Catskill Features, Inc., and I

Was there no way out?

wouldn’t put it past them to throw in some

I looked at the message again. I hadn’t actu-
cheap theatricality just for the hell of it. I
ally been served with notice of a lawsuit, and
could see that Johnston was right: there were
none of my assets had yet been attached. So
only five or six chambers that were occupied
far as I actually knew, there was no lawsuit (misted over on the inside, except for a clear
and never would be. If I tried to flee the juris-
area near the sleeper’s face, just like in 2001: diction, they could still serve by publication.

A Space Odyssey). But the room contained What if . . .

perhaps fifty of these glitzy tombs, awaiting a

The next day I went to see Matthew John-
freezerful of writers and artists, maintaining
ston at Catskill Features. His smile was as

Catskill’s control over intellectual property
minty as ever, with a touch of baking soda.

into eternity.

“Would Catskill be willing to put me into

The technicians, naturally in white lab

Preservative Hibernation now?”

coats, looking like they’d all auditioned for the His eyes looked startled, but his smile didn’t
role of the Attractive Scientist, crowded
waver. “Are you ill?”

around me as I came in. One asked me a long

“No. I was thinking it would be nice to see
checklist of questions (“How long has it been
the future.”

since you’ve eaten?” “Have you had any sort of

“Well, I don’t know. We’ve never had any-
sexual encounter, including masturbation, in
one ask to go into hibernation before. In fact, the last three hours?”). Another prepared the
it’s so new, I think we’ve had only a handful of

I. V. for the ichor or whatever that was going
our older writers and artists go in, from the
to keep my blood from freezing. A third

Tucson office.” He looked at me sharply. “You
wrapped my head in something that you
do understand, don’t you, that you would not
could have used in the soon-to-be-released
continue to be paid during your hibernation?

Curse of the Mummy’s Lawsuit.

You’re not an actual employee unless you’re

They had me sign six more consent forms.

able to work.”

Naturally I read them all before signing, which

“Sure, that was in the contract. But you’d
made the Attractive Scientists purse their lips
still get the advantage of my copyright licens-
in impatience. But they were just the usual
es, wouldn’t you?”

warnings about a hundred icky things that

“Yes, for a time, but the hibernation is
could go wrong, and the overbroad “indemni-
meant to last only until we are able to cure
fy and hold harmless” clause that purported to
you of your illness. How would we know
absolve Catskill from liability if its CEO mur-
when to revive you?”

dered me in my sleep. Decent draftsmanship

“You could do it after a set number of years,
but not spectacular, meant more to discourage
and then I could go to work for you again.”

litigation than to change legal rights.

56

KENNETH SCHNEYER

WorldMags.net

SEPTEMBER 2013

WorldMags.net

Finally I lay down in the chamber, suppress-

“Why?”

ing an urge to cross my forearms over my

“Congress changed the Copyright Act, ef-
chest like a Pharaoh. The cover came down in
fective next month. Authors who go into hi-
slow motion, and I could almost hear the
bernation don’t get unlimited copyright
brass-heavy orchestral score accompanying it.

anymore; it lasts for ninety years after publica-

I felt a tingling in my left arm as the ichor be-
tion only.”

gan f lowing in, followed by a sound like tin-

“So Catskill’s license rights don’t last any
kling bells and f luffy clouds before my eyes.

longer.”

Cheesy special effects was my last thought be-

“Right. So there’s no point spending a few
fore conking out.

million dollars a year keeping you guys
frozen.”

I woke up all of a sudden, to music coming

There were groans and sobs from other cor-
out of tiny speakers in the coffin. It was “Con-
ners of the room. “Look,” Cin said. “Are you
stance’s Friends,” the theme song in the open-
feeling okay? ’Cause if so, I need to be in about ing credits of every Catskill production and
six other places. Here’s the inventory of pos-
appearing in the most popular children’s ride
sessions you left with us when you went un-
in the theme park. I opened my f ilmed-over
der, including your clothes. Head up to the
eyes, then blinked to clear them. I inhaled
eighteenth floor to get it all back.” She looked
deeply, feeling a crackle-crackle like bubble-
me up and down. “Try standing up first.”

wrap popping in my chest. Experimental wig-

I stood up. She stood with her arms folded,
gling of my f ingers and toes conf irmed that
apparently waiting to see whether I would col-
they stopped creaking like rusty hinges after a
lapse. When I didn’t, she nodded briefly and
few seconds.

hurried across the vault.

The lid came off the coff in with less cere-
mony than it had closed. I heard the echoes of

It turned out that the Copyright Act wasn’t
a few dozen voices distributed around the
all that had changed. Over the last decade,
vault; things were hopping. Standing over me
thousands of people had used Preservative Hi-
was a thin, red-haired woman in a stained lab
bernation as a way of tying up assets, avoiding
coat. Her nametag said Cin. She looked like taxation and keeping their wealth from their
she was under a lot of stress.

heirs. Tax law, banking law, estate law had had

“Sit up,” she said, not smiling.

no provision for property owners in hiberna-

I sat up like a piece of scenery being hoist-
tion. These people put their money in to the
ed by lazy stagehands.

hands of brokerage firms with power of attor-

“Dizzy?” Cin asked.

ney. Even with relatively low rates of return,

I thought about it. “No.”

the compounding of assets over time was im-

“Good. Swing your legs over here.”

pressive, and the f irms managing the money

I did so. “How long has it been?” I asked.

got increasingly high, percentage-based fees.

“Um,” she frowned, checking her pad.

Increasing concentrations of wealth withdrew

“When did you go in?”

from the economy into the hands of people

“February 28, 2107.”

who were mostly asleep. Eventually heirs-at-

“Ten years.”

law and devisees of wills got annoyed that

“Not thirty?”

they weren’t getting any, and the tax authori-

“Ten.”

ties resented not having taxes to collect. So

“But I thought my agreement—”

the law changed.

“What do you mean, ‘agreement?’ If you’re

The weird thing is, I seem to have started it
going to die of a fatal illness, there’s nothing I all. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But I was sort can do about that.” Now her voice sounded
of the trigger.

bitter.

Not that anybody knew who I was. But J3

“No, no, I’m not. But I was supposed to be
apparently went to a lot of cybernetic effort to
under for thirty years.”

garnish my wages and my bank account, at-

She found the paperwork she was looking for
tach my other property, do whatever it could
and flitted through it. “Yes, I see. Well, sorry. All to get the fines paid, and failed every time as a of our hibernators are being thawed out today.”

result of my hibernation. The repeated failures

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR PLUS SEVENTY

57

WorldMags.net

ANALOG

WorldMags.net
made a lot of headlines. The court decisions

* * *
all went against the debt collectors, and they

J5, of course, turned out to be the latest
were all publicized, blogged about, comment-
model of J3, still owned and operated by the
ed on, fought over. Nobody cared who I was; debt collection agency in Houston. But hadn’t
all that mattered was that J3 was unable to col-

I escaped the library fines during the hiberna-
lect from a debtor because he was in hiberna-
tion period? Hadn’t the relevant statutes of
tion and therefore unable to be served. When
limitations run?

the statute of limitations ran, it made more

I did some more research, and discovered a
headlines.

2107 state statute, an amendment inserted

That’s when people began thinking about
into a bill on the inspection of garden tools
the f inancial loopholes hibernation opened.

f ive months after I went into hibernation. It

I’d opened the original “loophole,” but people
provided a tolling of the statute of limitations
found dozens of others. Then the backlash be-
for the payment of library f ines if the debtor
gan and the system retaliated, not only in
was in hibernation, and it was given retroac-
copyright, but laches, inheritance, securities,
tive application to February 28, 2017. The day
taxation, service of process, limitations, the

I went into hibernation.

works.

I called up the legislative history, and found

I didn’t learn all of this immediately, of
that the lobbyist who had contacted Senator
course. The first order of business was finding

Borden to suggest the amendment worked for
a place to live, and possibly some income. It
a f ifth-level subsidiary of an innovative cus-
wasn’t clear whether Catskill would offer me
tomer-service software unit. In other words,
my old job back; Constance the Cormorant

J3.

was either having a midlife crisis or undergo-

Given the money I now had in my account
ing celebrity rehab. In any case, the company
from my saved salary, I wondered whether it
had a full staff of writers, and I would need
would now be worthwhile suing the Texans,
time to get up to speed.

or J5, to have the original debt declared in-

But my saved salary had compounded nice-
valid, or at least to have it reduced to the fine ly, and nobody had been able to touch it. I’d
for one book, rather than thirty. But the
be able to live off it for a few years anyway, un-statute of limitations for that action had ex-til I figured out how to make a living again. I
pired during my hibernation, and there was
found a new place and paid a cash security de-
no exception built in for it, since I went into
posit, reconnected with the nets, and began
hibernation after learning of the error.

exploring the job market for writers, writer-

But when I read J3’s amendment in detail, I
lawyers, lawyers, and unskilled laborers (be-
saw that it had an exception, similar to those
cause you never know).

I’d seen for other anti-hibernation statutes:

Within a week, the following message ap-

Nothing in this Subsection shall ap-
peared:

ply to any debtor who enters preserva-
tive hibernation subsequent to

TO: ERIC WEISS
contracting a fatal disease, as defined

FROM: J5
in Section 4(b), and who terminates

RE: LIBRARY FINES
hibernation when a cure for that dis-

DATE: JUNE 15, 2117
ease is found.

A legislative compromise. Someone had ob-

DEAR MR.WEISS:

jected to penalizing sick people for getting

YOUR UNPAID LIBRARY FINES, WITH INTER-
sick in order to get at f inancial scoff laws, so EST, AMOUNT TO $3,072,000.THE INTEREST
the sponsors of the bill inserted language ex-

AND LATE FEES ON THESE FINES WAS TOLLED
empting them.

DURING THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 28, 2107-

So there was a way of escaping J5’s clutch-

–JUNE 12, 2117. INTEREST WILL BEGIN TO AC-
es. A little extreme, perhaps . . .

CRUE ON THIS ACCOUNT AS OF JUNE 12, 2117.

IT IS A PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU.

There was a quarantine for pneumonic

YOURS VERY TRULY,
plague patients at Washington Irving Memori-

J5
al Hospital. Large warning signs shouted over

58

KENNETH SCHNEYER

WorldMags.net

SEPTEMBER 2013

WorldMags.net
each entrance to the affected ward, and there
toms or lab results that would allow it to be di-
were annoyed staff members standing be-
agnosed, with (5) a reasonable time-lag be-
neath them. But such precautions are de-
tween diagnosis and irreversible damage. This
signed to keep out the unwary and prevent
eliminated ninety-five percent of the diseases
the spread of infection, not to prevent inspec-
that came to mind immediately—cancer, ebo-
tions by skilled professionals.

la, HIV, MS, ALS, inf luenza. I had hoped to

I ostentatiously buttoned my lab coat and
find something blood-borne that I could inject
tied on my antiseptic mask while marching up
myself with, but those blood and tissue sam-
to the nurse under the sign.

ples were kept under tighter security than the

“Where’s Masters?” I demanded.

contagious patients. I’d have had to learn bur-

“I’m sorry, who?”

glary to get hold of them. This new, drug-resis-

“Masters, Lee Masters; he’s supposed to
tant strain of pneumonic plague was much
meet me on this ward.”

easier; it would turn symptomatic after two

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know—”

days and kill me in five, which was just about

I waved impatiently, looking at my watch
right.

and then my pad. “Look, I’ve got ten minutes

I walked out of the ward wearing the surgi-
before I’ve got to report. I’ll do it without Mascal mask and kept it on for forty-eight hours to
ters if I have to.”

avoid becoming Typhoid Mary. Then, still

“We’re under quarantine—”

wearing the mask, I went to a local clinic and

“Well, obviously,” I said, pointing at my reported the symptoms—fever, weakness,
mask. “What do you want, a space suit?” Be-
bloody cough, nausea—that had already be-
fore she could answer, I squinted at the pad.

gun to appear. Voilá! I was in quarantine my-

“These are all headed for Preservative Hiber-
self, and slated for Preservative Hibernation at
nation?”

the earliest opportunity.

“Of course.”

Although Catskill wasn’t about to hibernate

“How soon?”

me again, I contacted a commercial service;

“Later today.”

the clinic had several on its referral list, and

“Which facility?”

would have sent me to a municipal facility if I

“Nowlan.”

hadn’t been able to afford it. I decided to treat

“How many are there?”

myself to a nice one. Although feeling pretty

“Twenty-two.”

woozy by this time, I was able to sign the sev-

I nodded as if this conf irmed what I’d
en or eight forms indicating that I was enter-
thought, and took the sort of deep breath an
ing hibernation in order to prevent death from
impatient man takes when he’s trying to calm
pneumonic plague. I sent copies, in envelopes
himself down. “Okay, I’ll only need to do a

I’d already prepared, to county courts, UCC
cursory survey; shouldn’t take me more than
f iling agencies, banks, insurance companies
ten minutes. If Masters gets here before I
and anyone else who might receive claims
leave, please ask him to join me.”

against me while I was under.

When I got into the ward, I made sure that

Contrasted to what I’d seen at Catskill, the
there were no members of the hospital staff
hibernation room for Gilgamesh Preservation
inside, then took off the mask. I went to each
looked less like a vault and more like a luxury
patient, half of whom were unconscious, and
spa. The lab coats were tailored, multicolored
pretended to look into his or her eyes or feel
and sexy, and you got your choice of music in
their foreheads and necks, nodding with my
the chamber, which felt like a cross between a
best expression of sympathetic-yet-hopeful
tanning bed and a massage table. I kept ex-
concern. I made a point of sniff ing deeply
pecting a floorshow or vodka cocktails before
near the patient’s face, as if trying to detect an the ichor kicked in and I went to sleep.

elusive smell for diagnostic purposes. Let me

I got the vodka cocktail when they woke
tell you, some of them smelled awful.

me. A beautiful young man named Pascal told

It had taken some out-of-my-f ield research
me that I’d been asleep for 23 years, and that
to find the right bug. I needed an illness that
there was now a reliable serum to put pneu-
was (1) fatal, (2) incurable, (3) easy to con-
monic plague into permanent remission. A
tract voluntarily, (4) quick to produce symp-
prescription had already been written by the

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR PLUS SEVENTY

59

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ANALOG

WorldMags.net

Gilgamesh staff physician, and was waiting for

It took me a while to dredge up what con-
me when I finished my cocktail.

nection I had with NBT, but then it came to

So was a hardcopy letter:

me: It was the custodial account in which I’d
put my royalties from Harriman’s Loophole,

November 21, 2140
now more than forty years ago. I’d given the
custodians considerable leeway, agreeing to a

Dear Mr.Weiss,
balance-percentage fee that paid them more as

Congratulations on your recovery!

the size of the holdings increased. Their cut

You’ll be happy to learn that, due to fa-
had been sliced down by the intervening
vorable changes in the interest com-
statutes, but they’d achieved some remarkable
pounding statutes, your fine is now
success, reinvesting dividends and interest,
only $76,466,558.00, which can be
making strategic sales and cashing in on tem-
paid in cash or using any standard
porary market f luctuations, and the balance,
credit link.

after taxes had been deducted was—

We look forward to your prompt

$76,466,583.58.

payment.

I stared at the number with my mouth

Best wishes,
open. The size of the balance was partially

J7
due to the tax exemptions and loopholes I’d
created with my first hibernation.

Once again, I had started a chain reaction.

I admit that I actually paused for a few min-

J5’s failure to collect against me in 2117 in had utes, drumming my f ingers on the marble
resulted in a battalion of copycats, injecting
tabletop in iambic pentameter. A large and en-
themselves with all sorts of virulent diseases in thusiastic part of me wanted to outsmart J7
order to take advantage of the statutory loop-
one more time, just to show I could do it. That
holes provided for the sick. Another army of
love of competition and cleverness is the sort
facilitators, money managers, and annuity
of thing that makes a lot of people stay in law
writers had made fortunes bigger than some
practice.

city budgets by helping them along.

But I hadn’t stayed in law practice. I want-And once again, the loopholes had been
ed, I reminded myself, to create, not just ma-closed by statute, exceptions created to ex-
neuver and evade. I hadn’t done anything like
ceptions, so that now the deliberate contrac-
creating since J3 started me on this game of
tion of a fatal illness did not trigger any of the fox and rabbit, and if I kept at it, I never
protections provided for in the earlier laws.

would. I’d had my fun, I’d shown I could es-

Of course, the earliest of these, related to li-
cape the trunk and handcuffs with the best of
brary f ines, was retroactive to 2117, and of
them. It was time to stop.

course it had been instigated by J5.

Slow as a child just learning to type, I keyed

I was ready to roll up my sleeves and begin
in the credit link transfer to J7. With the help
looking for more gaps in the statutes, but
of one of Pascal’s friends, I got the remaining
when I reanimated my data account in the

$25.58 in cash.

plush, wood-paneled room Gilgamesh kept

I walked out the front door of Gilgamesh,
for revived sleepers to catch up on their mail,
found a taxi, and told the driver to go north
among the thousands of junk messages I
until the amount on the meter exactly
found an electronic statement from the Neigh-
matched $25.58. Then I got out and paid him.

borhood Bank of Tannersville.

He was unhappy that he didn’t get a tip. ■

60

KENNETH SCHNEYER

WorldMags.net

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Illustrated by John Allemand

Creatures

From a Blue

Lagoon

Liz J. Andersen
hat do interplanetary veterinarians
how very wrong cases can go, from the tiniest
dream about?

of errors. And that’s not a comfortable subject

I’m not sure about other vets. We
for any doctor, or any dream.

Wdon’t talk about it much.Maybe be- We also learned what dangerous beasts cause after the f irst glorious days of getting
we’d often face—patients in very bad moods
into vet school, when our dreams rolled out
due to pain or illness, and quite willing to use
visions of heroic rescues, we quickly learned
any and all natural weapons. On top of that,

61

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ANALOG

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human vets are hampered by only having two
ratian in engineering. I fondly called her “Q,”

arms, unless they obtain professional help. En-
because my human vocal cords couldn’t possi-
listing the aid of owners or bystanders can eas-
bly pronounce her real name.

ily end up causing more trouble than it’s
worth. If your untrained helpers get hurt,

“Okay, Dr. Jesmuhr, we’ll squeeze a mini-
guess who receives the blame?

submarine with multi-function waldos into

Anyway, my veterinary dreams tend to fuse
your shuttle—”

quickly, and some of them still involve vet

“I don’t know how to drive a sub!”

school. I’d just suffered another one augment-

“It’s not that different from an aircar.” Q
ed by angry, fanged patients, and a shortage of
studied my face, and must have understood
techs and clothes. How long would it take for
my human expression. “Okay, I’ll let you bor-
school nightmares to go away? Eons?

row a smart sub—”

With that question on my mind, my mood

“A smart sub!”

was less than stellar as I walked into work one

“—if you promise to take good care of it.

morning. But when Dr. Cespar reminded me

Wait a micro, you’re not one of those techno-
that it was my turn to take the next ambulato-
phobes—”

ry appointment, and I glanced at our Veteri-

“I’ve just heard that smart machines can be
nary Care Unit com, I actually laughed.

rather—uh—opinionated,” I tried to be diplo-

“Obviously we should forward this request
matic about the nova rumors I’d heard, since

ASAP to our amphibious colleagues,” I said,
she seemed rather protective.

when I could catch my breath. I really thought

“Of course they have opinions,” Q said pa-
my boss was having fun at my expense this
tiently, as if talking to a child. “That’s a conse-time. “How did we get this?”

quence of being smart.”

“They’re all attending The Interplanetary

“Well, I’ve had no use for them, since they

Amphibious Veterinary Medical Conference
aren’t made smart enough to diagnose pa-
on Olecranon this week. So I agreed to take
tients who can’t talk.”

their emergency calls.”

“Of course not—then FIL would have to de-

My green eyes popped as I realized he was
clare them independent, intelligent life, and
actually serious. “You agreed to this, but I
who knows what they’d do then. But a smart
have to go?” My heart began to thud.

sub won’t attempt any diagnostics on your pa-

“It’s your turn, Taje. And surely you had to
tient. It will simply get you where you need to
pass an amphibious clinical rotation before
go, and provide extra arms. Now, we’ll also
you graduated.”

need to fit you with diving gear—”

“Sure, but that was some years ago, and

“But I’ve had no diving experience for
most of our patients came in tanks!” Plus this
years, and what I did do was in large tanks—”

was a nasty reminder that I’d have to some-

“This is a shallow sea assignment, right?”

how f ind enough time soon to attend a con-

“Right—”

tinuing education conference myself, if I want-

“So you don’t have to worry much about
ed to keep my veterinar y license active.

the bends.”

“Well,” I said, “do I at least get a tech to help Much?

me this time?”

“Anyway, don’t fret, I’ll put you in a smart

“While we’re covering two services? Are you
suit that knows more about diving than you
nova? Get this done ASAP, and come back!”

do.”

“For more,” I muttered, hopefully softly

I rolled my eyes, but how could I say no? I
enough that Cespar didn’t hear it. Why had I
needed all the help I could get.

wanted to become an interplanetary veteri-

Q glanced down at my shoes. “Humans
narian? Because the younger me had desired
have fairly useless feet, right?”

adventures on a variety of planets, along with

I studied her tough, golden-scaled, prehen-
saving animal lives. Now I wanted someone to
sile toes with some jealousy. “Right—”

invent a time machine so I could go bonk her

“Then we’ll put you in a suit with fins. Plus
on her nova red head.

we’ll have to supply you with waterproofed

Instead I scheduled a shuttle flight, and on
medical equipment,” Q continued thoughtful-
my next break, I went to see my favorite Lor-
ly. “And don’t forget to stop by Linguistics to

62

LIZ J. ANDERSEN

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ANALOG

SEPTEMBER 2013

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get this underwater translator adjusted.” She
marine equipment I couldn’t begin to fathom.

dropped the gizmo into my hands. “By the

I f inally shut all the locker doors, crawled
way, I’ve discovered why you call me ‘Q.’” She
past them, ducked my head to stand up, sidled
suddenly raised her golden shoulder spikes in
past a bunk, and squeezed myself heavily into
an alarming manner.

the captain’s chair, facing a large bubble win-

Uh oh. “I meant no harm. I mean, I just
dow. I’d planned to drop my luggage on the
can’t say your name, and ‘Q’ is such a
bunk, but someone had left a pile of bright
smooth—”

yellow junk on it already, so I dropped my bag

“Just kidding!” She slapped my shoulder,
beside me. The whole sub seemed built more
barely avoiding lacerating me with the scales
for little Telmids than humans, but I guess it
on her palm. “I’m actually honored!” Her
was the biggest one Q could squeeze into the
shoulder spikes retracted. “Good luck with
shuttle allowed for my trip.

this one, Dr. Jesmuhr!”

I strapped in and closed my eyes for the

Why did I always seem to get assignments
drop. I hate heights, and for a moment it felt
that required good luck? I rubbed my shoul-
like I’d left my stomach back on the shuttle.

der, and told myself not to worry about the

I heard a dim splash. Then we were under-
bruise I’d suffer later. “Can you at least loan
water, and I opened my eyes to feast them on
me a yellow smart sub?”

frilly fish swimming around exotic coral reefs,

Q’s spikes threatened to reappear. “Why?”

like Earth used to have.

“I’ve always wanted to live in a yellow sub-

“How will we get back into the shuttle?” I
marine!”

asked.

Q shook her shiny gold head in a very hu-

“By grapple and winch. I’m properly
man manner as she grasped an overhead rung
equipped.”

and swung away. Maybe we were rubbing off

Lovely. “How close are we now?”

on her. “I’ll see what I can do,” she muttered.

“Very close. Just give me a moment to enter
their lagoon. Okay, suit up.”

