Jupiter's Reef (20 page)

“Crew transfer,” answered Alex. “Matt and a Captain Wysor will be in charge of the
Cornwall
. And
Middlesex
will take the rest of
Cornwall
’s crew back to Ganymede. At least that’s what I think he said.”

Mary touched the com tab on her left temple and shook her head. “The static is getting really bad, Captain. This is really a bad storm.”

Alex looked at the instrument screen on the panel in front of him. “The rads are still climbing, Mary. If it wasn’t for our shielding we’d be dead.”

Professor Baltadonis let out a muffled whistle inside his virtual hood. “You got that right, my friend,” he said. “The levels are off the scale. I’m seeing the solar flare now. It’s makes for a lovely magnetogram in virtual space. But, you’re right, I’m glad I’m not in real space looking at it.”

“Did Captain Wysor say anything about our equipment?” asked Matt.

“What about our quarters?” asked Warren.

“I’m sure you’ll get your answers soon,” said Alex.

2
“Gannys are ice miners,” said Alex as he watched the
Cornwall
approach. “They used to supply all the water for the Jove system, except for Europa, of course. Plenty of water there.”

“I read about troubles with the Gannys,” said Matt. “They’re going out of business.”

Johnny ducked out from under his head. “Is that why they’re armed?”

“Armed?” asked Alex, switching on telephoto cameras.

“Looks like water pods covering the skin but my instruments show concentrations of Americanium in the noses of a couple of them.”

“That can only mean they’re carrying weapons,” offered Tony.

“No secrets in my air force,” said Alex touching the com to speak to the Ganny ship. “
Diver
ta
Cornwall
. You blockers packin’ whompers? My innies say is so.”

The speakers crackled louder than ever. But the response was easy for everyone to understand. “Whompers tobesure,
Diver
, we got dodger duty now’et no’on biggin’ ice. Thot uwuz from here. Dingers, mate, ev’bud knows that much.”

“Tuff ta make a livin’,” answered Alex. “Cools on that.”

When Alex switched off the radio he turned around in his chair. “Good eye, Johnny, but we nearly pissed ’em off again.”

“What did they say,” asked Johnny, looking out from under his hood.

“Those were whompers ... missiles to take out meteoric material. Apparently the Gannys are making extra cash patrolling space lanes and hunting darkies.”

“What are darkies?” asked Jeanne.

“Any hard-to-see piece of space junk,” said Alex.

“Sounds like BS to me,” said Matt. “Everybody knows the Gannys are militants.”

“In word only,” said Alex. “They bitch a lot about their lot. Especially since IoCorp started its own icing operation right under their noses, on their moon. The Gannys say it’s busting them and I agree. IoCorp didn’t need to open that base.”

“And the Gannys didn’t need to raise prices for their water,” argued Matt.

“Well, you can argue that with them personally,” said Alex. “We’re coming into docking position. Everyone strap in.”

The two Ganny ships were now in view on
Diver
’s viewscreen. They looked similar in design – tapered cylinders surrounded by long storage tanks – but bore different colored markings. The
Cornwall
’s motif was red and yellow, while
Middlesex
was decorated in blues and greens.

Mary asked Alex why they were so different.

“Maybe they’ve got different missions. I really don’t know,” he said.

The sound of snapping buckles resounded through the cabin as the ship neared. Professor Baltadonis thrust the hood up until it locked with a click a foot above his head. “As you’d say, Alex, we’re all right and tight.”

Alex smiled. “All right, then.”

On the viewer the cylindrical end of the
Cornwall
came into view. Behind it the distant grey mottled surface of Ganymede moved slowly by as the two ships orbited side by side. Alex had
Diver
’s computer link to the one piloting
Cornwall
for a smooth and relatively quick linkup.

Tony went to the airlock but waited for a signal from Alex to open it.

There was a loud hiss that made Mary’s kitten spring into the air and spit.

“Oh, babies,” said Mary as it floated out of her reach only to be caught by Jeanne. She held the kitten to her chest and put her nose on its head.

“He’s so sweet,” she said. “Let me keep him for you when you go down. I’ll give him back.”

Mary reached for her kitten. It mewed when she took it from Jeanne, but settled into Mary’s arms and purred as she stroked it. “He comes with me, I’m afraid.”