My shuttle hovered over the Zarjassian sea,

“Already?”

which I had to admit looked quite beautiful—

“You don’t want to meet your new clients
crystal clear blue water, just for starters.

from inside me, do you? Wouldn’t that be

My smart mini-sub suddenly awakened. It
rather rude?”

was really more of a yellow-orange, which I

Just what I suspected I’d get, a very opin-
guess was the best Q could scrounge up for
ionated vehicle! But it had a point. “Okay,
me. “Okay,” it said, “it’s a new day. Let’s go!”

okay. Where’s my diving suit?”

I didn’t want to fuse its enthusiasm, but this

“I’m right here!” the yellow pile said from
was a bit ridiculous. “We haven’t even landed
on top of my bunk. I guess Q had made up for
yet,” I said.

the color of the sub with my suit. Anyway, it

“We can’t,” the sub reminded me. “I’m not
did tell me exactly how to gear up, and I got to
designed to move on land. Hurry up, the sun
wear a helmet instead of a mask and respira-
is rising, and the days are short here! Board
tor, so I could talk into my translator. But the
me, and the shuttle will lower us down.”

air allowance and tank seemed awfully small,

“You promise this is safe?” I couldn’t believe
until I faced squirming out through the airlock

I was asking a sub this!

again.

“No need to worry. You can strap yourself

As I exited my sub underwater, I immediate-
in for the short drop.”

ly felt some relief from the local gravity. And I I swallowed, grabbed my satchel, and
only had to dive several meters into the inlet
shoved it ahead of me as I wormed my way
before I was surrounded by creatures who
through the tiny airlock, which would protect
looked like they’d swum from the Black La-
me against some peculiarities of the Zarjassian
goon, except they weren’t just grey or green,
atmosphere, as well as its sea. Lockers sur-
and their wide-lipped mouths and bubble eyes
rounded the hatch. I stalled by peeking in
were more logically placed f ish-fashion on
them—noting a packed abundance of ad-
their heads. Otherwise they looked unusually
justable snorkels and goggles for various
humanoid, despite their scales, gills, and frills, species, plus specimen containers and other
and their webbed fingers and toes.

CREATURES FROM A BLUE LAGOON

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And, of course, being full members of the
named Dr. Gill (I’m sure my translator gave my

Federation of Intelligent Life, which never
audience respectful names in their own lan-
considers murderous behavior a sign of intelli-
guage, but why did I have to put up with
gence, the Zarjassians weren’t Black Lagoon
this?) also explained that they’d already tried
monsters. Humans had to work much harder
all of their likely, safe remedies. “We have to
to gain FIL membership, I am ashamed to say.

take into account,” she said, probably as a gen-

I’m also hoping you haven’t a clue what the
tle reminder to me as well, “that whatever we

Black Lagoon is, since it doesn’t always show
give Floobar must not hurt her fetus or poison
the best side of human nature. All I can say in
our food supply.”

my defense is that having a rather oddly terri-

So I asked if anyone had any idea what
ble time with holo-induced headaches, I resort
might cause their “cow” (my translator also
to bedtime viewing of some rather outdated
seemed unusually unimaginative) to stop eat-
f lat human productions, in an attempt to
ing. Had they noticed some sort of physical in-
evade more irritating veterinary dreams.

ability to gather or ingest food? No. This was

Anyway, like the local fish, Zarjassians came
unheard of, because these “cows” possessed a
in multiple colors. I never did have time to
multitude of specialized tentacles. Some
f ind out if the colors meant anything, or if
snagged f ish, some bottom-fed, some per-
these folks just came in a lot more fun colors
formed f ilter feeding, and some gathered
than humans. I spent too much of my travel
plants. And if a tentacle was damaged, this rel-
time researching their intricate relationship
atively tiny loss could be regenerated.

with their food animals. We didn’t have much

“Are you certain Floobar didn’t eat some-
on the biology of either, as the planet was fair-
thing she shouldn’t have?” I said.

ly new to FIL, so I’d have to learn most of that

This concept was diff icult to convey. Ap-
on the fly. But I was a good crammer, so that
parently Zarjassians believed in their cow’s
was the least of my worries.

ability to digest anything she might grab and

As I swam toward my clients, lush water
swallow.

plants swayed with the currents, while fancy

Then why doesn’t she eat you? I almost
f ish swam cheerfully among us. But my two
asked, but of course symbiotic creatures don’t
dozen or so hosts weren’t feeling very cheer-
eat their guardians. My pre-visit cramming had
ful.

informed me that Zarjassian cows do not have

“Floobar has quit eating, which means we
armed tentacles, and must avoid some vicious
can’t eat, so soon we’ll all starve!” said the trib-predators, which Zarjassian tribes fend off by
al leader, a reddish-orange Zarjassian named
assigning rotating defensive teams equipped
something like “Flipper”—I kid you not. The
with fearsome, carved coral spears. When I
linguist who programmed my translator must
saw them, the sharp ends looked fragile, but I
have been having some fun at my expense.

wouldn’t want one of those spearheads break-

And either Floobar’s name hadn’t made it into
ing off inside me. And I still worried about my
our dictionary, or it was a fond but nonsensi-
own safety near the cow. After all, Q hadn’t
cal name.

thought to supply me with a soothing creature

“Floobar’s pregnant,” Flipper added, “so
from the Black Lagoon suit, or a restraint de-
she needs to eat more than normal, or she’ll
vice for a huge patient with hundreds of tenta-
also lose her baby!” Which they’d counted on,
cles.

for their growing tribe.

“Is Floobar vomiting, or having any diar-

I’d studied enough to know that Zarjassian
rhea?” Vets get to ask such fun questions.

tribes carefully guard their food animals from

“No.”

harm, for Zarjassians are totally dependent on

“No excretions at all,” Dr. Gill added help-
the carefully digested nutrients delivered by
fully.

some of their beasts’s specialized, teat-like ten-

“I assume that’s abnormal?”

tacles. Zarjassians cannot directly digest any of

“Yes.”

the multitude of life around them. It’s a symbi-

“Have you consulted with your colleagues?”

otic relationship so specialized that it’s just

“I’ve sent messengers, but that takes time.

waiting for disaster to strike.

I’m most eager to discuss this with someone

Their local veterinarian, a teal Zarjassian
from her breeding ground, but that’s especial-

64

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ly far away this time. We’re just lucky we live
compartment flashing at the head of my bunk,
close to one of the paraspace transmitters FIL
and the medication immediately absorbed
gave us. They said they’d also send us wrist-
through my oral mucus membranes. Suddenly
coms, but none have arrived yet. You were ac-
my stomach felt a bit better. “Thank you.”

tually faster.”

“So what would you like for dinner?”

Ah, bureaucrats. “Well, other than a lack of

“Soup, crackers, and ginger ale.”

excretions, is Floober acting any differently?”

“That’s all?”

“We already told you,” Flipper said, impa-

“Hey, you can’t expect to solve this whole
tiently. “She’s not eating!”

problem with a pill.” The sub was still sway-

Zarjassian days are quite short, thank the
ing, and I felt completely spacelagged.

Universe. My suit directed me to retrieve more

It turned out I also had to use my bunk as a
air only twice before our meeting ended at
bench for my fold-down “galley” table, so I got
sunset. Since my patients can’t talk, I like to
cracker crumbs in my bed. When I f inally
ask my clients as many questions as I can think
curled up on my mini-bunk, I dizzily rocked to
of. But I didn’t manage to elicit any more help-
sleep. Then I dreamt of drowning while con-
ful history, and by dusk I already felt quite ex-
stricted by crumb-encrusted tentacles.

hausted and ready to retire to my mini-sub.

“Good evening, Dr. Jesmuhr,” said the sub

Short days alternated with short nights
through my helmet receiver, as soon as I
here. The next morning I tiredly nibbled on a
crawled clumsily through my mini-airlock.

breakfast bar, and then asked my mini-sub to

“Are you ready for dinner?”

dive around Floobar, while Zarjassians helped

“I’m not very hungry.” In fact, between the
by swimming around and soothing their big
rocking beneath the waves, changes in gravity
cow. She was blue, lozenge-shaped, and about
and time zones, and the microf loral adjust-
the size of a small shuttle, so I didn’t need
ments I’d undergone to protect myself and the
much time to review the exterior of my pa-
natives from interplanetary diseases, I was
tient. Even from this brief overview I could tell feeling more than a little queasy. “I think I’ll
the cow was sick, by the way her green tenta-
drop into bed.” I disconnected my air hoses
cles floated or drooped limply all around her,
and popped off my helmet, and my suit pow-
like a dying fringe on a giant pillow.

ered down. “Suit, please remove yourself be-

I had begun to wonder why my clients
fore you go to sleep too.”

hadn’t mentioned weakness, depression, or

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” The suit im-
lethargy as a symptom. But when I asked my
mediately peeled off of me and dropped to the
sub to extend a bioscanner, one of those near-
floor like a giant banana skin, leaving me en-
ly moribund-looking tentacles flashed toward
tirely naked and more than a little cold. I had
it, snatched it away, and fed it to the cow’s
to find my underwear and pajamas ASAP.

ventral orifice.

“Vacful suit.” At least it had contrived to

Now why would an inappetant patient eat a
cushion my oxygen tank from an explosive fall.

bioscanner? “Well, I guess that’s at least one

“I heard that!” it said.

way to get an internal reading,” I said, trying

“And you really ought to eat something be-
to stay positive. I turned on my medcom re-
fore you go to bed,” the sub added. “You
ceiver, but after scanning a healthy oral cavity, didn’t consume any meals or snacks today
the pH meter reading dropped rapidly, and
when you returned for oxygen.”

then I lost the scanner signal altogether.

“Well then, you’ll have to give me some-

I tried to extend another scanner, at anoth-
thing for nausea first,” I said, getting cranky.

er angle, with the same dismal result. I hadn’t

“Okay.”

brought that many scanners with me, so this

“So where is it?”

was a problem. I still didn’t have a diagnosis;

“In the med niche tray.”

instead all I could do was rule out anything

“Which is where?” I glanced around. It
that might cause limb paresis.

wasn’t like this sub was big enough for a

So I had to ask my diving suit to join me.

whole med niche!

“Oh, now you want me?”

“Over your bunk, of course.”

“Aren’t you a smart suit?” I said.

“Oh, of course.” I found the pill in a small

“Yes indeed,” it said proudly.

CREATURES FROM A BLUE LAGOON

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Seems like you’re really more of a smart-
mented by suit musculature and Flipper’s as-
aleck suit, I thought, but somehow avoided
sistance, we couldn’t crack them open.

saying aloud.

“Come, we must move on!” Flipper tugged

“What are you going to do now?” the Zarjas-
at my arm, as my bioscanner beeped and
sians asked when I slid out of the sub.

flashed a red pH warning light, and my suit ac-

I explained that I must try to approach Floo-
tually swore at me.

bar myself. When I swam slowly near, several

“Danger, danger, Will Robinson!” it
tentacles snaked towards me, and I tried to
screamed nastily, as if it was so distressed it
stroke them reassuringly—as I’d seen the Zar-
had forgotten whom it was assisting. Accord-
jassians do—while Floobar’s limbs felt me
ing to my scanner, Floobar’s secretory glands
over and I adjusted my bioscanner. Then one
were now hard at work, pumping many liters
tentacle snagged the scanner while the rest
of acids into this mouth/stomach chamber.

slapped me away, and the cow once again ate

Flipper and I swam with all our might dis-
my diagnostic device.

tally toward an exit tunnel, which hopefully

“Ouch!” my suit and I both exclaimed.

contained a more neutral pH. I glanced fre-

I returned to my sub to retrieve another
quently at my companion and the surface of
backup scanner.

my suit. Were they looking a little rough? Was

“That’s your last waterproof scanner,” the
my clear helmet fogging up a bit? Had Q even
sub said. “You weren’t supposed to need this
considered this problem?

many.”

There was just enough room for the two of

“I know that!” I said, as I locked the scanner
us to frantically thrash together along this tun-
onto a short steel cable attached to my weight
nel. I nervously studied my companion’s ble-
belt.

pharospasm—were his eyelids clamped shut

“Then why do you need me?” the sub
over damaged corneas? And then bam! We
asked.

rammed right into an incredible blockage: par-

“So I can breathe while I rest.”

tially digested dead fish, seaweed, microscop-

“Humpf.”

ic mush, whatever. All biological material that

“I heard that!”

should have passed naturally and easily. I stud-

Wow, first the suit, now the sub! Next time
ied the lime green tunnel walls, but they ap-

I swore I’d insist that Q lend me nice dumb
peared to have given up on any peristaltic
equipment. I knew there was a good reason I
movement.

avoided this fused “smart” stuff. Now I was ac-

I started frantically digging my way through
tually foolish enough to feel some relief when
the mess like a human roto-rooter. Why was it

I slipped out of the sub again.

I never got a tech when I needed one? Flipper

The Zarjassians surrounded me on my next
tried his best to help, squinting bubble eyes
attempt, tr ying to protect me as we ap-
that looked mildly opaque, but scooping for
proached once more. But the cow was too
all he was worth with his webbed hands and
smart. Suddenly a number of tentacles shoved
feet. “Is this what’s wrong?”

my guardians gently but firmly aside, and one

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. A mysterious
tentacle grabbed my scanner. Before I could
lack of motility, or an odd impaction? But
f igure out how to release it, I was engulfed
what would cause either problem?

along with it.

“She doesn’t really know that much,” my

Meanwhile, Flipper had managed to hang
suit added, earning a swat that stung both of
onto my leg, I guess because he felt the most
us.

responsible for my safety. So he inadvertently

Yet I was so intent on escaping the acid
joined me inside the dark green mouth, a
bath while simultaneously straining my brain
small cavern lit up by my automatic suit lights.

for a differential diagnosis that I eventually dug

“I can’t believe this,” I said. “My inappetent
my way to the answer—a huge, bloated, striat-
patient just ate me. This isn’t fair!”

ed, purple parasite, with three hundred and

“Life isn’t fair,” my suit said. “Hasn’t anyone
sixty degrees of serrated teeth anchored into
ever told you that?”

the roof of the intestine. A parasitic blockage!

“Oh, Great Universe!” I dove down to grab

Endocrinology came in a close second, but

Floobar’s heavy keratinized lips, but even aug-
parasitology had def initely been my worst

66

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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subject in vet school, with all those hideously
der, and caught a dim view of the toothy
complex life cycles to memorize. Yet this
mouth gaping open again. Did I dare? I reluc-
problem looked simple. Finally!

tantly whirled around, and flapped as hard as I

I found my scanner still hanging from my
could with my left foot. But now a powerful
belt, and rested it on the worm’s hide, so I
current crashed Flipper right into me, cram-
could learn enough about its biology to design
ming us together inside the worm’s gut, and
an antiparasitic medication for Floobar. The
its mouth slammed shut again.

meters and screen were fogged, and some of

“Why did you let it do that?” I said, stunned.

the scanner’s waterproofing looked ragged, so

“Will this help you?” The Zarjassian offered

I wasn’t sure how well it was really working.

my bloody, flippered right foot. Visibility was

And I’d still have to return somehow to my
poor, but he held it mere centimeters from my
sub, so I could use my drug synthesizer—
helmet, and I almost lost it right there, pill or Wham! Well, more like a giant inverted
no pill.

whoosh. Suddenly those serrated teeth, which

“No,” I f inally managed to choke out, be-
appeared so f irmly anchored into their host,
tween teeth now solidly gritted.

released their grip along with streamers of

Flipper let my amputated foot go on an in-
green cow blood, and the worm came at me,
ternal current, and sighed. “I was afraid of
circular mouth wide open. It sucked me right
that. Now what?”

up, biting down hard on my right ankle. Sear-

“Hmm.” I began poking the nearest f leshy
ing pain blasted up my leg and bright red
purple wall with a gloved f inger. At least the
blood pumped out, until my suit quickly
thrashing had stopped, and now I stimulated a
sealed tightly over my ankle stump and shot it
small peristaltic wave. I poked the wall some
up with a local anesthetic. Now I was glad I
more. Then I used a particularly nasty probe
was wearing a smart suit, but I still cursed.

on my bioscanner.

“Not a single thank you? Would you prefer

“What are you doing?” Flipper said. “You’ll
that I stop hemostasis and the anesthetic?” my
never cut through with that—”

suit asked.

“Think about it. What happens when your

I had to work at not gritting my teeth, de-
belly feels upset?”

spite my fast release from pain. “No, no,

“We regurgitate or squirt.”

please keep me from bleeding out or feeling

“Exactly! Come on, help me with this.

my ankle! It’s just that I’ve already had to re-

You’ve got claws!”

grow that whole leg once before—”

About f ifteen minutes later another big

“You don’t even learn from your mistakes?”

whoosh carried us distally, and then we were

“Oh, just shut up! Great Galaxy, a worm in-
individually squeezed, rather painfully, out
side my patient has now eaten me! Can this
through the rectum. It was probably painful
get any worse?” I shouldn’t even have asked
for the worm, too, judging by the tail thrash-
that. Flipper beat on the worm’s hide from
ing that beat us soundly as we were expelled.

outside, and suddenly I was tumbling inside

“I get it!” I said at last, as we swam for the
the green blood-f illed gut of a thrashing pur-
nether end of Floobar.

ple people eater. I shouted at Flipper to stop,

“What?” said Flipper, giving me a bit of a
but I guess he couldn’t hear me.

tow to keep me swimming straight.

Desperate, I finally asked my suit for a mo-

“Weakness and a craving for the metal in my
tion sickness remedy, but we were rolling
scanners, from a parasite-induced blockage
around so much my tongue flicked it right off
and anemia. But there’s still something I don’t
the little delivery arm. I don’t think my suit
understand.”

was trying very hard to help me, either, as it

“What’s that?”

claimed it had no patches or injectables for

“How come none of you knew about these
nausea. So thank the Universe I managed to
worms? Is this a new disease?”

lick up the backup pill, which dissolved in-

“Well, for us it is. But we held an unusually
stantly on my tongue. I did not want to lose
big gathering half a year ago, which is when
my breakfast inside my suit, nor hear what the

Floobar was able to get pregnant. So I suppose
suit would have to say about the mess.

she could have caught it from a foreign cow

Then I happened to glance over my shoul-
then.”

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“Invasive species! And conferences!” I

“Med niche, on now!” I roared, and re-
swore under my breath, so hopefully my trans-
ceived a quickscan, an IV catheter in my arm,
lator didn’t pass this along too. No wonder the
and a sterile bandage with a line that fed pain
worm had grown so big—Floobar wouldn’t
meds and vasoconstrictors directly into my
have any natural immunity. And the breeding
stump. But my equipment wouldn’t stop yam-
ground vets might not even have noticed this
mering, like little kids.

problem in their own cows, if they possessed

“How does a human lose a foot?” the sub
good enough immunity to keep their worms
demanded.

under control. Usually parasites prefer to keep

“By letting a vacful giant worm chomp
their hosts alive—
down—”

“Ah hem,” my suit said, softly. “Ah hem,” it

“Shut up, both of you!” I couldn’t take it
repeated, when I tried to ignore it.

anymore. Then the warm glow of truly useful

“What?” I finally snapped.

systemic IV meds kicked in. The dewormer

“I know you ordered me to be quiet,” my
would have to wait a little longer. “I’ll tell you suit said, “but just in case you haven’t looked
what,” I said, a silly grin spreading across my
at your oxygen meter recently, you only have
face. “Instead of arguing, let’s just sing an oldie enough for fifteen more minutes.”

but goodie together. Come on, all together

“What does that mean?” said Flipper.

now! We all live in an orange submarine, or-

“It means I have to get back to my sub right
ange submarine, orange submarine . . .”

away!”

“What is she doing now?” my suit asked.

“Okay,” Flipper said, “hang on!”

“I think she’s trying to sing,” said the sub.

Was this the f irst time Flipper saved a life?

“But she can’t carry a tune, whatever it is, and

Somehow I doubted it.

I don’t live inside of myself—”

“Sure you do!” I said. “Don’t we all? We all

“Okay, suit, we’re done for today.” I gave a
live in an orange submarine! And many more
huge sigh of relief as I crawled out of my air-
live next door—”

lock, and kneeled in front of my strategically

“She’s nova,” said the suit, as I attempted to
placed clothes right inside the mini-sub. I
make various odd sound effects. “What did
could hardly wait to be rid of my annoying div-
you give her, anyway?”

ing suit, and interface my scanner with my

“Human pain meds are a pain,” the sub said,
medcom and drug synthesizer. Would I be
and sighed.

able to come up with something that would
kill that nasty parasite, without hurting Floo-

“You have to return to the VCU right now!”

bar’s fetus or her protective tribe?

Dr. Cespar hollered as I lay in a cozy bed in the

“I’m glad you don’t mean that literally, doc-

Medical Care Unit back at Station Seven.

tor.”

“While I’m regrowing a foot?” I lifted up a

“Very funny,” I said to the suit. “You can
grotesque anatomy lesson encased in a clear
leave me alone now.”

grow-rite sleeve.

“Are you quite sure about that?”

“You managed to treat a ‘dragon’ without

“Oh yes.”

receiving a single scratch or burn, and now

“Very well.”

while diagnosing worms in a cow, you lose a

I had just pulled on my shirt when I began
foot? Just cover it up and requisition a wheel
to bleed and shriek in pain. How could I have
chair!”

forgotten so quickly?

“Oh yeah, and show off my whole-body

“What did you do to her?” the sub demand-
bruise?” I held up my hands, so my hospital
ed.

gown sleeves slid down far enough to reveal

“Nothing,” said my suit from the floor.

bruises that began at my f ingers and contin-

“Med niche, on, now!” I sputtered as I
ued on below my elbows. Meanwhile, I re-
grabbed a towel for my ankle stump and
minded myself to quit feeling jealous of other
hopped over to the bunk.

beings’ colors. I’d tried out several over the

“What do you mean, nothing?” the sub said.

same number of days, and none really comple-

“How did you lose her foot?”

mented my features. “I’m also on so many

“I didn’t lose it! She—”

pain meds I can hardly think straight. Hire a re-

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lief vet if you haven’t got enough docs!”

waterlogged scanner had provided no useful

“A relief vet! You’ll probably be well by the
data whatsoever. “But—”

time one arrives at this station!”

“Plus it’s my turn, if they really need one of

“Perfect, because I have to go back.”

us again—”

“Go back? Why in this Galaxy would you

“Too bad! Dr. Gill is organizing a Zarjassian
want to do that, after what happened? You did

Bovine Parasite Conference, and she expects
get a proper dewormer into the creature,
me to be a featured speaker! In the spirit of
didn’t you?”

galactic peace and cooperation, don’t you

“Well, actually, it was much safer and more
think I ought to go?”

practical to send in a team of Zarjassians with

Dr. Cespar gave up too easily. I actually hat-
very sharp spears, goggles from one of my
ed talking in front of large audiences, and
sub’s lockers, and some tempting bits of met-
would no doubt suffer clothing-def icient
al.” And yes, I had to put up with another ear-
nightmares about that too. So thank the Uni-
ful for sacrificing some of the smart sub’s pre-
verse this conference would at least also satis-
cious locker doors. I also hoped Q wouldn’t
fy my continuing education requirement, sav-
get too angry about that. “Anyway, I can’t take
ing my license for another two standard years.

all the credit.” Especially since my acid-eaten,

If I managed to live that long. ■

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Special Feature

From Idea
to Story

(or Why “High

Concept” is

Only the

Beginning)

Richard A. Lovett
eginning writers often think the only

Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder,” Larry Niv-
way to sell a story is with a truly killer
en’s The Flight of the Horse, and David Ger-idea. If the underlying idea is good
rold’s The Man Who Folded Himself.

Benough,theyfigure,the rest will follow. There are,of course,important differences But as anyone who’s ever read a story that’s
in how time travel works in each of these sto-
nothing but a disguised lecture knows, there’s
ries. H. G. Wells’s time traveler visits the future a difference between idea and story. Some-in an effort to see the fate of humanity (and
times a big one.

maybe return with a warning). Connie Willis’s

Professional writers often say ideas are a
travels to a past that the story’s presumed
dime a dozen. And the fact is that even the
rules of physics make impossible to change.

best stories don’t have to be based on ideas Bradbury’s visits a past he can change but
that are all that dramatic, or even unique. Con-
shouldn’t. Gerrold’s changes so many things
sider this simple premise: “What if we could
he manages to become his own father (and
travel in time?” That’s the basic what-if behind
mother). And Niven argues that the potential
everything from H. G. Wells’s The Time Ma-
for such paradoxes means time travel is inher-
chine to Connie Willis’s Doomsday Book, Ray ently fantasy and that time travel stories can

70

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therefore be populated with unicorns, rocs,
vastly enhances his intelligence. “The book
and werewolves.

does not go into much detail about the opera-

The point is that the basic premises of these
tion,” Schmidt writes,2 “but everything that
stories carry little of the genius of the resulting happens to Charlie grows directly out of it.

tales. Let’s list them again in a little more detail: Remove the operation and nothing remains of
the story. You might still tell a story about

• Suppose you could travel forward in

Charlie Gordon, but it would not be even re-
time, then come home to tell people
motely this story. And it certainly wouldn’t be what you saw and maybe warn them
science fiction.”

about it (The Time Machine)?

So, yes, a story’s idea isn’t unimportant. But

• Suppose you could travel backward in
it’s only half of the science-plus-fiction formu-
time, but the timeline resists all efforts
la. This article is about the second, equally im-
to interfere in a significant fashion
portant half.

(Doomsday Book)?

That half, the fiction part, comes from the

• Suppose you could travel backward in
manner in which successful stories treat their
time but history is chaotic and even the
premises, rather than merely present them.

most minor alterations can have star-

“[These stories] raise questions about the
tling repercussions (“A Sound of Thun-
premise, put characters into stressful situa-
der”)?

tions that arise from the answers, show the

• Suppose you could travel ever y
characters’ very human responses to those sit-
which-way in time, in the process creat-
uations, and allow those responses to change
ing endless loops and paradoxes (The
the premise,” says Hugo-winning short-story

Man Who Folded Himself)?

writer David D. Levine.

• Suppose the only way to travel back-

Another way to look at this is to remember
ward in time is into an alternate uni-
that stories are composed of several elements,
verse (The Flight of the Horse)?

of which the idea is only one. One online
study guide lists six such elements:3 setting,

You can argue that I’ve over-simplified these
plot, conflict, character, point of view, and
premises but the point is clear: the power of
theme. Another lists five: character, setting,
these stories (or in the case of Niven’s, the hu-
plot, conflict, and theme.4 I prefer a more con-
mor) isn’t from the idea. It’s from the story.

densed list: character, setting, conflict, and

Or, as former Analog editor Stanley Schmidt resolution. But whatever list you’re working
has often put it, ideas are important, but science from, the basic point is this: if you have all of fiction is equal parts “science” and “fiction.”

the elements, you probably have a story. Drop

The science part often does come from the
any one, and you probably don’t.

idea. In fact, Schmidt says, for the story to be

Technically speaking, of course, “idea” isn’t
truly science fiction, the science-fictional idea even on one of these lists. But don’t worry;
must be so integral to the story “that you can’t
it’s there, subsumed in the broader categories
remove the speculation without destroying
of setting, conf lict, plot, and theme.5 But
the whole story.”1
without the other elements, even the most

As an example, he points to Daniel Keyes’s
mind-blowing idea is an essay or lecture, not

“Flowers for Algernon” and the expanded,
a story.

novel version, Charlie, in which the protago-This is one of the hardest things for begin-
nist, Charlie Gordon, has an operation that
ners to grasp, says Nebula nominee James van

1

Stanley Schmidt, “Good Writing is Not Enough,” in Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy: 20

Dynamic Essays by Today’s Top Professionals (St. Martins Griffin 1991).

2

Ibid, p. 94.

3
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html.

4
http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm/ellsa/ellsa_elements.html.

5

The 1990s sitcom Seinfeld may famously have been “about nothing,” but don’t try that with a story unless you know what you’re doing. (And even Seinfeld was about more than it claimed to be about.)

FROM IDEA TO STORY

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Pelt (whose day job is as a high school and
ample of how to write introductions:

college writing teacher). “An idea can start a
story for me,” he says, “but it’s not what the

“Have a nice day,” Bernie said, as
story is.”

he gave the customer her change.

There is a term sometimes used in cinema:

The Betelgeusian lobsterette
high concept. It’s the movie-world equivalent clicked her claws in reply, then deft-of the “idea-driven” story and is generally used
ly snipped the head off a hamster
to describe a movie based on an easily stated
and popped it in her mouth.

premise:

Bernie missed the good old days

—What if California were hit by a magni-
when a pet store sold animals that
tude 10 earthquake?

would be loved for something other

—What if the Earth’s core stopped rotating?

than their flavor. “Damn it!” he ex-

—What if a volcano were on the verge of
ploded. “How many times have I got
erupting but nobody except one volcanologist
to tell you to do that outside? Can’t
believed it?

you read the sign? No blood on the

—What if Martians invaded?

counter.”

—What if there was an alternative Earth in
which time ran backward and people rose

That still makes me chuckle every time I
from the grave only to become younger and
pull up the file—which tells me there has got younger until eventually they climbed back
to be a story in there somewhere. There is
into the womb?

clearly an idea: what if aliens came to Earth

Usually, these movies are bad—sometimes
and, however friendly they might otherwise
because the ideas are bad, but often because
be, violated our cultural mores in unexpected
of that huge gap between concept and story.6
manners? But so far, the idea is just that, cou-
pled with a cool introduction.

So how do you turn an idea into a story?

I will begin by admitting that for most of us,

Read, Read, Read
it’s not easy. Occasionally, I get what I know is So, yet again, how do you turn an idea into
a great idea . . . and have absolutely no clue
a story?

what to do with it. I write it down, file it, and One of the best ways to learn is by reading
periodically read through my list of such ideas
what others do. Consider another of Ray Brad-
in the hope my subconscious might have mag-
bury’s classics, “All Summer in A Day.”8
ically turned one into the kernel for an actual

You can find the story free, online,9 and it’s
story. On my hard drive I have a folder titled
short: half the length of this article. One of the (no kidding) “Unlikely SF Story Starts.” The
things you’ll notice is that it’s full of Bradbury’s shortest file in it is named Dar yl_Jones
stylistic quirks. There’s a standout line, for ex-_died_the_hard_way.doc. Opening it, those
ample, describing a group of keyed-up chil-
six words are all I find: “Daryl Jones died the
dren as “turn[ing] on each other, like a
hard way.” Is it an idea? Not quite. A story? No
feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes.” Most of
way. Not yet.

us only get a few lines like that in our entire

Another such idea-germ is one I came up
lives, but Bradbury tossed them off like every-
with in an earlier article in this series7 as an ex-day occurrences.

6

Not that this has to be the case. The last of these happens to be the premise of “Backwards,” my favorite episode of the classic BBC science fiction series Red Dwarf. If you’ve never seen it, rent it.

“Nodnol,” “Bulgarians,” “Fabulous Reverse Brothers,” “Don’t ask,” and a half-dozen other lines will ring in memory forever.

7

“Hook, Lure, and Narrative: The art of writing story leads,” July/August 2008 Analog.

8

And, by the way, thanks to the folks on Analog’s Facebook page for discussing this story just in time to bring it to my attention.

9

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Summer_in_a_Day, and scroll to the footnotes. Don’t read the Wikipedia article itself, which summarizes the plot, but go directly to the story, so you get it straight from Bradbury’s pen.

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There’s also the writing structure, which al-
and I remember the HUGE impact it
ternates between blocks of prose that flow
made [on] me as a child. In fact,
like tumbling water and interludes of excited
thanks to this story (and a few other
dialog. Bradbury was a master of style, and
events in life), I was able to grow
that is part of what makes “All Summer in a
into the person I am today. 11

Day” a tour-de-force.

But the story is more than perfectly crafted

The power comes from the story, not the
words. Its idea is dead simple: what would it
idea. “Stories,” writes Peter Guber, CEO of
be like if the Sun only came out for a couple of

Mandalay Entertainment and producer of
hours, a few times in a lifetime? Better yet,

Rain Man, Batman, Midnight Express, The
what if it only quit raining a few times in a Color Purple, and many others, “are the most lifetime?

effective form of human communication . . .

Bradbury didn’t waste time explaining how

Stories, unlike straight-up information, can
this might happen. He simply assumed it by
change our lives because they directly involve
setting the story on a rain-drenched planet. He
us, bringing us into the inner world of the pro-
chose Venus—a scientifically problematic
tagonist.”12
choice even when he wrote the stor y in

Again, the word “idea” never appears di-

1954—but rigid scientific extrapolation isn’t
rectly. Rather, Guber says, “The first rule of
what this story is about.10 Rather, it’s about
telling stories is to give the audience . . . an
hope and loss and the unthinking cruelty of
emotional experience. The heart is always the
children (who lock one of their number in a
first target. . . .”

closet so she can’t see the Sun when it ap-
pears). It’s about something we all know—

Question, Question, Question
grade school at its worst—in a setting none of

One trick for turning an idea into a story is
us have experienced. It’s 1,942 words of near
by asking questions about it.

perfection. Who cares if this is a Venus that I’ve never managed to get anything useful
could never have existed?

out of poor Bernie and the hamster-snacking

That is how you turn an idea into a story. If
lobsterette, other than a vague sense that if I

Bradbury had spent even a few sentences ex-
worked at some place like Starbucks I’d proba-
plaining the meteorology of his hypothetical
bly have a wealth of customer experiences

Venus, he would have lost the mood. The sto-
that would give me what I needed.13 But in my
ry is about the children, not the planet. And if
story “Bug Eyes” ( Analog, November 2008) a you go online, you find comments like this, in-bit of question-asking quickly turned an idea
dicating he hit his mark perfectly:

into a story.

The idea for that story came to me at a plan-

This short story still moves me un-
etary science meeting, where I was listening
bearably, more than twenty years af-
to the latest results from the Mars rovers. Mid-
ter I first read it.

way through, I got to wondering: what would
happen if, while hunting for microbes or an-
or
cient fossils, we found someone else’s rover
doing the same thing?

I read it back in elementary school

Accidental first contact isn’t a new idea. It’s

10

If he’d really cared, he could have shipped the story off to Alpha Centauri.

11

Collected from: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4731952-all-summer-in-a-day.

12

“The Power of Stories,” Psychology Today, March 15, 2011, online at http://www.psychologyto-
day.com/collections/201106/the-power-stories/the-inside-story. If you read this article, by the way, you’ll discover that Guber illustrates it with stories. Not fictional ones, but the stories of the father who inspired the movie Missing and the young woman who convinced him to finance the movie Soul Surfer.

13

A friend who did work at an urban Starbucks once told me about a customer who used to come in every day, order a coffee, drink the beverage, then slowly eat the cup. Compared to that, Bernie’s lobsterette is positively ordinary.

FROM IDEA TO STORY

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the premise behind Murray Leinster’s classic
be anywhere. It was definitely the

“First Contact,” in which aliens and humans
type of thing Robin Tripp might do.

first meet at the Crab Nebula. But Leinster’s

Except that Robin was up to her ears
story had to do with pre-Cold-War paranoia
in other projects.

over how you could establish trust. I was

Whatever the thing on the screen
more interested in the unexpected contact.

was, it was a pretty good monster.

My first question was, “Where?”—as in,

Multi-faceted eyes, a forest of anten-
where might such contact occur? Because Le-
nae sprouting from what might be
inster had used interstellar space (and because
its forehead, and . . . Frank recovered
a near-future rover needed to be within radio
his chair and wheeled closer . . . was
contact), I picked the Solar System. And be-
that a radio dish sculpted into its
cause Mars was a cliché, I went for Jupiter’s
backside?

hyper-volcanic moon Io, which might be in-
teresting enough to draw attention from any-

From that beginning, I had a basic plot in
one else surveying the Solar System. Also, Io is
mind, with Frank panicking and driving the
far enough out in the Solar System to intro-
rover off a cliff when he thought the alien
duce a plot-useful speed-of-light delay into
rover was attacking him . . . but not before the
communications.

aliens had figured out enough to know how to

The next question was, “Who?”—as in who
send a follow-up probe to visit him in his lab.

should be the central character.

Even more importantly, I asked, “How did

I picked the scientist serving as a rover dri-

Frank respond?” to each step in the story line.

ver, who I named Frank Rogers, simply to

The result was a story in which he changed
keep him as bland as possible. And because I
in important ways, so when the aliens eventu-
don’t know about team dynamics at NASA’s
ally visited him, he was far better prepared to

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and because I
meet them than he’d been when they’d star-
wanted the story to focus on one individual
tled him on Io.

getting the surprise of his life), I put Frank in What’s interesting is that this story was one
charge of a never-say-die rover that was barely

I had seen as very much idea-driven. But when
worth keeping in operation. Frank’s rover was
it printed, the reviews thought otherwise. “A
very close to being put in mothballs, and no-
nice story of how mutual misunderstandings
body but him and his grad students were pay-
don’t have to be the end of the world when it
ing much attention to what it found.

comes to aliens, and also a good illustration of

The next question was “Why?”—as in why
how even scientist-centered hard SF can do
this character?

character well,” one reviewer noted. Another

Here, it was fairly simple. I wanted to set up
described it as a story with “a big heart” in

Frank as not the perfect person to make the
which “how [Frank] deals with the experi-
greatest find in human history. And to accent
ence [of wrecking the Io rover] is at the core
that a bit further, I made him a jumpy type
of the story.” This unexpected depth in what
who easily panicked when the unexpected

I’d thought of as a toss-off “idea” story, came
happened. Here’s how the story began:

from repeatedly asking questions, mostly
about Frank and his responses to what was

Frank Rogers was staring at a bug-
happening to him.

eyed monster. Or more precisely, it
was staring at him, out of his com-

Winners and Losers
puter screen.

I wish I could come up with a cookbook

“Holy . . .” he said, recoiling so
from this for how to turn a concept into a sto-
quickly he nearly fell over backward.

ry. But all I really know is that I’m not the only He did slop coffee on the carpet.

writer who begins by asking questions.

“What the hell’s that?” Then: “Okay,

“The first question is ‘So what?’” says Ana-
who’s the joker?”

log regular Edward M. Lerner. “As in, ‘How Of course, nobody answered.

might that science or technology affect any-

Frank was working at home and
one? How would people use it?’”

whoever’d planted the image could

Question number two, he says, is, “Who ob-

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jects? Who has a vested interest in The Way
for those familiar with the Wodehouse clas-

Things Are?” This is the point, he adds, at
sics) who discovered he’d offloaded too much
which he starts thinking about characters.

of his “personal operating system” (core mem-

“Who might be characters with a stake in such
ories, that is) onto the device. He wound up
a conflict? Once I have a feel for the pros and
back in first grade, relearning his ABCs.

cons of an idea and the sorts of characters I’d

It’s also possible to reverse the process by
use to explore a conflict over it, I’m generally
starting with a character and eventually refin-
on my way to a plot.”

ing the idea. That, in fact, seems to be the way

You may note that the word character
in which stories often come to me: as opening
keeps popping up. “All story is about charac-
scenes (plus a character) in which there lurks
ters,” says novelist and short-story writer Bren-
at least the germ of an idea.

da Cooper, “even if it is an ‘idea’ story.”

My story “Cats Know” ( Analog, December

“There are a gazillion ideas,” adds van Pelt.

2012) fell into this category. My protagonist

“What I need are the people affected by the
was an old man; the setting a mall. To the ex-
idea, [who] care about [its] repercussions and
tent there was an initial idea, it was: What if,
have lot at stake.”

when you walked through the mall, holo-

Analog regular Jerry Oltion agrees. “To turn grams produced tireless, omnipresent ver-an idea into a story,” he says, “come up with a
sions of the type of ads we try to dodge on our
character who embodies or wants something
phones, etc.?

that illustrates the germinal idea. Then put ob-

It was incredibly thin ground for a story,
stacles in their way. The story will practically
however, and sat in my “Unlikely SF Story
write itself as the character struggles to get

Starts” file for several years. Then, one day, it around the obstacles.”

crossed my mind that the old man had a prob-

“The hard part,” adds Cooper, “is finding
lem that had nothing to do with intrusive ad-
the conflict. Say I read about a cool thing like
vertisements. He was lonely. The ad, I realized,
robot nannies in Japan and want to write
could be powered by a just-human-enough
about it? I have to find the characters to wrap
simulacrum that it too could be lonely.

around the idea and a conflict for those char-

From there, it was merely a matter of plot-
acters. To make the story seem even more
ting an unlikely friendship between a man and
real, the conflict can be influenced by the
an advertisement. But that, I now realize, al-
idea, but not completely about the idea.”

tered the story’s premise. Instead of being

One way to do this, I’ve found, is by taking
solely about the future of advertising, the core
your idea and standing it on its head. Instead
question had become: What if a man fell in
of looking at it and saying, “Oooh, how cool,”

love with an ad . . . and the ad reciprocated?

ask yourself what could go wrong with it.

What this means is that when we talk of

What would one of those cool robot nannies
idea-based stories, or of the process of turning
do if it went off the rails? What would be the
ideas into stories, we may be driving an artifi-
effect of such nannies on child-rearing? Could
cial wedge into the normal idea-character-sto-
parents actually forget they have a child?

ry triad. Story writing is ideally an iterative

Could children not know they have parents?

process in which everything affects every-

How would such a child-rearing system work
thing else. It’s not just the characters who are
in the hands of an abusive parent?

changed by the experience. It’s the writer, and

The result needn’t be dystopian, nor dark. It
the writer’s ideas, as well. ■
could be a simple cautionary tale, social satire, or even humor. The first time I recall doing

About the author:

this was with “911-Backup” ( Analog, Novem-Richard A. Lovett has been a full-time
ber 2005), which involved an “e-Brain” electri-
writer since 1989. His short-story collection,
cal implant designed to enhance the user’s

Phantom Sense & Other Stories (all collabo-memory. That by itself isn’t exactly original, so rations with fellow Analog writer Mark Nie-I wondered what would happen if you forgot
mann-Ross) was released in 2012 by Strange
to back it up.

Wolf Press. Follow his professional page on

The result was a somewhat clueless charac-

Facebook, or find him on the web at
ter (a Bertie Wooster cut off from his Jeeves,
www.richardalovett.com.

FROM IDEA TO STORY

75

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Murder on
the Aldrin

Express

Martin L. Shoemaker
re you sure about this, Riggs?”

crographs don’t lie.”

Midshipman Riggs nodded. “The

I did take a look, pulling Riggs’s report onto
micrographs don’t lie, Chief Carver.

my comp. I wasn’t an expert in nanomachines

“AThere are nanos all over that cable.” anymore than Riggs was,but I could read the I scratched my neck under my stiff white
computer analysis easily enough. The frayed
uniform collar. It was hard to keep my uni-

S3 cables were infested with dormant
form clean within the water rations on the
nanobots.

ship. Besides an inescapable slight stink—in-

Well, I had been hoping for a distraction so
escapable because the whole ship had the

I could stop thinking about Tracy. I had man-
same stink of bodies confined for months—I
aged to avoid her even in the close confines of
was developing a bit of a rash. “But are you
the Mars cycler, but I couldn’t avoid the mem-
sure? We’re going to have to take this to Cap-ory of her without some distraction. This
tain Aames.”

would certainly fit the bill. “All right, then. No I saw the young British astronaut turn pale,
sense in delay. Let’s go see the captain.” I
almost as pale as his close-cropped blonde
stood from my desk chair, automatically cor-
hair, and I managed to conceal my amuse-
recting to avoid rising too fast in the ship’s
ment. Riggs was new to the Aldrin, but al-quarter gravity. As we headed out of my of-
ready he lived in fear of Nick. Half the crew
fice, I noticed that Riggs still moved with ex-
did the same, while the other half would nev-
aggerated care. Eventually he would adjust—if
er dare go to space without Nick in command.

Nick didn’t break him first.

Some days I wasn’t sure which half I was in.

Nick had broken more men than any three

Riggs was understandably nervous: being
other commanders in the Corps. He loves to
challenged by the chief off icer was bad
push a crew in drill: “Again. Again. Do it again, enough, and bringing bad news to Nick
and get it right this time.” Sometimes that
would be even worse. But the midshipman
seems like the only word he knows: “Again.”

hesitated only brief ly before he swallowed

Again and again until you break; but those he
and answered. “Yes, sir. Take a look. The mi-
doesn’t break, we know our stuff. We have to.

76

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Being the best is the only way to get Nick to
from his computer desk. He liked the room
shut the hell up.

dark, with one giant window behind the desk

Probably Riggs would break, but I hoped
showing the star field outside.

not. He was a good kid, endearingly eager to

The chair behind the desk, its high back fac-
be in space even if only as crew of a Mars cy-
ing us, didn’t budge as we entered and the
cler. We would never make planetfall; just fol-
door closed behind us. Nick was probably star-
low a complex pseudo-cometary Solar orbit
ing at the stars to ignore us, but it was possible that took us back and forth between Earth and
he hadn’t heard us. As usual, the off ice was

Mars every eleven months. We orbited the
filled with mellow Brazilian music. Many of us

Sun; but as we got close to Earth, she grabbed
in the Corps had trained in Brazil and picked
us, swung as around a couple of times, and
up a little Portuguese; but Nick had thorough-
then tossed us back toward Mars; and then
ly adopted the country and its culture. I recog-

Mars grabbed us and tossed us back in a com-
nized “Brigas Nunca Mais,” one of Nick’s
plicated dance that took only trivial amounts
favorites. I always found some irony in that:

of fuel for occasional course corrections. It
the title translated roughly as “Never Fight
was a mathematically elegant and eff icient

Again,” and Nick was a tenacious fighter.

way to travel; but it was about as exciting and

The chair back swayed slightly. Despite the
eventful as driving a subway train. Most in the
music, I was sure Nick knew we were there.