The kitten’s eyes closed to a slit and it almost seemed to smile at Alex. “Hold your baby, Mary Seventeen. Time to open the airlock.”

Alex checked the outside pressure gauge, then signaled Tony to open the door. A hiss, even louder than before, jarred all of them, then the door popped open and the figure of Captain Wysor, all three meters of him, loomed at the cabin door. He hunched over to avoid hitting his head and stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

“Which o’ you’s Rose?” he asked.

Tony refused the hand when it was offered him and looked at Alex.

“Guilty as charged, Captain,” said Alex. “Captain Rose at your service. Permission to come aboard, sir.”

Wysor smiled warmly and took Alex’s hand. “And I’m offerin’ the same to you, mate.” He looked at all of them. “Who’re we takin’ aboard?” he asked.

Matt and the two women stepped forward. They were each carrying piles of luggage and gear.

“Well, happy me to meet the likes of you. Lovely ladies and kind gent. Welcome aboard and uh, hang yer gear on the tow in the ship. Best I showya yer quarters now ‘n then come back fer vizzies. You wimee?”

Alex nodded. “Sure!”

When they reached the interior of the
Cornwall
Alex could hear laughter. It came from several locations. He sniffed the air and it reminded him of something, but he couldn’t place it. Mary was last to enter, having found it necessary to say goodbye to the kitten.

She finally joined them and they were soon being towed along a corridor down the length of the Ganny ship by a cable system similar to the one on the
Houston
. But this one, Alex noticed, was older, made of metal and covered with grease.

By the time they reached the place Captain Wysor was taking them, Alex had recognized the smell. It was stale beer.

The laughter got louder the farther they penetrated the ship until finally the cable pulled them around a turn, toward a dimly lit room. As they entered the room Alex recognized a Ganny tune playing on speakers in the room. It was a perfect background for the bar-like ambiance of the gathering. There were eight people crowding the cabin and none of them seemed to be wearing uniforms. Some were in T-shirts while others wore fatigues. Alex noticed two women near a far hatchway who seemed to be suited for space, holding helmets as they crouched and talked.

“Welcome to me com,” said Wysor. “These are the lads. A cheerful lot.”

Everyone turned to face the new arrivals and then moved aside to make room for them.

Whistling started the moment Mary and the two girls entered the room. But it died down when Captain Wysor shot an angry glance around the cabin and asked: “...if ya’d like’er lips stitched up.”

“Let’s do’er better an say hi’s to Capt’n Rose and his crew’o’scienc’rs,” he continued. Then Captain Wysor introduced
Diver
’s crew to his own. It took a while since all of the Gannys had thicker accents than their captain. And when they were finished Alex couldn’t remember who was who. Not only were they unintelligible, the names seemed convoluted as well.

The two women in space gear were introduced as Maddie and Syngin Farthingay O’Withers. Alex had no sooner ingested that one when he and Mary was introduced to the first mate; Rodwalter Hobbs Deacon Trafalgar, who, the Captain added, was a grade one icer who was due to command his own ship soon.

The mate then proceeded to tell an off-color Ganny joke that made the Captain roar but confused every non-Ganny in the room.

Matt stood open-mouthed at the door, holding his luggage and the conveyor strap. Next to him, Tony, Connie, and Jeanne looked equally aghast. And when Rodwalter, or “Rod” as he was called, finished that joke he launched into a new one. He was about to tell a third story when Matt interrupted.

“Excuse me, Captain,” he said tactfully, “but we’d like to get to our quarters. And I’d like to see the equipment you have aboard.”

Rod looked disappointed that he couldn’t finish his joke, but he didn’t protest. The Captain looked at him sympathetically. “Sorry matey, but we’ve got business.”

Then the Captain turned to the group and began discussing the mission. He said that IoCorp, MarsCorp and EarthCorp were very interested in it and had all contributed to it. He added that, while there were issues that had to be worked out between the Corporations and the Gannys, his view was that the mission was for science and, in that capacity, served everyone.

“This’s more’n us. More’n them, mates,” said Wysor. “This’s science ’n is fer allus. This’s why we come ta space. So ’f any bloker wants to start a row with the corpies, I say stow ’t. We’re on th’ tick.”

Alex smiled and thanked the Captain. “It’s good of you to volunteer your ship and your time to this mission,” he said.