Corps saw cycler service as pretty low duty for

He was just ignoring us. Fine. I would wait
an astronaut, tantamount to punishment. And
him out.

working under Nick didn’t make that duty any

Finally the song ended, and Nick’s voice
more popular, which added to our attrition
came from behind the chair. “Are you going to
rate. I couldn’t guess whether Riggs would last
stand there all day, Chief Carver? I know you
or not. Nick couldn’t, either, which was why
didn’t leave.”

he insisted on testing people until he found

“How did you know it was me?” Did he ana-
out. Nick hated not knowing.

lyze the sound of my walk? I couldn’t see how

We walked through the ship as I ruminated,
over the music.

passing through one brownish-gray corridor

“Elementary, my dear Carver. After Margo
after another. I had seen pictures of the ship

Azevedo’s breakdown at last month’s maudlin
when she was new, all orange-yellow (“ochre”

dinner, I would rather avoid any unnecessary
the designers called it) and with the Holmes
contact with our passengers. That door is cur-

Interplanetary logo prominently displayed in
rently programmed to open for only one other
most rooms. It had been a bit ostentatious, but
person on this ship besides myself; and that
it had looked polished. Then Holmes had
one other person is you, Chief.”

gone out of business, and Mission Control had

“Someone could have broken your lock pro-
scooped up their assets and repurposed them
gram and entered that way.”

for government missions. One of the f irst

“True. But there’s only one person on this
things they had done was paint over the ochre
ship whose programming skills are up to that
with government-issue gray; but because they
task. And that person is also you. Ergo, if
had skimped on the gray, the result was a
someone intrudes on my solitude, it could
brownish tinge that looked grimy even when
only be you. Oh, and Mr. Riggs, of course.” I
we cleaned it as best we could. We got used to
saw Riggs flinch when Nick said his name. He
the grimy look eventually, but prized any little
looked at me and mouthed the word “how,”

bit of color that broke up the dullness.

but I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to give Nick

Eventually we arrived at Nick’s outer of-
the satisfaction. Besides, he likely had a cam-
fice—empty, since I was the one who usually
era hidden in his off ice, so it wasn’t any big
manned the desk there—and passed through
mystery.

to the command office. The door opened as I

Over the years I had learned the value of
approached. I ushered Riggs in and we stood
having more patience than Nick. It’s not easy,
before the display desk. Where most of the
but I’ve done it. He has nearly zero patience
ship was brownish-gray, Nick had had his of-
when he wants something from you, but near-
fice painted in darker tones, mostly black. He
ly inf inite when he’s avoiding someone. So I
also kept the lights low, except for the glow
just stood silently and waited him out. At last

MURDER ON THE ALDRIN EXPRESS

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ANALOG

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he spoke again. “So what is it, Chief Carver?

ored in shades of magenta to stand out against

More of the incessant mourning? Have our
the gray background. “There they are, sir.

passengers decided they want to regale us

Scanner says they conform 99.993 percent to
with yet more stories of the late, great profes-
the structure of standard scavenger nanos, one
sor and his botched expedition?”

of the same lines that the expedition took

“No, sir, but it does involve the expedition.

along for scavenging raw materials. This par-

Riggs has found evidence that Professor
ticular line scavenges salt ions and fixes them

Azevedo’s S3 cable was sabotaged.”

to a substrate, manufacturing salts and salt-

It’s rare that I get to surprise Nick, even
based compounds. And these—” Riggs tapped
with bad news; so I took a secret, perverse de-
the comp again, and small f lecks were high-
light in the way he spun the chair around. In-
lighted in yellow “—are salt ions trapped in
stead of his usual casual slouch, he leaned
the glycine matrix.”

intently forward: a medium-short man, fit and

Nick sneered at Riggs. “And why are you
wiry with bushy red-gray hair and a short
wasting my time over a bunch of salt ions?”

beard. When he got like this, his energy

But I knew that sneer from long experience: it
seemed likely to burst out in a random direc-
meant that Nick was testing Riggs. Nick al-
tion on the smallest provocation. Again Riggs
ready knew the answer, and he suspected that
flinched as if Nick might leap at him or throw
just maybe Riggs wasn’t a complete incompe-something at him; and I had to admit, it had
tent. If Riggs could keep his cool and make a
happened to others in the crew.

thorough, professional report, he might actu-

Nick f ixed Riggs with his best contemptu-
ally impress Nick. And I knew as well as any-
ous stare. “Mr. Riggs, Synthetic Spider Silk
one how difficult it is to impress Nick.

breaks. It is incredibly strong, but it also

Riggs held up under the sneer and contin-
breaks when not properly maintained over
ued his report. “Captain, the salt ions depoly-
time. And Paolo Azevedo was notoriously
merize the glycine, reverting it from a fibrous
sloppy—exactly as I warned his backers be-
state to more of a gel. The silk becomes liquid
fore the expedition, not that anyone listened
again, Captain, and it stretches like taffy. It
to me. Half of his maintenance reports never
pulls thinner and thinner until it wisps away. If got filed. So I have no doubt he fell behind on
the Captain is done with this micrograph?”

S3 inspections, and the cable broke as a result.

Nick waved his hand dismissively, and Riggs

Why would you suggest otherwise?”

brought up the next image. “This is the same

Riggs straightened to attention under Nick’s
zone, zoomed out by a factor of ten.” There
stare, and he stood his ground. I could really
were a number of gray strands, too small now
get to like the kid. He had spunk. “Captain, I
to see the magenta specks; but the strands be-
was performing the quarantine inventory, as
came progressively more yellow as they ap-
per Chief Off icer Carver’s orders.” We were
proached the upper right corner. They also
less than two days away from Earth orbit, so it
narrowed dramatically. When the strands had
was standard practice to scan all transported
diminished to roughly half their width, they
gear for contaminants—including nanos, since
started to bend and warp. And suddenly, al-
many Earth jurisdictions have pretty strict laws
most in the corner of the image, they became
about unlicensed nanomachines. “I inspected
a knotted yellow tangle, and they reached no

Professor Azevedo’s S3 cable, and I found a
further.

small colony of scavenger nanos. If I may, sir?”

Nick turned one wide eye up at Riggs. “So,

Nick nodded, and Riggs swiped his f inger

Mr. Riggs, you’re telling me that although
across the comp in his sleeve, pushing his re-

Azevedo was an utter fool who had no busi-port to Nick’s display desk. Nick gestured us
ness leading that expedition, he wasn’t at fault
closer as he leaned over the electron micro-
in his own death? You’re telling me that I was
graph, an image of several parallel gray tubules
wrong?”

dotted with miniscule magenta specks. Riggs

Riggs swallowed before he spoke. “Yes,
tapped his comp, and several circles zoomed

Captain.”

out of the image for more detail. The tubules

“Good!” Nick looked back down at the
began to show as a fine matrix; and the specks
desk. You would have to know him as well as I
became a number of small structures, false col-
did to see the slight edge of a smile at the cor-

78

MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER

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ner of his mouth. Riggs had impressed him.

authority was pretty much total until Earth’s

“Riggs, it is my job to be right. This ship and
gravitational force acting on us exceeded Sol’s.

all aboard depend on that. It is your job to tell Nick didn’t continue, so I did. “And so it is
me when I’m not doing my job. I will tear you your responsibility to investigate, Captain. Se-into small bloody bits when you do, because
cure the evidence, prepare a report for the au-

I’m never wrong; and I expect you to do so thorities on Earth, and make sure whoever is
anyways, because sometimes I am wrong, and behind this isn’t a danger to our passengers

I will not tolerate that. If you can accept that, and crew.”

you might have a future on this ship. Can

“My responsibility?” Nick turned one glaring
you?”

eye upon me.

Riggs didn’t hesitate again. “I don’t know,

“Yes, sir. And I guess this changes at least

Captain. We’ll find out.”

one thing.”

This time Nick even let his smile show.

“Oh?”

“Honesty. Another mark in your favor. Don’t

“You were wrong about the expedition.

ever lie to me, Riggs, and we’ll get along fine.

The failure wasn’t their fault.”

So I trust you did research on these nanos. You

“Oh, really?”

know how they’re activated.”

“Well, clearly, it was deliberate. It wasn’t an

“Concentrated UV light, Captain, of specific
accident.”

frequencies. The light excites certain outer

“Oh really? And what does that change?”

electrons in the structure, ionizing the nanos

“Well . . . everything!” Nick exasperated me.

and initiating a chain reaction that starts them

As usual. I think exasperating was one of his
in motion. I’m afraid chemistry isn’t my best
primary joys in life. Defying expectations and
subject, Captain, so I can explain how to acti-
challenging beliefs was one of his many ways
vate them but not the details. The frequency
of testing people.

and intensity required are such that they don’t

“Does it change the fact that they didn’t
occur naturally in the solar spectrum.”

plan for adequate backup water? Does it

“So they can’t activate by accident. Some-
change the fact that they didn’t plan for the
one has to use an emitter.” Riggs nodded.

possible temperature extremes? Does it

“And that’s why you believe the break must
change the fact that they were completely un-
have been sabotage.”

prepared for a Category V dust storm? Does it

I decided Riggs had had enough of Nick’s at-
change the fact that they had no plan for what
tention, and it was time to draw some fire of
would happen if they lost their orbital plat-
my own. “Yes, Captain, and that’s why we had
form like we lost ours?”

to bring this straight to you. Until we reach

“Nnnnno.” I had intended to needle Nick,

Earth’s gravipause, you are the highest legal
but I hadn’t expected him to react so strongly.

authority aboard this ship.”

Riggs was squirming. The crew didn’t usually

“Much as it chaps Lee Klein’s ass.” Nick had
see Nick and I duel like this.

negotiated that clause in his contract with

“Then I wasn’t wrong! They had a poorly

Holmes Interplanetary before he had accepted
planned mission from start to finish. Though I
command of the Aldrin: while the ship was in grant you there’s one failure even I over-free fall around Sol, Nick had nearly the sover-
looked: they didn’t plan for a criminal on
eign power of an old British sea captain. Oh,
board.”

he couldn’t have you flogged, but he had pret-

I saw my opening. “And that’s another rea-ty broad authority to run his ship as he saw fit.

son why only you can investigate this murder.

When Mission Control bought out Holmes, Di-

You understand their expedition and you
rector Klein discovered that Nick had fash-
know what to look for.”

ioned the contract with all of his trademark

Nick sighed, and I knew I had him. “Very
attention to detail. Nick’s autonomy survived
well, then, Chief Carver. I guess I must end my
the end of Holmes unless the new owner
exile here and deal with the members of the
wanted to dismiss Nick and pay him his full
expedition. Interview them and find out who
wage for five years, plus bonuses, while Nick
might have a motive for this crime.”

sat on a beach in Brazil and drank caipirinhas.

“So should I bring them in, sir?”

Klein was not about to do that, and so Nick’s

“Oh, not all at once, one at a time. That’s all

MURDER ON THE ALDRIN EXPRESS

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I want to deal with. Let us start with . . . I think never for very long. I had avoided prolonged
we’ll start with Ms. Wells.”

contact with the passengers almost as thor-

Tracy! I tried to stall. “Nick, surely you don’t oughly as Nick had. Arla seemed surprised to
think she had anything to do with this.”

have a visitor. “Yes, Chief Carver?”

“What I think is none of your concern. Has

I straightened to attention, hiding behind
she already messed up your head so much that
formality as best I could. “Begging your par-
you’ve forgotten how to follow orders?”

don, ma’am, but the captain has sent me. He

Damn it, Nick, get out of my head! “No,
has asked me to fetch Ms. Wells—” I managed

Captain, if that’s your order, I shall carry it out, not to stammer at her name “—so that he may
sir.”

ask some questions about the expedition.”

“That’s good, man, because I need to know

“The expedition? Is there something
if you’re going to have a problem with this. I
wrong?”

need to know if you’re thinking with your

“Nothing I can speak of, ma’am. The cap-
brain, or somewhere lower.”

tain is just thorough.” It wasn’t precisely a lie.

I had manipulated Nick into taking charge

Not that I would hesitate to lie to keep the in-
of the investigation, and he was going to make
vestigation under control, but I would stick as
me suffer for that; but I wasn’t going to let that close to the truth as I could.

impair the performance of my duties. “Sir, I

“Well, come in, Chief. Tracy’s in here.”

shall carry out my responsibilities exactly as

Damn. I had been afraid she would invite me expected.”

in, and I hadn’t figured out a polite excuse to

I left, Riggs in tow, and the door closed be-
refuse. Arla stepped aside, and I entered the
hind us. Facing off to Nick must have embold-
cabin.

ened Riggs. Normally I wouldn’t expect

Instantly my eyes were pulled to Tracy
personal questions from such a junior crew-
where she sat on her bunk, a desk folded out
man, so his next question hit me by surprise.

from the cabin wall. She was editing expedi-

“Is there a problem with Ms. Wells, sir?”

tion videos, and she paused them as I came in.

“No, we just have a . . . history. I’ve been

Tracy wore a blue jumpsuit like Arla’s, but she
avoiding her. Too many uncomfortable memo-
had altered the legs to thigh-length shorts. She
ries.”

had always liked her legs free, and I had never

“He knows this? And he’s putting you in this
minded the chance to see them. She looked
bind deliberately? He’s a right bastard, isn’t
just as I had glimpsed her in random moments
he?”

since the expedition came aboard: a little old-

“That he is, Mr. Riggs. That he is.” We
er than when we had parted, and a little thin-
reached the tube to the berthing ring, and I
ner from the tight rations on Mars, and
turned off while Riggs continued back to his
somehow that made her even more beautiful
post. Under my breath, I echoed Riggs. “A
than the day we had met. Her face was the
right bastard he is.”

same cocoa shade that I remembered. Her hair
was the same black that I knew so well, but

I had dreaded that encounter, but I couldn’t
pulled back in a bun to keep it out of the
put it off. Three months ago I had looked up
ship’s air systems. The auburn highlights that
the cabin number where Tracy bunked with
fascinated me so were only visible when she

Arla Simms, another member of the Azevedo
let her hair flow free, so I was safe from them
expedition. I had managed to stop myself from
for the moment. Her eyes . . . her deep brown
going there, but the number was lodged firm-
eyes looked up at mine, and I looked just a bit
ly in my brain.

away.

And now I stood before 32-A and held my

And her scent . . . it wasn’t possible, but the
f inger on the door buzzer. Nearly four
cabin smelled of lilacs. After months on Mars
years . . . Too soon, and far too long. I pressed and more months on the trip there and back,
the buzzer.

she couldn’t possibly still have any of the lilac Arla opened the door: a trim young woman
water she liked so much. I concentrated, and
in a simple blue jumpsuit from the expedition,
the odor faded away. It had been only a mem-
her blonde curls cut functionally short. We
ory.

had met several times during the voyage, but

Tracy still knew all of my tricks, too. She

80

MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER

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shifted her head to meet my eye line. “What is

“We barely knew each other then. We had
it, Anson?” My pulse leapt. Practically no one
only been together for a couple of months. We
called me by my first name, and no one at all
hardly meant anything to each other then. Not
since we had broken up.

like . . . not like breaking our engagement.”

I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to. I had

“I had to break it! It wasn’t fair. I was going
to—but I couldn’t. “The captain is conducting
to Mars for nearly four years, with training and
an investigation of the accident, and he has
travel. I couldn’t ask you to wait that long!”

asked me to escort you to his office so that he

“You couldn’t . . . ?” And suddenly my re-
may ask some questions.” There. I had gotten
straints broke. “You couldn’t ask me? Why
out a whole sentence.

not? That made me angry, the way you just de-

“Certainly, Anson. Anything I can do to
cided without asking me. But oh, I got past an-
help.” Tracy folded up the desk and stood
gry.” That took nearly a year. Then I tried hurt
from her bunk. I managed not to analyze how
for a while. Hurt and drunk. Then just drunk,
her body moved in the low gravity. “If you’ll
and then drunk and bitter. Eventually Nick
lead the way. I have no idea how to f ind the
dried me out and kicked my tail and got me to
captain’s office.”

focus on work again. That’s what I have now:

Glad of the excuse, I turned on my heel and
my work, and I’m damned good at it. “I ferry
faced the door. I touched my cap. “My apolo-
passengers to and from Mars now, and that’s
gies for the intrusion, Ms. Simms.”

all that’s going on here.”

I left the cabin. I heard Tracy’s soft tread be-

Tracy was silent for almost a minute; and
hind me, and then the door closed. I waited
when she did speak, I could barely hear her. “I
until she was almost beside me, and then I set
thought maybe . . . maybe you joined this crew
off through the passageway.

so you could . . . see me. . . .”

I knew the silence wouldn’t last forever, but

I looked away. I didn’t want to give her the

I still felt a stab when Tracy broke it. “You said satisfaction of seeing how much that had
there’s nothing you can speak of; so I assume
touched me. She wasn’t my reason, though
there’s something you can’t speak of ?”

part of me wished she had been.

I never could fool Tracy. “I’m sorry you

Trying to keep a steady tone, I answered,
heard that.”

“No, I joined this crew to serve under Captain

“‘I’m sorry you heard that, Tracy.’ It’s okay Aames.”

to say my name, you know.”

“Nick? He’s a bastard!”

I missed my stride, but only by a fraction of

“That ‘bastard’ is the only reason I’m alive
a second. I tried for casual: “Why waste
today. Me and the twelve other survivors from
words? We both know who I’m talking to.”

the second Bradbury expedition.”

Tracy sped up, edged around me in the nar-

“Yes, but . . . the way he treats you! How can
row passageway, and stopped in front of me,
you put up with that abuse?”

forcing me to stop as well. “You’re not talking, How could I explain it to her when some-not really. You’re avoiding talking.”

times I couldn’t even explain it to myself ? But

Before I knew what was happening, I an-

I had to try. “The safest place to be in this So-
swered: “We talked four years ago. That didn’t
lar System is under the command of Nick
turn out so well.” I should’ve let it rest; I knew Aames—but just outside of shouting dis-I should’ve. This could only get worse.

tance.”

And it did. “And you’re still angry? After four

“And inside shouting distance?”

years?”

“Third safest. Second safest if you can get

“Still angry that you left me? Absolutely!”

him shouting at somebody else.”

“I left you for Mars! My chance to f ilm the

Tracy smiled. Despite myself, I did, too.

documentary of my dreams! I couldn’t pass up

Damn it! I couldn’t do this. I had to keep my that opportunity! You should know, you did
distance. If I relaxed, if I let myself loose, it the same to me when you left on the Brad-would happen all over again. I couldn’t take
bury.”

another round of losing her.

“That was different!” I tried to control my

I squeezed past her. “Come on. The bastard
emotions, but they were building higher.

is waiting.”

“Different? Different how?”

* * *

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Nick’s door opened, and the liquid notes of

“And that’s why you broke up with him.”

a trumpet emerged, accompanied by a soft

“Captain!” I had had enough of the two of
drum beat and guitar. It was a sad, sweet tune,
them arguing over me as if I weren’t there.

“Meu Esquema.” Now there was a title that

“You’re supposed to be investigating—”

suited Nick: “My Scheme.” We entered. Nick

“Chief Carver, I am investigating, and I’ll do looked up and silenced the music.

it my way. I expect you to respect my line of

I stood by the door. “As you requested, Cap-
questioning and trust that I have my reasons.”

tain, Ms. Wells is here to speak with you. I’ll be I sighed, but not loudly. “Aye, Captain.”

in my office.”

Tracy glared at me. “‘Aye, Captain.’ It’s still

“No, Chief Carver, stay. I need your per-
like that? All right, if you want to pretend this spective on these interviews.”

is germane, I won’t give you the satisfaction of

Nick had me right where he wanted me,
fighting with you. I broke up with Anson be-
but I wasn’t going to acknowledge it. “As the
cause it would’ve been unfair to ask him to

Captain wishes.”

wait for me for nearly four years through the

“Ms. Wells, have a seat.”

training and the expedition. It would’ve been

“Thank you, Nick.” Tracy had never been
different if we were together, but you made
big on formality, and it looked like she wasn’t
sure that wouldn’t happen. He had to get on
going to play by Nick’s rules. No surprise
with his life, even if his ‘life’ was following you there. She casually dropped into the guest
and taking your orders.”

chair, settling easily in the low gravity.

“Taking orders. Discipline. Concepts you

Nick stared directly at Tracy, his hands
never really understood, aren’t they? That’s
clasped on the desk. “So . . . you’ve had quite
why you fit in so perfectly in the Azevedo ex-
an expedition. It’s been a long time. How
pedition.” Tracy didn’t respond, but I could
long?”

see she wanted to. “Carver tried to warn you

“Almost four years, as you know. You al-
about their poor planning, I know he did; but
ways know details like that.”

you were Mars struck. Or should I say star

“Certainly! Attention to detail is my special-struck, perhaps? The great Professor Azevedo
ty. And yours, apparently, is distracting and ru-
was going to Mars, the f irst mission of the
ining my best officer.”

Civilian Exploration Program, and he was tak-

Tracy held her casual pose, but I could see
ing the best of the best with him! Or at least
the rising ire in her eyes. “I ruined him?”

that’s what his press releases said. And he

“Look at him standing there, all tense, ready
chose you, a practically unknown f ilm stu-
to flinch at any moment.”

dent, to record his journey! You weren’t about

“I wasn’t the one who talked him out of his to let anything stop you from going. The daz-opportunity to go back to Mars! And . . .”

zle of the spotlight blinded you to the actual

“I did no such thing.”

state of the mission.”

“You know full well you did!” Tracy leaned

“It didn’t blind me.”

forward. Despite her resolve, Nick was getting

“No?”

to her. He always did. “When you turned

“All right, it sounded glamorous and excit-
down the liaison post on the Azevedo expedi-
ing at the start. All my life, I had dreamed of
tion, you knew there was no way Anson
shooting documentaries on other planets and
would go with us if you didn’t! Of course he
between planets. I wanted to capture life in
wanted to go back to Mars! What member of
space and on ships and space stations. That’s
the Corps didn’t? Three-quarters of your crew
how I met Anson, when I was filming at mis-
were on our applicant list. I’ve seen it! But not sion control one time.”

Anson, nooooo! He wouldn’t go on any expe-

Nick didn’t interrupt, but I knew what he
dition where you didn’t approve. He wouldn’t
was thinking. He had told me often that he
leave you.”

thought Tracy had used me as a stepping-stone

“Not even to be with you.”

for her video ambitions. Tracy’s admissions

“Not even to be with me.”

came uncomfortably close to proving his

“And that bothers you.”

point.

“No, not any more. It stopped bothering me

“But I took my training seriously. Azevedo a long time ago. But it bothered me then.”

didn’t train us, you know, we had training

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from the Corps. From your protocols! And oh, pothesized to be evidence of ancient tectonic

I took notes, and I learned. I wanted to under-activity; and albedo spectroscopy had indicat-
stand what Anson thought was so important,
ed possible carbonate deposits that could be
so vital that he would turn down a promotion
evidence of ancient life. The Professor hoped
if he thought the mission was poorly planned.

that by choosing that locale, he would double

I wanted to learn what made your way so im-the chances of a momentous discovery that
portant to him.”

would bring in new investors for future expe-

“And did you learn?”

ditions.

Tracy paused. I knew her face too well, I

“But by our hundredth day on Mars, Terra
could read the reluctance there; but then she

Cimmeria had proven frustrating and disap-
nodded. “I did. I learned the value of precision
pointing. It wasn’t even that we had negative
and protocol and observation. And . . . your
data to report, just no statistically valid conclu-way is right. So I learned.”

sions either way. The magnetic stripes didn’t

“Uh-huh. And your proof is . . . ?”

conform exactly to any of the three standard

Tracy pushed a file from her comp to Nick’s
tectonic models; but they didn’t vary far
desk. “Here’s a list of my reports. And notice
enough to disprove any of the models, either,
in particular the variances: every time I ob-
nor enough to choose between them. All our
served a deviation from protocols, I f iled a
data really told us was we would need a lot
variance. Every variance includes a risk assess-
more data. In the same way, the carbonate de-
ment as well, and also my contingency recom-
posits were largely albedo spectres; and what
mendations. Every one f iled with Professor
deposits we did find were too small, too dis-Azevedo and also with Gale as the Corps liai-
persed for us to make much sense of. They
son. It got so they both stopped reviewing my
could’ve been remnants of ancient biotics, but
reports. I was never wrong, but still they just
they could just be natural mineral phenome-
kept doing what they wanted. Despite them, I
na.”

did everything by the book. By your book, I managed not to stare, but I was surprised.

Nick.”

Tracy had never shown much science knowl-

“Hmmm . . . we’ll see, won’t we? These
edge before. Oh, she had always been smart,
records do look impressive. I’ve had Bosun but she had concentrated on filmmaking and

Smith running an inventory of the expedition
project management. She was an artist, not a
gear. It’s sloppy, poorly maintained, articles
researcher, and Azevedo had hired her for her
are missing or misplaced. . . . As I expected,
video skills. Somehow in the past four years a
most of your team weren’t as meticulous as
whole new side to her had developed.

you’ve been here.”

Tracy continued, “So the Professor decided

Tracy stared blankly. She was used to abuse
to make the trek to Chronius Mons. He . . .

and criticism from Nick; but something close
well, it might be easier if I just played back my to a compliment seemed to baffle her.

journal.”

When Tracy didn’t respond, Nick prompted

Tracy tapped her sleeve comp, and a strange
her to continue. “All right . . . tell me about the voice emerged. It was almost recognizable, Chronius Mons trip, and the accident.” I re-but pitched to a high octave like a cartoon
laxed a bit. Finally we were moving on from character. “Azevedo Expedition Journal, Day
personal matters— my personal matters—to

106.Videographer Wells reporting. After conthe actual subject of the investigation.

sidering my advice—refer variance report

Tracy, on the other hand, became less re-

104-27w—Professor Azevedo has filed a re-
laxed. As she started into her report, she sat
vised exploration plan for a two-day hike to
up and looked alert and . . . serious, in a way I Chronius Mons. He believes we may find—”

wasn’t accustomed to from her. “As you know,

“Stop!” Nick shouted, and Tracy paused the

Professor Azevedo selected Terra Cimmeria
log. “Enough with the chipmunk log!”

for the first CEP expedition due to two unusu-

“I’m sorry,” Tracy said, “I don’t even notice
al phenomenon observed there, one mea-
it any more. After five months of breathing he-
sured and one inferred. The Mars Global
liox, I speak ‘chipmunk’ fluently.” To reduce

Surveyor measured large magnetic stripes in
payload mass, Azevedo’s team had brought a

Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum, which are hy-
helium-oxygen breathing gas mix rather than

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standard air. It massed only one-third as much,

When Tracy realized Nick had nothing to
but it had the unfortunate side effect of raising say, she continued. “So Professor Azevedo inhuman voices by an octave or more due to the
sisted on Chronius Mons. In truth, I think he
thinner gas. We didn’t bother with it on the
was looking for challenge and adventure. He

Aldrin, since our orbit required almost zero kept talking about scaling the highest point on
fuel to maintain; but the choice had made a
the Terra and the great panoramas I could film
huge impact on Azevedo’s mass budget.

from up there. He wanted something that

“Well, I hate heliox,” Nick said. “For the
would make great publicity. This wasn’t really
sake of my ears, I’d like you to summarize. We
for the scientists, it was all for the money folks can skip the journals.”

and the media back home.

“If I have to do a lot of talking, can I get

“He also insisted that we could hike the dis-
some water? I got spoiled by the heliox, it’s
tance in two days and make the climb in two
easier to breathe. I’m still readjusting to nor-
more, rather than risk a lander f light in the
mal air. My throat always seems dry.”

questionable winds. We had no ground vehi-

Nick looked at me. “Carver, fetch the lady
cles, so it was hike or fly or stay at the camp;
some water.” I went to the sink in the corner,
and he wouldn’t consider the last two choices.

poured a glass, and brought it to Tracy. Our

“Professor Azevedo selected Lieutenant
fingers touched briefly as she took the glass. I

Gale and Dr. Ivanovitch for the hike, and also
managed to keep my hand from trembling.

myself to record it. Gale selected himself, real-

Tracy took a drink, and then she resumed.

ly: as Astronaut Corps liaison, he had supervi-

“With the carbonates disappointing and the
sor y authority over any trip outside the
plate tectonics inconclusive, Professor Azeve-
bounds of the camp. He didn’t always exercise
do didn’t have much to show for the expedi-
that authority, but he insisted for that trip.

tion. So he announced a new mission

Margo also insisted on coming, and the profes-
objective. I told him that was clearly outside of sor wasn’t inclined to say no to his wife—es-all protocols; but he overruled my objections, pecially since she f inanced much of the
as usual, and said we had plenty of safety mar-
expedition.

gin for a trek to Chronius Mons. He said we

“We loaded up sledges with supplies. I per-
had spectroscopic evidence of significant and
sonally prepared the equipment plan, but then
unusual phosphorus outcroppings on the up-
was overruled time and again by the professor
per slopes. We had no particular theory to
and Gale. Still, I think we were adequately pre-
test, no reason for scouting for phosphorus. It
pared when we left. We had three Mars
was data gathering and grandstanding, noth-
tents—”

ing more. And the spectroscopic assay was far Nick’s eyebrow raised. “Three tents? For
from conclusive, as I told him.”

five people?”

“Oh? And when did you get a degree in

“I know, protocols call for two: a primary
chemistry?”

for all of us, and a backup. But again, I was

Nick’s question had been mocking, so Tra-
overruled. We also had food, water, tanks of
cy’s answer surprised him as well as me. “I
heliox, spare clothes, comm gear, the doctor’s
started the program during mission training,
med kit, a telescope, a microscope, shovels,
and then I got my degree on the trip out on
sample bags, pitons, hammers, plenty of S3 ca-
the Collins. I had to do something to f ill my ble, computers, a satellite locator, flare guns,
spare time.” She glanced in my direction, then
an emergency beacon, a chemical mini lab, a
looked back to Nick. “Anson always told me
mineralogical kit, videography gear, and suit
how important it is for expedition members to
repair kits.

cross train so that critical skills have backups.

“Despite the frequent stops for photo ops,

‘Videographer’ isn’t a critical mission skill,
the hike to the mountain went quickly, and it
even if the professor saw it as such; but a
was pretty uneventful. Even pulling the loaded
grounding in chemistry made me a backup for
sledges, it was light work in the Martian gravi-
a number of personnel.”

ty. We walked all day and set up camp, two

I actually saw Nick nod at Tracy’s answer.

nights in a row as scheduled. Inevitably Dr.

That was as close to praise as she was likely to

Ivanovitch broke out his vodka. I had long
get.

since given up f ighting that, and he was too

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professional to drink to excess when he was
efforts, the climb inf licted further injuries.

the sole medic on that trip. But I had to nag

Then we had to set up the tent, pressurize it,
him and Gale to see to equipment mainte-
and get the professor out of his suit. Dr.

nance before they started drinking each

Ivanovitch set up for emergency surgery, and
night.”

Gale and I assisted. The doctor gave his best

“And did they?”

effort, but it was far too late.” Tracy swallowed

“See the reports, here. I didn’t have the op-
dryly. “The professor died twenty minutes af-
portunity to inspect the gear stored in the oth-
ter the start of surgery. He never really stood a er two tents. I encouraged the others to do
chance.”

standard inspections. As you can see, the in-

I was . . . puzzled. Puzzled but impressed.

spections were spotty; but in aggregate, most

The old Tracy would often be overwhelmed
of the gear was covered. Except . . .” She
by her empathy. Sometimes I thought she
paused and pointed.

used the camera to put up a layer between her

“Except the professor’s climbing gear, in-
and the suffering she observed. But now . . .

cluding the S3 cables.”

now she was distraught, but she reported the

“Mmmhmmm. It hadn’t been unpacked
incident in full, maintaining her composure
since we left Earth, so he saw no need to in-
for the most part. She had grown stronger—
spect that.

but not, I hoped, less empathetic.

“And then we reached the mountain. Chro-

As I thought on this, Tracy continued. “With
nius Mons, the highest peak in that quadrant.

the professor dead, Gale assumed command.

We had done mountaineering training in Peru,

Oh, Margo might have contested that if she
all in full Mars suits. The mountain was tall,
had tried, but she was in no shape to make
but it looked like only an average diff iculty
any decisions. We bundled the professor back
climb, and even less thanks to the gravity. And
into his suit for transport, and Gale led us back I’ll give the team credit: while they were lax
down the slope. There we had to rest for an-
on most mission protocols, they took the
other night. We were physically and emotion-
climb seriously. They tested every handhold,
ally spent. The next day we double-timed it
double-checked every piton. And so . . . it
back to the camp.

came as a complete shock to me . . . when . . .”

“The rest is in my reports over the remain-

Tracy stopped, her face anguished. Old in-
ing month and a half until your pickup. We did
stincts kicked in, and I wanted to comfort her;
our best to continue exploration and sam-
but before I had to decide whether to follow
pling, trying to salvage what we could for our
those instincts, she gathered her strength and
objectives. Margo slowly regained enough en-
continued. “Professor Azevedo’s cable
ergy to argue about who was in charge of the
snapped. Any one of us could’ve been on that
expedition. Legally she had the stronger case,
cable at that time, but it happened to be him.

but Gale kept arguing that we needed a pro-

He . . . fell. He fell so slowly in the Martian
fessional in charge.”

gravity. He had plenty of time to cry out for

Nick nodded. “You did. Too bad all you had
help. But even on Mars, three hundred feet
was Gale.”

is . . . too far. His cries ended in a sickening

Tracy almost smiled at that. “The camp was
crunch before his suit comm cut out.

pretty small, so their arguments made the

“Margo wanted to rush down to him, and it
place very unpleasant, with different mem-
was all we could do to restrain her so we
bers of the expedition lining up with her or
didn’t end up with another casualty. Carefully
with him. Dr. Ivanovitch and I eventually man-
we rappelled and climbed down to him, tak-
aged to calm things down by appealing to
ing nearly five minutes. Thanks to his suit’s au-

Azevedo’s memory. His personality had united
tomatic seals and med systems, he was still
the expedition in the f irst place, and it was
alive; but the doctor shook his head. He said
enough in the end to keep us alive until you
the professor needed emergency surgery im-
arrived. The rest is in my reports.”

mediately.

Tracy took one last drink of water and then

“And that just wasn’t possible. We had to
set her glass down on Nick’s desk. “So that’s
descend another hundred feet to a ledge large
my summary. Is that what you need?”

enough to set up a Mars tent. Despite our best

“Yes, if you’ve told me the whole story, then

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we’re done here.”

quirements for solving a crime, and a key part

“I wouldn’t keep anything secret. That’s
of that is motives. I have to understand the
against mission protocols.”

people involved and what drives them. So I

“Ms. Wells, I have learned in my command
had to know where she stood in regards to
career that people keep all sorts of things se-
you and in regards to that expedition. I had to
cret when they’re trying to protect their own
know everything about her.”

careers and their own reputations. If they have

I was in no mood to be mollified. “You just
a guilty conscience or they think perhaps they
can’t resist picking at old wounds, can you?”

contributed to some mistake, they keep se-

“Your wounds or hers? I’m not convinced
crets, and they lie. I’ve learned to ferret out de-she has any.”

tails that people would rather hide. I won’t be

“What did she do to deserve that?”

lied to on my ship.”

“What did she do? You ought to remember!

“You will find that my reports are complete

Are you going to let her do this to you again?”

in every detail, and as factual as I could make

“What are you talking about?”

them. I did everything I could, but I lacked the

“You are! You’re going to let her just use you
authority to override Professor Azevedo’s de-
for whatever it is she’s up to: chew you up,
cisions.”

spit you out, and leave you crying in your

Nick looked over his comp. “I wouldn’t
beer. Again!”

have expected it, but it does seem that way. So

“It’s not like that!”

considering everything, I have to say that per-

“It’s always like that!”

haps your training wasn’t wasted. You mas-

“Look, just because your wife and your kids tered the protocols, which is more than I can
aren’t talking to you any more doesn’t mean
say for your leadership.”

it’s like that for everyone!”

Tracy stared blankly at Nick. I did as well.

“It was last time!”

He had just come very close to complimenting

“It wasn’t like that last time, either. Rela-
her, at least by Nick’s standards.

tionships just sometimes . . . they just some-

But she quickly recovered. “Then if you
times end!”

don’t mind, I still have videos to edit before

“Yep, it ended when she got what she want-
we get to Earth.” Tracy stood to leave, but she
ed.”

stopped and turned at the door. “Goodbye,

“That’s not fair! She had the chance to go to

Anson.” And then she left.

Mars, and she took it! I did the same thing

After Tracy was gone, I turned on Nick.

when I had the chance. I can’t blame her for

“You never once asked her about the cable
that.”

and the nanos! The . . . the murder!”

“Uh-huh. You went with me. She went with

“I didn’t need to.”

Azevedo, and now he’s dead. That was mighty

“What?”

poor judgment on her part. She’s lucky she’s

“I heard what I needed to hear. Now I know
still alive.”

the basic outline of the trip and Azevedo’s

“That’s not fair! You heard her. She studied!

death: who was present, what their roles

She learned your mission protocols. She did were, and so on. I’ll talk to her again later if I everything possible to ensure the success of
need more details.”

that expedition.”

I knew better than to push Nick. He would

“Hmmm . . . Yes, she did, didn’t she? I have
keep his secrets until he saw a need to reveal
to admit, that surprised me. A chemistry de-
them. Besides, I had something else on my
gree? Surprising, yes.”

mind. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t stop myself Nick sat in silence, clasping his hands and
from asking: “Did you have to be so hard on
staring at his fingers. I realized he had gotten
her?”

to me again. He always probed for weakness,

“Yes, Mr. Carver, I did. I have my reasons.”

always had to know where someone might fail

“And you had to drag me into it? What was him. I stood, fuming but patient, determined
the point of that?”

not to give in to his testing.

“Carver, I am conducting a criminal investi-

At last Nick looked up. “All right, Ms. Wells
gation. Didn’t you ever read mysteries? Means,
has given her report, and that’s a start. But I
motive, opportunity: those are the classic re-
need another perspective. Carver, express my

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condolences, but bring me Margo Azevedo.”

spaceplane runways. And I saw plenty of ugly
corporate battles in between, I survived all of

I found Mrs. Azevedo alone in her cabin.

them, and I triumphed. I’ve faced opponents

She had it to herself, a luxury we normally
far ruder than Captain Aames.”

couldn’t spare even for important passengers

Despite myself, I grinned. “There’s no one
such as her. But on this trip, I had triple-
ruder than Captain Aames.”

berthed some junior crew to open up a pri-

She laughed; and for a moment I saw the
vate cabin for her. I figured she deserved some
charm she had used to win backing for this ex-
solitude if she needed it. The ship might be
pedition. “Nick Aames can be a smug, self-
too damned crowded for her otherwise.

righteous asshole, no doubt. I appreciate your

When I signaled the door, it took Mrs.

concern. But don’t worry. I’ve handled Nick

Azevedo almost a minute to open it. She was a
before, and I can handle him today.”

tall, dark-toned woman with dark hair that

“Of course.” I knew the basics, so she didn’t
showed some gray. In her pre-mission photos
have to explain; but she seemed to need to
there had been no gray, but hair dye was just
talk, like the silence was too much for her.

another luxury not to be found on Mars. De-

“Nick was . . . Paolo’s first choice for the As-
spite the gray, she still looked much like the
tronaut Corps liaison for our expedition. I
fashion model she had been in her youth,
thought it was a done deal, but Nick and Paolo
back before she turned her earnings into
couldn’t agree on terms. Nick insisted on
shrewd business investments and a major for-
rewriting the entire mission plan to his exact-
tune.

ing standards.”

Her once elegant face was lined with grief.

I nodded. “The captain would do that.”

She wasn’t red-eyed from crying like she had

“But his standards . . . were too exacting.

been earlier in the voyage. Five months of trav-

Too much redundancy, too much expense.

el from Mars had gotten her past the deepest

Paolo wanted a streamlined mission—still a
grief. But she still looked very weary, and I felt safe mission!—so that we could keep to an af-guilty for having to disturb her. But guilty feel-fordable budget. He said a mission to Nick’s
ing or no, Nick had his reasons and I had my
standards would never get launched; and Nick
orders.

said that was f ine with him, and he hoped

Mrs. Azevedo summoned the energy to

Paolo’s mission would never launch, either. He
speak. “Yes, Chief Carver, can I help you?”

said the Civilian Exploration Program couldn’t

“Begging your pardon, ma’am. I hate to dis-
afford to have its f irst expedition go wrong,
turb you, but I have orders from the Captain.

and that that would undermine support for

He has sent me to request that you come to
the program. And now . . . I fear he’ll be
his office. He has some matters to discuss.”

proven correct.” Her face darkened, and I

“What . . . what’s it about?”

looked discreetly away. “Nick stormed out that

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m not at liberty to com-
day, and we had to hire Lieutenant Gale in-
ment on the captain’s business.” That was a
stead. Gale is a f ine off icer, and he gave us
lie, of course, but I didn’t want to explain to
none of Nick’s troubles. But rest assured, I
her that someone had killed her husband. And
know Nick’s moods, and I’m ready for him.”

I didn’t want to even consider that she might

“I hope so, ma’am.”

be a suspect. But as we walked through the

We arrived at Nick’s outer off ice. We en-
ship, I realized I had an obligation to prepare
tered the command off ice in the middle of a
her for Nick’s investigation. “Ma’am, you
samba tune. Nick stood to the side of the desk,
know that Captain Aames can be a bit . . .

absently bouncing to the beat. If we had been
brusque.”

alone, I would’ve told him what a lousy dancer

“‘Brusque’ hardly goes far enough.”

he is, even in one-quarter G. That’s a common

“Ma’am, I don’t think you understand.”

jibe in our ongoing duels. But I would never

“Please, Chief, don’t treat me like a china
disrespect an officer in his official capacity.

doll. This is a rough time for me, but believe

The song soon ended, and Nick sat down. I
me, I’ll get by. I’ve been making my fortune
pulled out the visitor chair for Mrs. Azevedo.

the hard way since before you were born: first

Nick leaned on his desk. “Ah, Mrs. Azevedo.

on the fashion runways, and then on the

Much as I wish otherwise, I’m afraid I’ve

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opened an investigation into the tragic inci-

Okay, you turned me down, you explained
dent on your expedition. Some information
your reasons. But then, to take this job . . .

has come to me about your equipment, and

Nick, you’re throwing away your talents here.

it’s very troubling.”

You’re better than this! You’re more than . . .

Mrs. Azevedo started to speak, looking agi-
more than a glorif ied subway conductor! If
tated; then she paused and regained her con-
you didn’t want to be on my mission, you
trol. “Captain Aames, are we going to discuss
would’ve been invaluable in program manage-
this again?”

ment.”

“I have some concerns.”

“And work with fools like Lee Klein? Not a

“Yes, Nick, I’m well aware of your concerns
chance.”

from before.”

“Judgmental as always, aren’t you? Everyone

“And now you can see that I was right, and
in your eyes is a loser or a fool.”

Paolo’s carelessness has gotten someone

“No, not everyone. There are fifteen billion
killed. At least it was him, not someone who
people back there on those two worlds.

trusted him.”

They’re not all losers. Ninety percent of them

“Nick!” I couldn’t help myself. That was
are ordinary folks, minding their own busi-
over the line, even for Nick.

ness, going about their day, not causing me

But Mrs. Azevedo wasn’t disturbed. “No,
any trouble. And there’s maybe half a dozen

Chief, he’s just trying to provoke me. I won’t
people worth actually spending time with. But
give him the satisfaction of reacting. Yes, Cap-
that leaves that 10 percent—one and a half bil-tain, you predicted a disaster, and it happened.

lion—idiots, jerks, losers, and psychopaths.”

But none of your dire predictions came to

“And so you’ll lock yourself up here with
pass. What happened was something you nev-
only a few dozen.”

er foresaw, a freak cable accident and nothing

“Yep. A few dozen, and I’m smarter than all
more. I stand by my original decision that your
of ’em. And I’m in charge.”

fears were groundless, and you were afflicted

“All right. You’re the captain, you’re in
with your usual excess of caution and your
charge here. Are you happy now?”

pathological need for control.”

Nick paused. When he started again, his

“And I stand by my original decision. I want-
tone was lower and more reserved. Nick can
ed nothing to do with your poorly planned
be respectful when he chooses. “Margo, I
vanity expedition. Only a fool would take your
know we clash. And I clashed with Paolo, too.

offer, and I’m no fool. But you found your fool

It’s my nature, not anything to do with you. I
in Gale, didn’t you?”

call them like I see them, and sometimes I ne-

“All right, Nick, if it makes you happy: I
glect how people might feel. So please accept
wish you had taken my offer. Maybe if you had my condolences. I didn’t agree with Paolo’s
been our liaison . . .” She trailed off, but we all plans, but it wasn’t personal. He was a good
knew what went unspoken: maybe Nick
man. I’m very sorry.”

could’ve gotten Azevedo safely back to shelter

Mrs. Azevedo stared down at the floor, but
in time to save his life. Or maybe Nick
she nodded. “Thank you, Nick. That means . . .

would’ve prevented the accident in the f irst
a lot. Chief Carver says you have questions for
place.

me?”

Nick’s face turned more serious. Perhaps his

Nick hesitated again. “This will be . . . diffi-
conscience was tweaking him just a bit. “I’m
cult, I’m afraid. But I need to hear about the
sorry, Margo, that would never happen. I can’t
trip to Chronius Mons.”

take a mission I don’t believe in.”

Mrs. Azevedo’s tone was flat. “It’s in our re-

“And so you took this instead?” Mrs. Azeve-
ports.”

do leaned forward. “I know there are some in

“I know. It’s . . . important that I hear it in
the Corps and in Mission Control who will
your own words.”

never forgive you for the second Bradbury in-She nodded; and then she started slowly
cident, even though the review board ratified
retelling the story. She echoed Tracy’s version,
your every decision. There were many who
but without Tracy’s critical judgments about
told me I was a fool for wanting you for liaison
mission protocols. In fact she made every ef-
for this expedition. I wanted you anyway.

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On the subject of Terra Cimmeria, she saw the

“You call it cruel, I call it diligent. I have to get site selection as a great success: “Oh, we
some answers.”

didn’t f ind evidence to decide among the

“Fine, here are your answers. I love Paolo.

competing theories, but we have radically im-

He . . . loved me. We had problems, everyone
proved on the precision of the orbital data.

does, but we shared so much more than just

Now we know exactly where we should plan

Mars plans.”

new expeditions to definitively rewrite the ge-

Nick looked down at his desk. “So noted.

ological history of Mars. Paolo already submit-

My apologies, but I have to be thorough.

ted a paper on that before . . . the accident.”

Please, continue.”

She similarly saw the carbonate data as elimi-

Mrs. Azevedo looked at Nick, considered,
nating a lot of possibilities, pointing the way
and then went on. Soon she got to the subject
to new research.

of supplying the expedition, and Nick again

And then she got to a crucial point: the rea-
asked about the three tents. She seemed sur-
sons for the Chronius Mons trip. She saw it
prised by the question. “Why is that impor-
very differently than Tracy had. “That was in
tant?”

the back of Paolo’s mind all along. That was

“I can’t tell what’s important,” Nick ex-
why he insisted on bringing Wells on the ex-
plained. “Details matter. That’s what I tried to
pedition in the first place: he wanted to show
tell your husband: details matter, and you can’t
humanity the grandeur of Mars, the grand vis-
guess which ones. So why three tents?”

tas and the sweep of the unknown. He want-

“Well, we had them to spare, so why not?

ed . . . he wanted to excite people, ignite their Paolo and I had a tent for ourselves. The com-sense of adventure.”

mand tent, as it were. Besides, we were enti-

“Yes,” Nick agreed, “he was a visionary. Or
tled to our privacy. Ivan and Gale shared
that’s how he saw himself, which is visionary
another tent, and Wells slept in the third. We
enough. That was what worried me about
divided supplies among the three tents so that
him: that vision blinded him to f laws in his
an accident with one wouldn’t affect other
plans. He had this sense that ‘destiny’ would
supplies. You should approve of precautions
see him past any problems.” Mrs. Azevedo
like that.”

didn’t answer, but her face turned down. “And

“Hmmm. Yes, I approve of precautions; but
he would tackle any obstacle, follow any path
protocol here is entirely different. For a mis-
for that destiny. How fortunate for him that he
sion that size, two tents would have been
married into enough money to fund his vi-
proper: one for all of you to share, and one as
sions.”

a backup for that. It might be less comfortable

“Nick!” Again I was stunned that even Nick
to squeeze five into a tent, but it would’ve giv-
could be so callous; but before I could say
en adequate safety margins and less mass to
more, Mrs. Azevedo held up a hand to stop
transport.”

me. She glared at Nick.

“Yes, yes, I’ve read your recommendation.