Captain Wysor laughed. “No volunteers here, mate,” he said. “Whate’er we do ’s fer the cash. This is triple-time duty, Rose. So you might keep’t in mind while yer boggin’ aroun’ the spot.”

“I had no idea they were paying you. Can I ask how much?” asked Alex.

Wysor looked Alex up and down, then winked at his first mate. “Y’kin ask,” he said. The mate laughed.

Up to this point Professor Baltadonis had been tagging along, making few comments. The Captain’s remark seemed to annoy him and set him off.

“I believe, Captain Wysor, that you’ve been negotiating everything with Harry Stubbs, back on Earth?”

Wysor nodded.

“Then I think it’s fair to tell you that I am his official eyes for the mission. Nothing gets approved – no money or anything – unless I say so. As I understand it, the reason you Gannys are involved at all is because you have ships to spare. I understand that there’s been problems with the Corpies, as you put it, and I respect that. But you have to work that out with them not us. We’re on a science mission and once we’re down there, exploring the Spot, you’re our link to them.”

Captain Wysor wasn’t smiling any more. “Well, we’ve a Corpie aboa’d!” he said derisively.

“I’m a Terraformer,” said Johnny. “Life sciences. Botany. MarsCorp Level Two.”

“He has his own tram stop on the Mars tubeway,” offered Alex.

“Well, fer th’ tick yer on my ship, eh?” said Wysor. “What’s got you hoppin’?”

Alex saw the Captain’s anger rising so he cut in.

“Tell ya, Ganny,” he said. “What Johnny’s sayin’ yerself, to your mate. We’re on a science mission and need everybody’s cooperation. That’s the bite.”

Matt looked around and sighed. “When everybody’s through pissing on the walls, I’d like to get to work.”

Sciarra and Wysor laughed out loud. Then the Captain pointed to the cable outside the door and said, “Load ’er up, boys, ’n I’ll take ya to yer digs.”

It didn’t take long to get there. The room assigned to the mission was on the other side of the
Cornwall
. Matt seemed satisfied with it as he studied the layout. “This’ll do,” he said.

The room was already equipped with two seats that resembled Johnny’s VR station aboard
Diver
. And there was another chair attached to a console.

“Just like the layout,” said Matt to Captain Wysor. “My compliments.”

Connie and Jeanne looked around the room but made no comment.

“Does everyone know their workstation?” asked Alex, looking at Matt.

“Guess so,” said Matt.

“Professor Stubbs designed the setup,” said Tsu.

Johnny moved to one of the chairs with a hood and sat down. He flicked some switches but nothing happened so he climbed out shaking his head.

“Who installed these VR seats?” he asked Captain Wysor.

“We picked ’em on Io,” he said.

“You just picked them up and left? You’re saying that no one installed them?”

“Yezzer,” said Wysor.

“They didn’t want to install them while you were there in dock?”

“I told ’em not to,” said the Captain. “Ev’body knows ’bout Ra Patera. Nobody here wants a sulphur bath,” he added. “Zip zap, in and out.”

Tony Sciarra touched Alex’s shoulder. “I’ll do it,” he said.

3
Alex had thought they’d have to return to Io for technical help connecting the VR equipment, but Tony was able to accomplish the entire wiring setup in two hours. He seemed to know the layout of the Ganny ship by heart and worked without assistance until everything was up and running.

Sciarra’s pitching in as he did had a striking effect on everyone. Matt started joking a bit, and Tsu and Warren became more talkative and sounded for the first time like they were having a good time. They moved into the VR chairs eagerly when Tony asked them to try the system.

Johnny’s mood changed as well. He seemed to relax along with everyone else; confident now that Stubbs’ choice for the support crew had been a good one. He even commented to that effect after Tony finished his work. When he got on the cable to return to
Diver
he was whistling a tune, and he remained upbeat as they tested the link between the two systems.

Finally, when everything was working, Alex invited Captain Wysor and his first mate to visit
Diver
for a little send-off party.

When they arrived Mary greeted them with squeezers of Geebrew. “It’s not the real thing that you’re probably used to, but it isn’t bad,” she said.

“I’ll be the judge o’ that, miss,” said Wysor with a wink. Then he took a long pull on the bottle and stared at her for a moment as he rolled the liquid around in his mouth. “A bit less hydr’zine, pe’aps,” he said. “But no’ bad.”