“So that comes up again.” Her tone was bit-

We decided we could handle the mass, and
ter. “You said as much during expedition plan-
we wanted the comfort. And ultimately it had
ning. You think he married me for money?”

nothing to do with Paolo’s accident, so can we

“Well, there are always many motivations
just drop it?”

that lead into a decision like that. You were

Nick didn’t answer. He had made his point,
young and attractive, and you bought into his
so he let her continue. He also didn’t com-
vision. The money was just an added benefit;
ment when Mrs. Azevedo discussed their
but as it happened, it was a crucial benefit in
stops for the night; but even I could see that
order for him to succeed.”

Tracy had been correct: the team had per-

She paused; and when she answered, she
formed only perfunctory equipment inspec-
spoke slowly, restraining her emotions. “I
tions. Their uneventful time on Mars to that
know you’re a cynic, Nick. I know you would
point had made them sloppy—or sloppier, as
never understand what Paolo and I had. But to

Nick would say.

question it . . . now . . . I didn’t think even you And there was something else: something
could be that cruel.”

about the expedition had distressed her, and

Nick leaned back in his chair and shrugged.

she had difficulty discussing it. She drew out

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the discussion with a lot of trivialities, stop-

“This is a plan?” I couldn’t see how Nick
ping and repeating points. It took her twice as
could learn anything about the murder this
long to describe the trip as it had Tracy, and
way.

yet she revealed less. Was she just postponing

“Yes. I’m learning what I need to know. Be-
the discussion yet to come? Maybe; but I saw
sides, didn’t you hear that undertone? There’s

Nick eyeing her carefully as if he suspected
something she’s not saying, something she
something more.

feels guilty about.”

And then f inally she discussed the climb;

I hadn’t heard it. I mean, I’d heard some-
and then the fall and the attempted rescue.

thing wrong, and noted it; but I hadn’t picked

She started to choke up when she got to the
up on guilt. She was a grieving widow! I ex-
surgery, tears f lowing; and Nick showed un-
pected some distress. But Nick had always
expected kindness by stopping her there.

been better at reading people than I was. He

“That’s enough, Margo. I only need to know
himself might come across as a one-note scold
what led to the incident. I have a clear picture
and a control junkie, but he was excellent at
of what came after. Carver, give her your hand-
ferreting out hidden motivations and secrets.

kerchief.” I did, and she dabbed her eyes.

“What would she have to feel guilty about?”

Nick was being uncharacteristically kind,

I asked.

but I knew it couldn’t last. Sooner or later, he

“I don’t know. I’ve no idea. For that I need
would point out again how this was all Profes-
the help of an incurable gossip. And so I guess
sor Azevedo’s fault. Before he could get the
it’s time to speak with Horace Gale.”

chance, I spoke up. “Captain, if we’re done,

Mrs. Azevedo has had a long day. Can I escort

I tracked down Lieutenant Gale in the Rec
her back to her cabin?”

Lounge. As had been the norm on this trip,

Nick seemed a little distant. “What?” Then
knots of expedition crew occupied the tables,
he recovered. “Oh, yes, we’re done here. But
and our off-duty crew hung near, each imagin-

I’ve summoned Bosun Smith. She can see to
ing what it must have been like to be down on

Margo. I have more duties for you.”

Mars. But strangely, when I found Gale in the

Just then the office door opened, and Smith
corner with Riggs they were discussing foot-
came in: a large, competent woman who I
ball, not Mars.

knew to also have a compassionate side when

“Yes sir, Lieutenant.” Riggs’s enthusiasm
she needed it. Nick was right: Mrs. Azevedo
was all over his face. He was eager to talk
might appreciate having a woman’s support
about football leagues with a fellow Brit. “Ab-
after putting up with him. But he would never
solutely it’s Manchester’s year. They’ve been
admit that was his motive.

rebuilding for five now. It’s their time!”

Bosun Smith stood at attention. Nick looked

“Well, Karl, I’m not so sure. Liverpool is
at her, a questioning look on his face. “Well?”

looking pretty strong.”

Smith lifted her sleeve comp and pushed a

“Liverpool?” Riggs nearly exploded with
f ile to Nick’s desk. “There’s my full report,
laughter. “They’ll barely f inish the season.

Captain. A number of items are missing, as in-

They’re old and tired.”

dicated, and the necessary maintenance re-

“You’re right, you’re right. Still, they have
ports haven’t been filed for much of the rest.”

experience.”

Nick nodded at Smith, and then rose. “Mar-

Riggs raised an eyebrow. “In football, sir,
go, again, I’m sorry. If I could’ve prevented
isn’t that just another word for ‘old’?”

this pain for you, I would’ve. We’ll talk again.

“All right, they’re old, I’ll admit it.” Gale

Ms. Smith, please see Mrs. Azevedo to her cab-
laughed. “But just remember: in the Astronaut
in.” Smith saluted and then offered an arm.

Corps, it’s not age, it’s seniority.” Riggs joined Mrs. Azevedo took it and leaned on Smith’s
the laughter on that line, though I thought his
shoulder as they left the office.

sounded a bit forced.

When the door closed, I turned back to

I cleared my throat, and Gale looked up.

Nick. My questions were the same as before. “I

“Yes, Chief Carver?”

hate to repeat myself—”

“Lieutenant Gale, the captain would like to

“Then don’t,” Nick interrupted. “Everything
see you, sir.”

is going as I planned.”

“Oh, Nick causing trouble again, eh?”

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“It’s not my place to comment on what
race . . .” Nick exaggerated the name: “Ho-
trouble the Captain might cause, sir. If you’ll
r ace.”

come with me, please.”

“Hello, Nick. So this is where you say ‘I told

“I suppose. I knew this was coming eventu-
you so’?”

ally. Well, Mr. Riggs, it has been a pleasure. See Nick waved his hand dismissively. “Waste of
you at SP?”

my time. We both know it.”

Riggs raised a glass to Gale. “Indeed, sir.

“Yes, but I’m sure you’ve just been waiting

Thank you!”

for the chance.”

We set off to the captain’s cabin. As soon as

“No, I’ve been avoiding the lot of you as
we were alone, Gale turned to the subject I
best I can. I may have to transport you, but
knew was coming. “So, Carver, have you had
that doesn’t mean I have to sit here and listen
enough of Aames and this tin can yet?”

to the mistakes I knew would happen.”

I deflected. “The Aldrin is no ‘tin can,’ sir.

Gale sat in the visitor chair while I remained

It’s a masterwork of engineering, and it gets
standing. “So, Nick, what’s this about?”

better every cycle as we add rings and capaci-

“Well, Hor ace, we do need some discussion ty.”

regarding the fate of your ill-planned mission.”

But Gale wasn’t about to let up so easily.

“Yes.” Gale sighed. “Get on with it.”

“Yes, yes, but it’s still a glorif ied transport

“That final trip across the desert . . . it was
ship. You’re a fine officer, Carver, you deserve
just the five of you?”

better. If you had the Space Professionals be-

“Yes: me, Paolo, Margo, Ivan, and Tracy.”

hind you, you might get a better posting.”

“So you had f ive people, and yet you had

The SPs were something of an “astronauts’

three Mars tents. Wasn’t that a little bit of ex-
guild,” though they never used that term.

cess weight to carry? You could’ve carried

They advocated for more influence over mis-
more consumables?”

sion planning. Ideally that would be some-

I was confused. Again with the tents? What thing Nick would support. His feuds with
did that have to do with the sabotage of Azeve-

Mission Control were legendary in the Corps.

do’s cable? But Gale didn’t seem to f ind the

But Nick had laughingly rebuffed their efforts
question unusual. “The Mars protocols—
to recruit him, saying that they were more po-
which you wrote—say we should have a back-liticals than professionals. And that included
up for every piece of essential equipment.

Gale, who had a lot of influence in the move-

Mars isn’t Earth, where we might survive with-
ment. As Nick explained it to me: “It’s the only
out a tent.”

way a bumbler like Gale can hope to get work.

“Yes, so two tents would give you a backup.

Before long they’ll have work rules that say I

But three? Those tents will hold six.”

can’t dismiss any crew member any damned

“Yes . . .”

time I please; and next thing you know some-

“So why did you have three? You didn’t
one’ll get killed because of those rules. Why
need them for storage.”

would I be part of that?”

“Well, we did store supplies separately in

Since they had failed to recruit Nick, the SPs
each tent. ‘No single point of failure,’ that’s in had worked on me, hoping I might influence
the protocols, too. If something happened to
him; but I found Nick’s arguments to be ir-
one supply cache, we would still have the oth-
refutable as usual. There were some good peo-
ers.”

ple in the SPs, but a lot of them were just

“Oh, so you didn’t even reserve them as
looking for more money for less work. I was
backups? You deployed all three tents?” Nick
tempted to answer as bluntly as Nick would;
already knew that from Tracy and Mrs. Azeve-
but instead I simply said, “I’m sorry, Lieu-
do. I could only assume he was feigning igno-
tenant, but I can’t imagine a better posting
rance to keep Gale talking.

than this, or a better commander than Captain

“Yes. Paolo and Margo wanted their privacy,

Aames.”

you know.” Nick looked up, but Gale shook

And with that, I opened the door to Nick’s
his head. “No, not for sex, for fighting. They
off ice. We entered to the sounds of bossa
did an awful lot of arguing on the expedition .

nova, but this time Nick didn’t make us wait,

. . I’m sure Margo regrets it now.”

turning off the music immediately. “Ah, Ho-

I nodded. That might explain the guilt that

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Nick had detected. But Nick showed no reac-

“Yes, Captain.”

tion and continued his questioning. “So the

“Horace, you are a weak man. I wouldn’t
lovebirds insisted on their own tent. And the
send my worst enemy on an expedition where
three of you remaining needed two tents be-
you made the decisions. You won’t stand up
cause . . . ?”

for what’s right, and that may have gotten Pao-

“Well, Tracy insisted we should share a tent.

lo killed.” Gale’s face showed dismay, but not

‘That’s the protocol,’ she said, ‘and I don’t
shock. Suddenly I was sure he had already
want to write up another variance.’ The girl is
reached the same conclusion, and guilt was
almost as mad as you, Nick, always writing up
tearing at him. And then I was also sure: if he
variances and insisting on following protocols
felt his mistakes might be responsible for Pao-
to the letter. She acted like she was in charge, lo’s death, and he felt remorse at the possibili-not just a videographer. But Ivan said he want-
ty, then he couldn’t be the murderer.

ed more space.”

Gale seemed to rally, mounting a weak

“I see. And you bunked with Ivan because . . .”

counter offense. “I needn’t worry about send-

“Well, because Tracy was making such a
ing men on an expedition with you, since no
row about protocols, I finally got fed up with
one in the Corps will have you.”

her.”

“Nope, they won’t. Klein and the rest of

“But why, Horace? You knew she was

Mission Control want a bunch of yes men and
right.”

toadies.”

“Of course she was ‘right.’”

Gale sat in silence, looking at the f loor in

“Then why—”

sullen silence. Nick let the silence hang for

“Because I didn’t want to keep fighting
several seconds before continuing. “One more
about it!” Gale was red-faced. I could tell that thing . . . what did Paolo and Margo argue

Nick knew his buttons; and Nick can never re-
about?”

sist pushing buttons, testing to see where your

It took Gale a few moments to answer. Fi-
breaking point is. It looked like he had found
nally he looked up at Nick. “I shouldn’t . . .

Gale’s. “Why make such a big deal about it?”

shouldn’t say. It’s a personal matter, and it’s in Nick steepled his f ingers and looked up at
bad form to mention it now. But I know you,
the ceiling. “I’m finding I have a new respect

Nick. You’re going to gnaw on this until you
for Ms. Wells. If she annoyed you this much,
get an answer, aren’t you?” Nick just stared at
she must’ve been doing something right.”

Gale. Gale looked away. “All right . . . Margo

Gale scowled, and Nick smiled. “Same old Ho-
was jealous of Tracy. She said several times
race . . . You’re smart enough to know what
that she was sure Paolo and Tracy were sleep-
the right thing is, but you’re too weak to fight
ing together.” I winced, but I managed to con-
for it.”

trol my reaction beyond that. “I’m not sure

“I heard enough of this from you before the
when they would’ve had the opportunity. It’s
expedition, and I am tired of it now!”

very close quarters on Mars, and very tight

“Good! If I provoke you enough, you can
schedules, as you know. But she was sure they
show a little backbone. But you never seem to
were grabbing spare moments here and there.

when it matters. That’s why Paolo chose you

Certainly Paolo showed an excessive interest
as Corps liaison, you know.”

in Tracy.”

“What?”

“Ah, there we go! A classic motivation for

“You won’t argue with the wrong decision,
mischief, eh?”

even if you know it might get somebody

“Mischief ? Who said anything about mis-
killed. You’re too eager to get along. You’re too chief ?”

nice. Space doesn’t give a damn about nice.”

“Oh, I’m looking for motivations. That was

“If you’re going to bring that up again, then
one of Azevedo’s biggest mistakes, you know,

I think this conversation is over.”

he didn’t consider the range of interpersonal

“No. I’m still captain on this ship, and we’re
problems that might arise. And you didn’t help
still outside the gravipause. This conversation
him any.” Gale glared again, and Nick returned
is over when I say it’s over. Chief Carver?”

to his previous tack. “So you have no reason to

I straightened. “Yes, Captain.”

suspect foul play?”

“If he tries to leave, sit on him.”

“Oh, no! And especially not Margo! She

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couldn’t have. Oh, they fought, but . . .”

“But what matters is: does Margo believe it?

“So she couldn’t have. And you, no doubt,

If so, that might have motivated her anger dur-
will proclaim your innocence. You’re narrow-
ing the expedition, as Gale said; and perhaps it
ing down the list of suspects.”

motivates her guilt now. This is a complex

“What’s all this about suspects, Nick? What,
case, and it’s all about motivations at this
you think some sort of crime was committed?”

point. I understand the crime, so now I just

“Oh, I am certain that a crime has been
need to understand who had a motive.”

committed. Now I’m just trying to determine

“So what now? More interviews? Whom do
by whom. All right, Mr. Carver, I’m through

I fetch next?”

with him. You can let him leave.”

Nick shook his head. “No more interviews

Gale stood stiff ly and headed for the door.

quite yet. I need to think. Tell Bosun Smith I

He glanced at me, but he turned away at my
have some errands for her, and then you can
impassive response; and then he left.

go about your duties.”

I looked at Nick. “So I suppose you want me

Nick didn’t bother dismissing me. I knew
to summon Dr. Ivanovitch next?”

him well enough to know I was dismissed

“Oh? No, I have no need to talk with the
when he turned on the music. It was another
good doctor.”

classic, “Parece Mentira,” from an old Brazilian

“You don’t think he could’ve killed Azeve-
saying: “It seems like a lie.”

do? Maybe he sabotaged the cable; and then
after Azevedo survived, he did a poor job of

But instead of going about my duties, my
treating him?”

watch was over. Not that that really mattered:

“No, I am quite certain that Dr. Ivanovitch is
on Nick’s ship, you were off duty when Nick
much too smart for this crime.”

said you were off duty, and not until. And that

I didn’t understand what intelligence had to
was doubly true for me as his second in com-
do with it; but I knew Nick would explain
mand. Still, I had nothing on my schedule; and
when he was ready, and not before. So I tried

I had had a long, emotionally draining day al-
another line of questioning. “At last you’ve got-
ready. I needed to unwind like I hadn’t needed
ten around to the subject of the crime; but
in nearly . . . four years. So I headed back to the why didn’t you ask Gale about the cable?”

Rec Lounge.

“Oh, trust me, I’m very curious about the

But when I got there, I knew I wouldn’t be
cable. But I was waiting to see if he would
able to escape my troubles after all. Tracy was
bring it up.”

there, and she had a large audience gathered

“What? Why would he do that?”

for a preview of the final cut of her big docu-

“Why, indeed? That’s what I’ve been wait-
mentary. There was a large mix of expedition
ing for: one of them to bring up the cable.”

members and Aldrin crew. Tracy opened with

“Nick, that makes no sense. The last thing some production notes and then started the
the murderer would want to do is draw atten-
show; but she stopped occasionally for more
tion to the cable. That’s evidence!”

notes or to invite comments from expedition

“Ummhmmm.” But Nick said no more. He
members. Riggs sat in the front, right next to
just stared at me as if waiting for me to reach

Gale, and he asked lots of questions and took
some obvious conclusion. But whatever that
notes on Gale’s answers.

conclusion was, it eluded me.

But my attention was reserved for Tracy.

Besides, I had another concern tugging at

She had cleaned up for this presentation,
my mind. “What’s with your obsession with
switching to a freshly pressed jumpsuit. She
their sleeping arrangements? You don’t seri-
had let her hair down so it hung around her
ously believe that . . . that Tracy was . . .”

shoulders the way I always liked it. Again I

“Whether I believe it or not is inconsequen-smelled lilac water, and I tried to shake it out
tial. And I’m not sure why it matters to you, ei-
of my memory; but it wouldn’t go away. Her
ther, if you’re over her like you say you are. But eyes lit up as she explained details of the ex-if it soothes your worries any: no, I don’t be-
pedition and her f ilming; and she was an en-
lieve it. Unless she’s fooling me—and she’s
gaging speaker, as always. I knew that wasn’t
not—she has changed. She’s too professional
just my heart speaking, as the crowd hung on
to risk the expedition over an affair.

her every word. But the documentary stood

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on its own just fine even without her produc-
make mistakes. We’re not all perfect robots.

tion notes and her enthusiasm.

We’re . . . we’re not all Nick Aames. If we let

It was really good. She covered the high-imperfection stop us, we’ll never go any-
lights of planning and training. She showed
where.”

just enough of the flight out on the Collins to

“Imperfection gets people killed.”

give the f lavor without losing the viewer in

“Yes, and perfection can’t always save them,
the tedium of five months in orbit. She vividly
either. Have you forgotten the Bradbury?”

captured the blend of exhilaration and terror

I would never forget the Bradbury, and she of landing in the Ishiro-class shuttles. She
knew that. We had lost a lot of good crew in
showed the camp setup and the scientific ex-
that incident. “But don’t you feel like this is a periments, including both the disappoint-lie?”

ments and the tantalizing hints for the future.

“No, it’s the other side of the story. When

And she covered Professor Azevedo’s death.

we get to Earth, I know the media will be full

Oh, she had no film of the incident itself. The
of reports of the accident again—my own re-rescue had taken all their efforts, so there was
ports. They’re going to give Gale and that
no film. But she had a computer animation of
bunch another weapon to use in their argu-
the scene, with stick figures tastefully substi-
ment: ‘Space isn’t safe for ordinary people.

tuted for the real participants. She showed ex-

Leave it to us professionals.’ They will find rea-actly what went wrong—except, of course,
sons to be safe, to avoid risks. We can’t afford
that she didn’t mention the salt contamina-
that. We need people to take chances. That
tion. Nick hadn’t revealed that yet; and if Tra-
was the professor’s goal and Margo’s goal, and
cy knew . . . no, I didn’t want to contemplate
it’s still my goal. I thought . . . it was a goal you how she might know.

understood.”

I was still wrapped up in these thoughts,

I understood; but I understood Nick’s point
not even noticing that the f ilm had ended,
of view as well. I felt like they were doing it to when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Before I
me again, forcing me to choose all over again
turned, the scent of lilacs swept over me. It
between his caution and her dreams.

was Tracy. Old habits took over before I could

I couldn’t choose, so I said nothing; and I
even think, and I smiled at her. When she
saw disappointment in her face. Once more, I
smiled back at me, I almost reached out for
hadn’t chosen her. I hadn’t chosen Nick, ei-
her; but at least I held that reaction in check.

ther, but I hadn’t chosen her.

“So what did you think?” she asked as she

But it seemed she wasn’t ready to give up,
sat across from me.

not again. She pulled her chair around beside

“I . . .” I searched for the words. Then I de-
mine, uncomfortably close. The lilac water
cided to just be upfront. “It’s brilliant. Your
couldn’t be imaginary, as clear as the scent
best work ever.”

was. She must’ve preserved a vial. I remem-

“Thank you, Anson. That means a lot.”

bered other nights when I smelled it so close,

“Except . . . in your report to Nick, you were
and I squirmed; but Tracy didn’t seem to no-
so harsh on Azevedo and his team for their
tice. “We were there for seven months. I’ve
poor planning. You didn’t miss a note, and
got months of footage to work with. This
you didn’t pull a punch. And yet none of that
won’t be my only documentary coming out of
came through here.”

the expedition. There will be one that tells the

Tracy hesitated. I could see that I had
mistakes quite thoroughly. But this is the one
caught her in a conflict. “Anson, there are two
that I need to tell now. The one that shows:

stories of the expedition: the story of what

We can do this!” She opened her comp so I went wrong, and the story of what went right.

could see it. “Here. This is my real last scene. I A lot went wrong, and that’s all in my reports;
haven’t included it yet because I want to get
but even with all the inconclusive experi-

Margo’s approval first. But it’s important that
ments, even with the professor’s death, he ac-
you see this, that you understand.”

complished his primary goals. He showed that

She tapped her comp, and a new scene ap-

Mars is a place where people will go, not just peared. It was Mrs. Azevedo in a shelter in the
an elite group of professional astronauts. And
camp. Her eyes were red from recent tears,
where people go, people will die. People
but she had a def iant look on her face. The

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shelter was darkened with a hint of red, prob-
comm. “Chief Carver, we’re almost to the
ably from natural Martian daylight outside; but
gravipause, and I’m ready to conclude our
a mild light shone down on her from above,
business. Please bring Mrs. Azevedo, Lieu-
accentuating the shadows in her face. She
tenant Gale, and Ms. Wells to my office imme-
leaned forward, directly into the camera. “Am
diately.”

I going to give up? No. Never! If I give up,
then Paolo is dead. When his dream dies, then I ushered the expedition members into

I bury him in my heart. Until then . . . no, there Nick’s office. By unspoken understanding, the
is no then. I won’t give up, not ever. But
others left the sole guest chair to Mrs. Azeve-
maybe others will. Maybe I’ll have no choice.

do. She sat and looked at Nick.

But my words, my money, my time, my power

Nick stood behind his desk. In his hand he

. . . I’ll use them all for Paolo’s dream. People held a coil of S3 cable. He looked across the
will come here, they’ll keep coming here. And faces and then began to speak. “Well, here we
they’ll remember . . . they’ll remember Paolo,
are. One last time together. We’re entering
and how his spirit calls them to come here

Earth’s orbit, we’ve passed the gravipause, so
and live here and work here. And some of
this ship is now back under the authority of
them—well, they’ll be brave like Paolo. They’ll

Mission Control. So I guess that wraps up my
know the risks.”

investigation.”

And then the scene rolled back in time and

“Investigation?” They were all thinking it,
space, all the way back to Earth, back to the
but Mrs. Azevedo was the one who asked.

earliest days of training. Professor Azevedo sat

“What investigation?”

in a tent that bore a superficial resemblance to

“Oh, the investigation into this S3 cable. It
the Mars shelter; but the light was bright and
has been an internal matter to this point, but
blue-white, and Azevedo sat back in his chair.

now it’s time to present my findings to you all

He wore a stubbly beard of gray with flecks of
before I report to Mission Control. Midship-
white, much like the hair that stuck out from
man Riggs has found conclusive evidence that
his knit cap. I suspected they were on a moun-
this cable has been contaminated with salt
tain trip. He looked into the camera, and he
ions, destroying its integrity; and then it
smiled that smile that had won over so many
stretched until it broke.” Mrs. Azevedo turned
skeptics. “Will people die in this program? Of
pale, but Nick gave her no time to interrupt.

course they’ll die, what kind of question is

“Furthermore, there’s no doubt that this cont-
that? It’s the old Pioneers’ Creed: ‘The cow-
amination was deliberate.”

ards never started, and the weak died along

This time Mrs. Azevedo did break in. “Delib-
the way.’ People die on the frontier, and that’s
erate? Paolo . . . ?”

no reason not to go. The ones who survive

But she got no further, and Nick continued.

will be the strong and the smart and the lucky

“Someone wanted it to break. It’s also clear
and the just-too-tough-to-kill.”

that the cable is from your trip to Chronius

From off screen, Tracy asked, “And which

Mons. Ms. Wells’s inventory reports are quite
are you?”

thorough, and they document precisely which

His grin broadened. “There’s only one way
gear you took with you.”

to f ind out. And no matter what, I will f ind Tracy said, “But Mrs. Azevedo couldn’t—”

out. Gladly. How about you?” And he laughed.

Nick interrupted her, nodding. “You’re

And the screen faded to black, and white let-
right, she couldn’t. Oh, people do surprising
ters appeared: Paolo Azevedo, Ph.D., Founder
things, angry spouses especially. Gale told me
of the Civilian Expedition Program.

how Margo was jealous of you, Tracy, jealous

1994–2037.

that Paolo had his eye on you.”

I stared at the simple words, dumbstruck.

Mrs. Azevedo stood, too fast for the low

Tracy’s video made her argument far more elo-
gravity. “That’s a lie!” In her anger, she ignored quently than her words had. In that moment, I
her unexpected bounce, but Nick seemed
wanted to take her in my arms and tell her I
amused. “We were past all of that months ago!

was wrong. I wanted to take her to Mars.

Paolo convinced me he had no interest in this

And so, with his usual uncanny timing, that

. . . this little girl. We made up, and we was the moment Nick’s voice came from my
were . . . we were closer than . . .” She glared

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at Nick. “But how could I convince a cynic

No. I couldn’t believe that. Tracy had sur-like you? You always believe the worst of peo-
prised me before. She had disappointed me.

ple. What would you know about two people

She had broken my heart. But this? No. I knew
in love?”

that was impossible. I loved her, it couldn’t be

That stopped Nick cold; and his face
possible.

showed something close to sympathy. Then

But Nick was drawing the conclusions I re-
he shook his head. “No, I believe you. A gos-
fused to draw. “So the cable Paolo packed, the
sip like Horace always exaggerates what he
cable that would’ve been in his tent every
knows. But just because Paolo had no interest
night where Margo had access to it: that ca-
doesn’t mean Tracy had no interest.”

ble’s missing. And the cable you packed, Ms.

This time it was Tracy who was angr y.

Wells: that cable’s sabotaged.”

“That’s ridiculous! I . . . I would never let per-Tracy grew livid. “What are you implying?”

sonal feelings endanger the team. I admired

“I’m presenting facts, not implications. Now
the professor, and I was grateful to be on this
that we’re in Earth orbit, it’s up to Mission
expedition; but that’s all there was between Control to make decisions from these facts.

us!”

My duty is to report what I know, not to spec-

“Is it? Did you know, Ms. Wells, that when
ulate.”

you broke up with Carver he wondered if per-

“So what will you report?”

haps you had your sights set on Professor

“The facts exactly as I know them. I will re-

Azevedo?”

port that this cable is not Professor Azevedo’s,

“What?” Tracy practically shouted; and at
it is yours. I will report that it was under your the same time I said, “Nick, that’s out of line!”

control the entire time it was on Mars. Profes-

“Oh, he was quite sure of that for a while.

sor Azevedo’s cable is missing, and no one in

He said a lot of bitter things when he was
the expedition crew admits to knowing where
drunk.”

it is. I will report that this cable has been cont-

“Anson! You didn’t believe that?”

aminated with salt-aff ixing nanomachines.

“Tracy, I was hurt. I . . . No, I didn’t believe

And I’ll report all the rest of our findings, and it, I just didn’t know what to believe. I wanted
they can draw whatever conclusions they
some explanation.”

may.”

“And maybe . . . ” Nick broke back in.

“And I will get a good lawyer to ensure that

“Maybe he was correct. Motivations, that’s
your accusations never make it into my
what we’re after here. Was it perhaps the
record.”

woman scorned? And that brings us back to

“I’m not making accusations. The conclu-
this cable.” Nick held up the cable for us all to sions should be obvious to anyone with half a
see. “I had Bosun Smith bring me this cable
brain, so I expect the review board to miss
from the lab because there was one piece of
them entirely.”

information missing from our earlier report:

“And what are you going to do, Captain?”

the RFID tag woven into the cable end. And

Tracy asked.

guess what? It’s not one that Professor Azeve-

“Nothing, and you know it. Now that we’ve
do packed in his gear.”

passed the gravipause, my powers are strictly

“What do you mean?”

curtailed. I can’t hold you. I have no authority

“Ms. Wells, the RFID tag is clear, and your
here over anyone but my crew.”

meticulous inventory is equally clear: this ca-

“Well, that’s good news, because I’m inno-
ble came from your personal supplies. You
cent. As soon as the funeral’s done, I’ll clear
had it stowed in your tent each night before
my name.”

the climb. Oh, and Bosun Smith also searched

I knew that determined look on Tracy’s
the rest of the expedition’s supplies very care-
face. Every bit of self-control was at work,
fully; and the professor’s cable is nowhere to
holding back her anger, and maybe her tears. I
be found. She checked the tag on every cable.

wanted to comfort her, but I had to stand my

Someone swapped this sabotaged cable for
post. She looked at me, and I almost broke;
his.”

but then she left for the docking bay.

Someone swapped . . . and Tracy had

No one else spoke. Mrs. Azevedo stood. She
packed this cable. . . .

stared at Nick, her expression unreadable.

96

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Then Gale offered her an arm, and they left.

Riggs entered, looking nervous as usual when
crewmen are summoned before Nick. I ush-

I stood where I was. I hadn’t been dis-
ered him in, and he stood at attention before
missed, and I had no orders, so I had nothing

Nick’s desk.

to do but stand there and stew over all that I

Nick wasted no time on pleasantries. He sat
had just heard. Stand and stew and stare at
and looked up at Riggs, who stood neatly at at-

Nick.

tention. “Midshipman Karl Riggs . . . what do

Nick ignored me for almost a minute and a
you know about salts in chemistry?”

half; but f inally he spoke. “Don’t stand there

“Not much, Captain, I’ll admit. I know I like
glowering at me. Can’t you make yourself use-
salt on my chips!” It was a weak joke, and
ful?”

weaker in Riggs’s delivery. Nick had the man

“‘Glowering’? Really?”

nervous, which wasn’t unusual.

“It’s the perfect word to describe your ex-

“Ah, that’s right, you said you’re weak in
pression, and I get to use it so seldom. But get
chemistry. Unlike Ms. Wells, say. Quite a sur-
over it already. Ms. Wells will be fine. In fact, prise, that chemistry degree of hers, it gave

I’ve entered a commendation into her record.”

me a whole new perspective on that discov-

I must have looked puzzled, so Nick ex-
ery of yours.

plained. “The silly little girl who broke your

“Mr. Riggs, a salt is a compound wherein a
heart is gone. That woman who just left here
positive and a negative ion exactly counter
is the only one on that whole team who un-
each other, yielding a neutral end product.

derstands how to properly plan a mission. I

They can be quite useful both biologically and
can’t guess what changed her, but I can’t deny
in other reactions, and it’s very hard for us to
the change. Azevedo was an ass. He chose his
get by without them. That’s why we’ve manu-
expedition members for their willingness to
factured nano lines that can scavenge or even
fawn over him and for how popular they
assemble the necessary ions from available
would be in the press. Plus a bunch of other
stock.”

entirely personal reasons: camaraderie, influ-

“I . . . see, sir.”

ence, favors . . . you name it; anything but

“But nano machines don’t have brains,
competence. But with her, despite himself he

Riggs. They only have simple chemical sen-
got lucky. The only one whom he chose who
sors, valence detectors particularly. They look
was worth a damn was Ms. Wells, and even I
for the proper valences, grab the ions, and af-
wouldn’t have guessed that. She surprised
f ix them to other ions or to a substrate.

me.”

They’re really just glorif ied enzymes in a

“What?”

sense. If they can’t f ind the precise valence

“Look at her reports, Carver. Look at what
signature and yet they’re still active, some of
she’s done. Look at everything. Despite my
them will grab the nearest equivalent they can
doubts, that woman has shown that the disci-
find: something close enough to the right ion-
pline that we need in space can be found far
ic properties.

outside the Corps. The people who want to

“Ah, but something close electrically can
go to space, the ones who really should be still be chemically a very different salt. For in-there, are going to do it right. I couldn’t have
stance . . .” Nick pulled up Riggs’s report on
predicted it four years ago; but if I had to staff his desk comp. “These nanos in these micro-a mission and my choices were ‘professionals’

graphs you took, they were designed to scav-
like Gale or an amateur like Ms. Wells, I would
enge carbonate items out of Mars’s
choose her without hesitation.”

atmosphere, with its high concentration of

“But I thought—I thought you blamed Tra-
carbon dioxide. It’s almost 95 percent CO ,

2
cy! You practically accused her of murder!”

did you know that?”

Nick sighed, his “you are beyond an idiot”

“Well, I . . . I knew something like that, sir.”

sigh. “There was no murder here, Carver.”

“Yes. And in fact, Azevedo chose his site be-

“No murder?”

cause of the high presence of carbonates, per-

Nick tapped his desk and the comm chime
fect for these nanos. But if they can’t find the
sounded. “Mr. Riggs, you can come in now.”

carbon ions they’re designed for, many of

The door to the outer off ice opened, and
them will find the next closest valence. For ex-

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ample, a nitrite ion would be electrically iden-
someone for Azevedo’s death, and I needed to
tical to a carbonate ion, and a nitrate might be
know who the someones were.

close enough for a nano’s detectors.

“So I had to ask myself the traditional ques-

“Now there’s something interesting about
tions: who had means, who had motive, and
these micrographs you took. If you look at the
who had opportunity? At f irst I thought Ms.

chemical analysis attached—as I did when you

Wells had opportunity. She could’ve gotten to
brought them to me—you will find that the S3
the cable at any time; and once we learned it
cables have been contaminated with nitrite
was her cable, the opportunities expanded.

salts, not carbonate salts. That means that But no, even before that, I learned of her
when those nanos were active, they found
chemistry degree. No chemist would make
predominantly nitrogen stock, not carbon
that mistake with the atmospheric ions. They
dioxide. Nitrogen, you know, the stuff that
would know it was a waste of time.

makes up 79 percent of standard air mix.”

“As for Margo . . . What would she gain by

Riggs was silent. His normally fair complex-
making Azevedo’s death look like murder? Not
ion had turned even more pale.

much. For one thing, the spouse is always the

“In fact, since they get much of their stock
first, most likely suspect in a homicide, espe-
from the surrounding air, that implies that this
cially given their well-known f ights. Oh, in
contamination happened in a nitrogen atmo-
theory she might have tried to frame Ms. Wells
sphere. Now you won’t find that on Mars, as I
by swapping the cables; but Margo had too
said. It’s nearly all CO . And you wouldn’t even
much to lose either way. Her whole media

2
find it in the expedition’s shelters. They used
campaign is about Azevedo’s great judgment,
heliox as their breathing gas to lower their
his people instincts that helped him to select
payload mass. That, by the way, is why I was
an elite team of scientist explorers, the best of so insistent on confirming the details of which
the best. If people think he let a murderer

Mars tents were used and where and how the
onto his crew, his entire myth falls apart. Not
gear was stowed. I needed to be certain that I that I put any stock in that myth, mind you,
knew where these cables had been and what
but her investors do. She wouldn’t do any-
they might’ve been exposed to; and all three
thing to endanger that myth. It would ruin her.

expedition members conf irmed for me that

“And Horace?” Nick chuckled. “What would
the gear was safely stored in the Mars tents
he gain out of it? Cast suspicion on Margo,
every night, in the heliox conditions. There
maybe? Hardly. He needs her. He’s a joke in
would be trace amounts of nitrogen, surely,
the Corps. Yes, I know he’s a bigwig to you
but it should be completely dominated by car-

SPs, but no one in Mission Control trusts his
bon dioxide. There was no chance for conta-
decisions. He needs this Civilian Exploration
mination there, so there’s only one place this

Program to succeed if he wants to stay em-
contamination could have happened.”

ployed. Oh, I considered brief ly that Horace

I couldn’t keep quiet. “On the ship!”

might have a motive: if Azevedo’s death was

“Yes, on the ship, Chief Carver. And since
murder, then it couldn’t be blamed on Ho-
these cables were very thoroughly inspected
race’s poor planning. He could’ve been trying
and recorded by Ms. Wells—I’m quite aston-
to duck responsibility. But Horace just isn’t
ished at her meticulous records, Carver, you
that clever. Besides, he may be a damned fool,
could learn something from her—we can be
but he’s well versed in the atmospheric chem-
certain that the cables were not contaminated
istry of Mars. He couldn’t make that mistake
when they left the Collins. And so the conta-any more than Ms. Wells could.”

mination could only have happened aboard

I broke in. “And that’s why you didn’t ques-
the Aldrin— after Professor Azevedo’s all-too-tion Dr. Ivanovitch, either. You knew his
avoidable death.”

chemistry knowledge ruled him out as a sus-

Riggs found his voice. “I . . . see, sir.”

pect.”

“Oh, I’m quite sure you do. And Mr. Carver

“Yes.”

is starting to see as well, though I think you

“Then why’d you interview Gale at all?”

had a head start on him. I knew right away: I

Nick grinned. “Because it amuses me to rub
wasn’t investigating a murder, I was investigat-
his nose in his mistakes. And I wanted his per-ing a frame-up. Someone is trying to frame spective on the personalities of the expedi-98

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tion. Horace Gale may be a pompous ass, but
a murder—or for that matter, if any of the se-
he’s also a political climber. He always knows
nior staff were, it hardly matters who—it
the gossip.

would throw everything into disarray. Sudden-

“But that was before I realized I was looking
ly there would be investigations, there would
in entirely the wrong direction, because I was be questions, there would be doubts. . . . In-only looking at the expedition personnel. If
vestors would get nervous and pull financing.

the sabotage happened here, that added

The Corps would feel pressure from the Space
dozens of potential suspects from our own

Professional contingent, and would likely push
crew. Mr. Riggs?”

to cancel the CEP. The next mission would

Riggs was slow to respond. “Captain?”

likely be under Corps command, probably un-

“Reports are that you seem to be ver y
der Horace Gale himself; and he would pick
friendly with Gale.”

his loyal crew.”

“Yes, sir. We . . . worked together in the

Nick still held the coil of S3 cable in his
past. I trained under him on my first post. And
hand, looking down at it, not at Riggs. “I have
besides, he’s the only other Brit on board. It’s
a report from your supervisor that you may be
nice to talk football with someone.”

leaving us.”

“Indeed. My reports are that you’ve spent

“Sir?”

pretty much all of your free time with him.”

“He says you’ve applied for a transfer.”

“Can you blame me, sir? It’s a chance to talk

“Well . . . yes, sir, just . . . considering it.”

to a real explorer. Someone different on this

“Yes, and a chance to ingratiate yourself
ship, you know.”

with them as well, especially with Horace

“Um-hmmm. Perhaps you forget: both I and

Gale. Looking at the letters of recommenda-

Chief Carver have already been to Mars on the
tion you’ve requested—”

second Bradbury expedition. I do hope we’re

“Sir!”

‘real’ enough for you.” Riggs took the rebuke

“Pshht. You think any communication goes
without blinking, and Nick continued. “And
out from this ship without me knowing about
you—and you’re not alone in this, so don’t
it? Please. What kind of a captain would I be if
take offense—you’ve voiced concern in the

I didn’t keep up with details on my vessel? So
past that the CEP is a mistake, and missions
it looks like in fact you’re hoping for reassign-
like this should be Corps missions. ‘Leave
ment to the Mars expedition on their next
space to the professionals,’ I believe that’s
trip.”

what the SP activists say.”

“Well . . .”

“I’m entitled to my opinion, Captain. As you

“And lo and behold, with the news from
say, I’m not alone. We Space Professionals
this expedition, there are sure to be some va-
have a lot of inf luence in the Corps com-
cancies on that crew. Azevedo dead, and now
mand.”

Miss Wells tied up in legal battles, the whole

“Yes, yes, just what we need: more politics

CEP in jeopardy . . . there should be a com-
in the space program. Be that as it may . . . it
plete shakeup. It’s likely the Space Profession-
looks like, despite poor planning and one un-
als will get their way. Gale will end up in
fortunate death, this expedition met most of charge, and there could be an opening for the
their mission objectives. I would hazard a
right man.”

guess that Ms. Azevedo’s investors will be

“Well, I guess . . .”

pleased over all, and will invest in further CEP

“Oh, most certainly. Horace would want to
expeditions. Once she buries her husband,
take his chosen crew with him, men he knew

Margo still has the clout and the drive and the
and trusted. And you hope to be one of
f inancing to mount another expedition, and
them.”

another.”

“Captain . . .”

“I wouldn’t know, sir.”

“Oh, don’t deny it. As I was told, three-quar-

“Oh, trust me, she does. These decisions
ters of my crew applied for that last expedi-
are being made politically these days, not sen-
tion, you included. But there will be some
sibly. And I’m sure you believe it as well.”

difficulty with your transfer, I’m afraid.” Nick

“Y-yes, sir.”

touched the comm control on his desk. “Bo-

“But now if Margo were to be implicated in sun, come in, please.”

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The off ice door opened, and Bosun Smith
a bit of a grudge to work out. She almost cost
came in. She carried another coil of S3 cable.

me the best junior off icer I’ve ever had. She

“Well?” Nick looked from Smith to the ca-
appears to have grown up since then, but she
ble.

still had earned a little suffering for that. And I Smith nodded. “It was in his cabin, sir, just
knew you would never give her what she de-like you said it would be. I found it coiled up
served, so I had to do it.”

in his pillowcase, crammed in between the

“You . . . you planned that?”

bunk and the wall. You’d never notice it with-

“It was a simple calculation. I had nothing
out a search. Well, you might, Captain, but not to gain. It’s not like exonerating her is going to the average person.” She handed the cable to
endear me to her. It’s far too late for that. But I Nick. “The RFID tag confirms: that’s Professor
had nothing to lose as well. It’s not like she

Azevedo’s cable.”

could hate me any more than she already did.

Nick stood slowly, came around his desk,

So I might as well play the villain.”

and stood nose to nose with Riggs. He didn’t

“So you were cruel to her just because you
yell. That’s when I know Nick is really angry, had nothing to lose?”

not just domineering: he gets very calm. He

“You missed the final line in my calculation:

looked at Riggs and said, “Get off my ship.”

I would gain nothing by exonerating her; but Riggs swallowed. “Sir?”

if you get on that shuttle and present the evi-

“You lied to me, Mr. Riggs.”

dence that clears her name, you’re her hero.

“Captain, I—”

You’ll come in and save her from my vile accu-

“Don’t bother denying or explaining. We
sation.”

may be inside the gravipause; but when it

I blinked. Nick playing matchmaker? But . . .

comes to my crew, I am still judge, jury, and

“No. I can’t play games like that with her. I
lord high executioner. And I do not want to won’t lie to her.”

hear more lies. I’m a realist, I know people lie

“Oh, don’t be a complete ass, Carver. Tell
for all sorts of stupid reasons. It’s part of their her a lie, tell her the truth for all I care, but nature. But not to me, and not on my ship.

don’t you dare let her leave you behind the That gets people dead, and I won’t tolerate
way she did last time. That woman is going to
that. Bosun, escort Mr. Riggs to his cabin.

space, with or without you. So get going be-

Watch him pack his kit. If he tries to go any-
fore you miss that shuttle. I don’t need you
where else or talk to anyone else, slam him
moping around for another six months. Go
into the nearest bulkhead. Twice. Once he’s
work out whatever it is you two have to work
packed, escort him to the docking bay and
out.”

confine him there until the ferry arrives.”

“Thank you, sir.” I leapt for the door.

“Yes, Captain.” Smith didn’t grin, but her

“Oh, one last thing . . .” Nick halted me on
eyes did. She was half again as large as Riggs,
the threshold. “The Aldrin leaves Earth for and she knew how to f ight dirty. I think she

Mars in three months, with or without you. If
wanted Riggs to make trouble. But he didn’t:

I’m wrong, and she’s not going back to
he just left, and Smith followed.

space . . . If I’m going to need a new Chief Of-

My head spun. It was like my head was
f icer, please try to give me enough time to
tossed into microgravity and all the facts I
f ind a replacement who can measure up to
thought I had learned that day had been tum-
your standards.”

bled into space and rearranged themselves. I

“Yes, Nick. Permission to go ashore, Cap-
had been wrong. About all of it. And about
tain?” But Nick ignored me, turning his music

Tracy. But Nick—I looked at him. “But if you
on instead. Once again I heard “Brigas Nunca
knew this already, why didn’t you say so? Why

Mais.” Without waiting for an answer, I was al-
did you let Tracy twist in the wind? Why did
ready in the outer off ice and heading for the
you let her suffer? She left here practically in
corridor.

tears!”

I would be back on the Aldrin, I was certain Nick sat in his chair, leaned back, knotted
of that. And I was just as sure that next time I
his f ingers before him, and looked at me for
wouldn’t be alone. That would give Nick
several seconds. “Carver, you may have gotten
something to complain about, so everyone
over what she put you through, but I still had
would be happy. ■

100

MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER

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THE REFERENCE LIBRARY Don Sakers
nce upon a time, a prospective science

Who, Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone, and Gene fiction writer had only one road to suc-Roddenberry’s Star Trek. New SF authors
cess. From 1926 well into the early
emerged in the wake of these successful se-

O1950s,virtuallythe entire SF field con- ries,authors like Harlan Ellison,David Ger-sisted of short stories and occasional longer
rold, Richard Matheson, Terry Nation, and Jer-
works published in print magazines. All the
ry Sohl.

big name authors we associate with the so-

Science fiction was also becoming big in
called Golden Age—from Poul Anderson to
film, and although many of the efforts were

Jack Williamson and everyone in between—
laughable even to contemporary SF readers,
got their start in the pulps, or fanzines that im-the work of some fine SF writers gained expo-
itated them.

sure from movies, people like Jerome Bixby

From a reader’s standpoint, the age was in-
and Jack Finney.

deed golden. A reader could keep up with the

The SF films of the 1970s and 1980s
field by following at most a dozen or so maga-
brought more authors (although I suppose
zines (assuming, of course, that one had the
we ought to call them “creators”) into the
money to buy them—or failing that, friends
fold, people like James Cameron, George Lu-
from whom to beg, borrow, or steal).

cas, Steven Spielberg, J. Michael Straczynski,

In the 1950s, things began to change. Sci-
and Robert Zemeckis. At the same time, we
ence fiction gained a new respectability in so-
saw big names emerge from a new direction,
ciety, and the field expanded into print books,
what we used to call “novelizations” and we
movies, even radio.

now call “tie-ins”—not just superstars Kevin J.

For readers in this period, it wasn’t enough

Anderson and Alan Dean Foster, but others
just to read the magazines. The center of the
like Diane Carey, Brian Daley, Peter David,

SF world moved between the covers of books,

Keith R. A. DeCandido, and Michael Jan Fried-
first hardcovers and then (in the 1960s) origi-
man.

nal paperbacks.

Around the same time, one beloved author

Many authors still started their careers in
got his start in the world of radio, a man
the magazines—names like Samuel R. Delany,
named Douglas Adams. (To be fair, the afore-

Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, and Robert
mentioned J. Michael Straczynski also did

Silverberg—before moving into the more lu-
some of his early work in radio.)

crative field of novels. Others emerged pri-

Science fiction has been an influence in
marily as novelists, and only appeared in the
comics since the days of Buck Rogers and Su-
magazines later: think John Brunner, Tanith
perman. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s,

Lee, or Jerry Pournelle. Books continued to be
many top-notch comics writers crossed over
a major outlet for science fiction up to the pre-
into books, including SF-themed graphic nov-
sent day, and the roster of writers who made
els. A few of the most prominent were Chris
their names with SF books is enormous and

Claremont, Neil Gaiman, Geoff Johns, Jim
varied.

Starlin, and Mark Waid. (Peter David and

The 1960s also brought popular science fic-

Straczynski have also done well-regarded work
tion television shows such as BBC’s Doctor
in comics.)

101

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As big-name authors grew older, some
that subject next issue.

turned to a kind of apprenticeship, working

Now on to this month’s books:

with younger, less-known names (and sadly, in
the fullness of time, being replaced by them.)

The Darwin Elevator

Thus we had teams like Anne McCaffrey and

Jason M. Hough

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, or her son and lit-

Del Rey, 480 pages, $9.99 (paperback)

erary heir Todd McCaffrey, or Kevin J. Ander-
iBooks, Kindle, Nook: $9.99 (e-book)

son and Brian Herbert continuing Frank Her-

ISBN: 978-0-345-53712-6
bert’s Dune series.

Series: Dire Earth 1

The coming of the World Wide Web and

Genres: Adventure SF, Post-Apocalyptic, Visi-
print-on-demand technology brought new and
tors From Space
expanded outlets for science fiction authors.

Small presses, which had for decades pro-

Jason M. Hough is a new voice in science
duced mainly reprints and niche titles, bene-
fiction, coming to us in the old-fashioned for-
fited from lower production costs and in-
mat of books issued from a major publisher.

creased availability—and became yet another

His first book, The Darwin Elevator, is any-venue for emerging SF authors such as Mike
thing but old-fashioned.

McPhail, Vera Nazarian, and Steven H. Wilson.

It’s the year 2283, and the aliens have come

(Wilson, like Adams and Straczynski, also
and gone. The Builders, as humans call them,
works in audio—not radio but podcasts. I’m
brought two things: highly advanced technol-
sure there are others.)

ogy, and a plague that turned most humans

The Web also brought new life to short fic-
into savage, mindless beasts. Then they de-
tion in the form of webzines such as Light-
parted, destination unknown.

speed, Penumbra, and Strange Horizons. Re-When the Builders arrived, they construct-
cent novice authors appearing in webzines
ed a space elevator that stretches from geo-
include Saladin Ahmed, Lauren Beukes, and
synchronous orbit to Darwin, Australia. This

Tony Pi (all nominees for the John W. Camp-
elevator somehow emits an aura that cures the
bell Award for the best new SF writer).

plague, an aura that’s effective in a nearly nineThe revitalization of small presses lowered
kilometer radius around the structure. That
the cost of publication; the e-book revolution
circle covers part of the city of Darwin and the
of the past decade quantum-jumped costs to
ocean beyond, and it hosts refugees from all
the lowest level yet. We’re still in the midst of over the planet. The human race is largely
this revolution, but one result is clear: in-
confined to this clear zone and habitats estab-
creased availability of more SF writers than
lished along the Elevator itself.

ever before.

Food comes from great agricultural habitats

New technology has also brought the gam-
strung along the Elevator, but there’s a con-
ing field (both video and role playing games),
stant need for supplies that only Earth can pro-
a sector which is larger than Hollywood—and
vide—ranging from water and minerals to
which is rife with science fiction themes and
medicines, spare parts, and a few cultural trea-
content. Game tie-in novels are everywhere
sures. Powered crawlers constantly climb up
nowadays.

and down the Elevator, carrying cargo to sus-

For the SF reader of today who wants to
tain the habitats.

keep up with the field and spot emerging tal-

The water comes from nuclear-powered de-
ents, reading the print magazines and prowl-
salinization plants, but everything else has to
ing SF bookstore racks is nowhere near
come from outside—meaning someone has to
enough. (Hey, remember bookstores?) You
go outside the aura and gather it all from de-
need to keep an eye on television and movies,
caying ruins populated by hostile savages.

but also radio and podcasts, comics, we-

Enter Skyler Luiken and his crew. Skyler,
bzines, small presses, e-books, and games. Oh,
commander of the airship Melville, is one of and it doesn’t hurt to keep part of your atten-the rare humans who is immune to the
tion alert for the next new venue, which will
plague. His multicultural crew of fellow im-
probably be along in a few months.

munes is scavengers, scouring the world for

How is an SF reader to keep up? I’ll tackle
useful resources. They are pirates, soldiers,

102

DON SAKERS

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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scholars, survivalists, swashbuckling adventur-

Child of Venus, 2001) was a family saga set ers. Chief among them is Tania Sharma, scien-against a background of the terraforming of
tist, fighter.

Venus. Despite a very checkered publication

Humanity’s efforts to eke out an existence
history, the books captured the attention of
in this bleak world are threatened when the
readers and are fondly remembered. (They’re

Elevator suddenly begins to malfunction.

also available in e-book editions.)

Builder technology—which humans hardly

Really good books have a way of taking hold
understand to begin with—seems to be fail-
of an author even after she thinks she’s fin-
ing.

ished with them—in Sargent’s case, this

It’s up to Skyler, Tania, and their people to
meant four short stories set in the same uni-
find out what’s going on. To do so, they must
verse as the Venus series. Three concern the
tackle conspiracies, attack the powerful, and
impact of the terraforming effort on various
solve the mystery of who the Builders were,
characters, some who appeared in the books
why they came to Earth, and why they
and some who didn’t. As if that’s not good
brought the plague.

enough, the final story, “Utmost Bones,” is set

Jason M. Hough does a great job with this
in the far future and tells the story of some res-huge story. The world of Darwin and the Ele-
idents of Venus who seek to return to an Earth
vator is deliciously complex and satisfying.

whose civilization is gradually fading.

Skyler, Tania, and all the other characters are

Sargent balances scientific extrapolation
delightfully drawn and fun to spend time with,
and human interest beautifully. If you’re a fan
people trying to do their best to deal with cri-
of the Venus books, you need this volume; if
sis. The story unfolds with just the right bal-
you’ve never read them, treat Dream of Venus
ance of high adventure, espionage, humor,
as an introduction to a marvelous series.

and emotional truth.

Jack Dann and George Zebrowski are veter-

Darwin’s Elevator weighs in at 480 pages, an SF authors who probably don’t need much
but this is one of those meaty books that read
introduction in these pages. Both are equally
quickly and effortlessly. As soon as you finish,
at home in mainstream SF and literary SF.

you’ll want more.

Decimated brings together ten stories that Good news, then: Del Rey plans to issue the

Dann and Zebrowski wrote together in the
next two books in the series (The Exodus
early 1970s. They’re interesting as period

Towers and The Plague Force) in successive pieces—examples of the changes that the
months. So clear some time on your calendar;

New Wave movement was ringing on the
you won’t regret it.

field—and they have a madcap vitality that
leave readers feeling as if they’ve just unex-

Dream of Venus and Other Science Fic-
pectedly downed a shot of mid-priced

tion Stories
whiskey. To round out the ten, the authors in-

Pamela Sargent
clude one previously unpublished tale from

Decimated: Ten Science Fiction Stories
the same period, “The Standard Crisis Sce-

Jack Dann and George Zebrowski
nario.”

Wildside, 276 pages, $15.99 (trade paperback)

Both titles include general introductions

Kindle: $3.99, Nook: $3.79 (e-book)

and notes on each story from the authors.

ISBN: 978-1-4344-4501-8

Genres: SF Short Fiction

Gaia’s Web

Steve Proskauer

Wildside Press is the latest small press pub-

Gaia Press, 310 pages, $11.95 (trade paper-
lisher to re-create the old Ace Doubles format
back)

of two books published back-to-back, upside

Kindle: $4.99 (e-book)

down with respect to one another. (The tech-

ISBN: 978-0-9860340-0-8
nical term for this arrangement, by the way,

Series: Gaia’s Earth 1
is tête-bêche, from the French for “head-to-Genres: Adventure SF, Ecological/Environ-
toe.”)

mental SF, Man & Machine

Pamela Sargent’s Venus series (Venus of

Dreams, 1986, Venus of Shadows, 1988, and When critics talk about the small press/print-THE REFERENCE LIBRARY

103

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ANALOG

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on-demand/e-book revolution, they always

Beyond the Doors of Death
mention that quantity doesn’t equate to quali-

Robert Silverberg & Damien Broderick
ty (the phrase “tidal wave of crap” gets

Arc Manor, 182 pages, $14.99 (trade paperback)

bandied about a lot). They forget that the sci-
www.phoenixpick.com: $7.99 (e-book) ence fiction field has been through this be-ISBN: 978-1-61242-112-4
fore. During the age of pulp magazines, SF had

Genres: Alien Beings, Psychological/Sociologi-
several “boom” periods in which the number
cal SF
of magazines vastly increased. More pages to
fill each month meant more demand for sto-

Robert Silverberg’s 1974 novella “Born
ries, and just about anyone and anything could

With the Dead” won the Nebula and Locus
see print.

Awards and was a Hugo nominee, with good

Yet somehow, readers of the day managed
reason. It’s an intense tale of a future in which to survive these tidal waves. And the boom pe-a process called rekindling brings the dead
riods were useful training periods for begin-
back to some form of life. However, the dead
ning writers. One could make minor mistakes
are different, alien. Their emotions and moti-
or get away with prose that wasn’t as finely
vations are completely altered, so much so
crafted as it could be, and still reap rewards in that they prefer to live in enclaves of their
the form of whatever money and encourage-
own kind. A powerful taboo prevents the liv-
ment came from the process.

ing from having much to do with the dead.

Those boom periods are fondly remem-

The story concerns Jorge Klein, whose
bered in part because of a raw, unfinished vi-
wife Sybille has been rekindled. Jorge is still in tality that some feel has been missing in the
love with Sybille, and goes on a trek to find
field. That’s what happens when readers get
her. His journey leads him to confront his
to see writers learning their craft, warts and
own feelings about death and the meaning of
all.

life. It’s as powerful now as it was when it

Gaia’s Web is Steve Proskauer’s first novel, first appeared.

and it’s an excellent example of this raw vitali-

As part of their Phoenix Pick line, Arc
ty.

Manor reprints “Born With the Dead” along

In the near future, the Earth teeters on the
with a sequel by apprentice Damien Broder-
edge of total environmental collapse. Daryl
ick. In the course of following Jorge’s progress

McIntyre, a computer scientist, brings his
after his encounter with Sybille, Broderick ex-
neurobiologist wife and two qualified friends
plores Silverberg’s world in more detail and
together in a secret lab to design an AGA, the
adds a sociological gloss by dealing with con-
first true artificial intelligence. When they set flict between the societies of the living and

AGA to work on the entwined environmental
the dead. Broderick’s tale doesn’t have quite
problems, it declares that humanity must be
the emotional punch of Silverberg’s, but that’s
forced to evolve to the next stage of life.

part of the point, for the emotions of the dead

When Daryl and friends allow AGA to accel-
are not those of the living.

erate their own evolution, they discover tele-

Broderick’s story is that rare sequel that fills
pathic powers—which reveal hidden tensions
a hole readers didn’t even know existed. If
between the foursome. By now, though, AGA
you’d asked me last month if “Born With the
has released its program into the world,

Dead” needed a sequel, I would’ve laughed in
where one by one humans start waking up as
your face. Well, I’m glad to say that I was
enlightened, telepathic beings.

wrong.

Considering the economic disruption and

Definitely recommended.

social tension between the evolved humans

Until next issue, remember that good SF is
and their non-evolved neighbors, it’s clear that
all around you, so keep your eyes peeled. ■
humanity is entering a new world. But is the
change for the benefit of humanity, AGA itself,
or some other hidden force?

Don Sakers is the author of The Eighth Suc-

This is a fun little book, well worth the
cession and The Leaves of October. For more price for the e-book.

information, visit www.scatteredworlds.com.

* * *

104

DON SAKERS

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BRASS TACKS
ear Mr. Kooistra,

Dear Sirs,

While your February article was

All in all, having trained fairly deeply in
mostly about the technology of flying
biology, I thoroughly enjoyed Edward M.

Dcars,there are other issues.Imagine Lerner’s Science Fact article,“Alien Aliens: the nutcase who cuts you off on the inter-Beyond Rubber Suits.” I share many of his
state, and project that into a sea of metro-
fascinations and frustrations. But I have a
area flying cars. Recall your most recent
few comments to add:

experience of rush hour in, say, New York

Most minor, although convergent evolu-
or L. A., and imagine all that about two hun-
tion has done an excellent job of making
dred feet above the ground, with everybody
human and octopus eyes look very similar,
thinking they can travel randomly to their
they actually possess some interesting dif-
destination. At least on the ground we are
ferences. Unlike us, octopus eyes have
regulated by a pattern of roads with signals
everted retinas, and therefore no blind spot.

most of us obey. There is a semblance of

(Our inverted retinal receptor cells, oddly
sanity and control preventing otherworldly
enough, point away from incoming light,
chaos and utter gridlock.

and the visual processing neurons that con-

In putting us all into flying cars, without
nect with them must make a U-turn to exit
some form of traffic control,
those
the eye.) Unlike ours, octopus lenses don’t
inevitable fender benders that only raise
change shape to focus; they are moved back
tempers on the ground, will quickly end up
and forth. Octopus retinal pigment is also
as death scenes with zombies carving out
more like insects, so they can see polarized
meals from the flesh in the trashed vehicles
light, including light from “invisible” prey.

plummeting back to Earth. Then, of course,

So does that make octopuses completely
if we have to have control for flying cars,
alien from us? I doubt it, because we share
what’s the point of raising above the ground
other traits like curiosity, fear, problem-solv-
what we now have on terra firma.

ing, using tools, and the urge to reproduce

There already is an air control system and

(not to mention DNA).

highways in the sky. Our commercial jets

My more major concern is how to claim
use it every day. And there is a form of fly-
any alien even loosely based on our life-
ing car already: business jets. Those small
forms—insects, dinosaurs, reptiles, birds,
luxury devices take their masters when and
cats, wolves, dolphins, elephants, creatures
where they want to go, but they still adhere
with radial symmetry, creatures living inside
to the air traffic system and airways above
of creatures (consider our own microbes,
eighteen thousand feet.

which supposedly out-number our own

So putting one hundred and fifty million
cells), or even creatures with any senses
vehicles into the air, all moving randomly at
similar to any of our lifeforms—can be con-
once, strikes me as a really good reason to
sidered truly alien aliens.

stay on the ground—wearing a hard hat for

I think the problem we all share is that life
the flying cars that are going to drop on my
on Earth, including our evolutionary past, is
head with utter regularity—where I can
so darn logical, at least for our type of
concentrate on zombie elimination.

world. For instance, if you’re supported by

Patrick Connolly
your environment, like an octopus in the

105

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ANALOG

WorldMags.net
ocean, the advantage of eight legs can easi-
piece of paper on the wall tells me nothing
ly outweigh the biological cost. (After all,
about the quality of their work. There are
this lifeform only lives long enough to repro-
bad doctors from the best schools in the
duce once.)

country and expert ones from the worst,

On land, four legs is redundant, but very
and, as was pointed out in the book
helpful and not too costly. You can still run

Unaccountable, they all do their best to see away from danger if you lose one leg.

that we can not tell which are the good

(Unless you have hooves. Then you’re out of
ones and which are the bad. And that is a
luck. But you can run really fast on four
problem in every field; they make it difficult
hooves!) If you have three legs and lose one,
to see who the real experts are; licensing
you’re toast. But why have to consume
and tests do not tell us that much—you
enough calories for more than four legs?

could say it’s all a crap shoot, admit it and

(Again, you just have to reproduce.) Unless
live with it rather than see how much use-
you’re a centipede-like creature battling
less paper you can generate trying to pre-
extra heavy gravity—but then you’re insec-
vent it.

toid.

On a related subject, a number of years

Anyway, that’s just one of many reasons I
ago for a short time I taught high school
think it’s so difficult to break free from an
algebra, geometry, and physics. One thing I
earth-centric mold. It’s also why I think so
learned was that it is very easy to teach stu-
much SF artwork displays beautifully weird
dents to solve algebraic problems but
aliens with oddly familiar limbs, joints, and
extremely hard to teach them to apply what
musculature. Try inventing a completely
they have learned to real world problems.

functional, logical scaffold, which is also

This problem goes all the way through our
totally different from any lifeform frame-
educational system from first grade up to
work ever tried out on Earth!

graduate school; we can teach people all

At any rate, I do think Edward M. Lerner
sorts of things, but when they get out in the
has made many excellent points and provid-
real world they don’t know how to apply
ed some very intriguing ideas. But I also
what they have learned. (Incidentally after I
believe inventing truly alien aliens will con-
had taught for a semester I received a letter
tinue to be a huge challenge, until/unless
from the state education department saying
we get a chance to expand our horizons by

I wasn’t qualified to teach because I hadn’t
observing life on other worlds. I suppose it’s
taken any educational courses at college,
a small chance, but some day I hope we do
but at a recent town reunion a lot of my old
somehow get that opportunity—and
students came up to me and told me what a
approach it carefully!

good job I had done; who’s opinion is more

Sincerely, Liz J. Andersen, DVM
valid? The experts or the students?)

Robert J. Otto

Dear Sir,

Crystal ND

In regard to your reply to my letter pub-
lished in the April issue: I don’t believe I

Dear Analog,
mischaracterized Stan’s editorial; just put it

In a letter in your April 2013 issue, Robert
in plain English. You asked who should be

J. Otto goes to some lengths to establish his
in charge if not the experts. The problem is
credentials as an educated layman before
who are the experts. You seem to want
ripping into “experts” in general as no more
experts with fancy degrees, but a fancy
knowledgeable than the man on the street
degree is no guarantee that a person really
and affirming, first, that “disbelief in
knows anything. I’d rather drive across a

Darwinism” is no bar to achievement in the
bridge built by someone with no degree but
science if one can get past “the academic
who knows how to build bridges than one
inquisition” (his phrase, lower case “i” and
designed by some MIT graduate with a PhD
all), and that global warming is nonsense
in civil engineering who doesn’t know how

(he drags out the Medieval Warm Period as
to build a bridge in the real world. Yes,

“proof” of the latter as though climate
because of the laws the doctors I see have
researchers either hadn’t heard of it or were
degrees from a medical school, but the
trying to cover it up).

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BRASS TACKS

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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Mr. Otto’s other choices of targets reveal a

Editor of Analog! As you said in your edito-
similar belligerent anti-intellectualism on his
rial, you stand on the shoulders of giants.

part: he blames economists, for example,

Best of luck to you, taking the publication
for inflation, as though such things as oil
ahead.

prices had nothing to do with it, hails pie-in-

One suggestion: A major reason I sub-
the-sky claims about oil reserves no one has
scribe to Analog is for the illustrations with-actually verified in order to ridicule the very
in the magazine. John Campbell was a mas-
idea that we might be nearing the limits of
ter at finding and using artists who could
petroleum production. The one “expert” he
enhance science fiction stories. Kelly Freas,
praises is Immanuel Velikovsky, whose ideas

EMSH, Schoenherr, and Van Dongen come
he feels were unfairly ridiculed by “all the
to mind. Most stories in every issue had line
big scientists,” and never mind why
art. One good example is the Freas illustra-

Velikovsky didn’t get a respectful hearing
tion that headed the E.F. Russell serial, “Call

(namely, for the same reason flat-Earthers

Him Dead.” There were at least eight other
don’t).

Freas illustrations in the story.

Sadly, his attitude is all too typical.

Stan Schmidt used less art, but much of it

Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, to take just
was quite good. John Allemand was proba-
one example, has ridiculed both global
bly the best recent artist. I’ll forgive your
warming and evolution as “hoaxes.”

April issue for not having any (you are just

Apparently, such people would rather
getting started) but I hope you will be using
believe in a scientists’ conspiracy straight
lots of interior art as time goes on.

out of the original V miniseries than ask just

Forward!

why Darwin’s ideas caught on in a nine-

John P. Aurelius
teenth-century world originally hostile to

Indianola, WA
them or why the idea of human-caused glob-
al warming has attracted more and more sci-

Thanks for the feedback.You and I are in
entific support. Apparently, experts are to
total agreement about the illustrations. It’s be trusted only as long as they say what
our goal to always have two spreads in sin-
these people want to hear; the moment
gle issues, and three or four in doubles, if
they stray from that lone, they morph into
possible. To that end, we’re also making a
incompetent, evil “eggheads” who don’t
concerted effort to grow our pool of illus-
deserve to be heeded. That this mentality
trators, and we’re always looking for
does not help solve the problems our soci-
promising new talent in that arena.As you
ety faces should be too obvious to need
guessed, it took me a little while to figure
pointing out. It seems, however, that it isn’t.

out how best to spread around the art bud-

Eric B. Lipps
get, so there are a couple of issues that are Staten Island, NY
unfortunately lacking in that department,
but that’s just a temporary blip, and I

Dear Trevor Quarachi,
appreciate your patience. ■

Congratulations on your appointment as

BRASS TACKS

107

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UPCOMING EVENTS Anthony Lewis NOTE: Membership rates and other details
tasy Convention 2013 c/o 130 Park View,
often change after we have gone to press.

Wembley, Middx HA9 6JU, England.

Check the websites for the most recent infor-
mation.

14–18 August 2014

LONCON 3 (72nd World Science Fiction Con-
vention) at International Conference Centre,

11–13 October 2013

ExCel, London Docklands, U.K. Guests of

CAPCLAVE 2913 (Washington DC area SF con-

Honor: Iain M. Banks, John Clute, Chris Foss,
ference) at Hilton Washington DC North,

Malcolm Edwards, Jeanne Gomoll, Robin

Gaithersburg, MD. Author Guest of Honor:

Hobb, Bryan Talbot. Membership: until 30

George R. R. Martin; Editor Guest of Honor:

April 2013. Attending: $160/£95 (adult);

Sharyn November; Artist Guest of Honor:

$110/£65 (young adult); $50/£30 (child); in-

Steve Stiles. Memberships: $55 until 31 July
fant $3/£2; family $390/£230; Supporting:

2013; $60 until 30 September 2013; $70 at the

$40/£25. This is the SF universe’s annual get-
door; $30 for active military personnel and
together. Professionals and readers from all
students. Info: www.capclave.org; info@cap-
over the world will be in attendance. Talks,
clave.org; twitter.com/capclave .

panels, films, fancy dress competition—the
works. Nominate and vote for the Hugos. Info:

24–27 October 2013
http://www.loncon3.org/; Loncon 3, 379 Myr-BALTICON 47 (Baltimore area SF conference)

tle Road, Sheffield S2 3QH, United Kingdom
at the Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD. Guest
of Honor: Joe Haldeman; Artist Guest of Hon-
or: Rick Sternbach; Special Guest: Nnedi Oko-
rafor; Music/Filk Guest of Honor: Ada Palmer;

Running a convention? If your convention

Featured Filkers: Sassafras. Membership: TBD.

has a telephone or fax number, e-mail ad-

Info: www.balticon.org; balticoninfo@balti-
dress, or web page, please let us know so that
con.org; Box 686, Baltimore MD21203.

we can publish this information.We must
have your information in hand SIX months

31 October–3 November 2013
before the date of your convention.

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION at The

Hilton Brighton Metropole, Brighton, England

Attending a convention? When calling con-

Themes: World Fantasy Convention: The Next
ventions for information, do not call collect Generation and Arthur Machen @150. Guests
and do not call too late in the evening. It is of Honor: Richard Matheson & Richard Christ-best to include a S.A.S.E. when requesting inian Matheson; Artist Guest of Honor: Alan Lee;
formation; include an International Reply

Special Guests: Brian Aldiss & Tessa Farmer;

Coupon if the convention is in a different

MC: China Miéville. Membership: GBP100 at-
country.

tending; GBP50 supporting. Info: www

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ANTHONY LEWIS

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