I had time to worry about that, a thousand things happened at once. Time began to stretch in the other way, with so much going on that I have trouble remembering what came when.
It began when Doctor Eileen came to the house, late one evening. She had heard from Duncan West. He had located and hired a ship, the Cuchulain, complete with crew, and was now busy arranging for supplies to be ferried up to it from Muldoon. He needed help, and he told Doctor Eileen that I could join him as soon as I was ready.
I was ready that minute, and said as much. Mother stayed up half the night, making me a spacer's jacket and trousers of dark blue, and first thing the next morning she zipped me over to Toltoona in Doctor Eileen's cruiser. They loaded me and my little bag on board a ground transport to Muldoon. I thought for a horrible moment that Mother was going to hug me in front of the other passengers, but she didn't.
Muldoon Port was a steady four-hour run around the bottom end of Lake Sheelin. I spent the whole trip in a hot glow of anticipation. Every previous time at Muldoon Port, I had been an interloper. Now I was going in as an honest-to-goodness spacer.
At the dropoff point inside the port I slung my bag over my shoulder and strolled the long way round to the cargo staging area where I was supposed to find Uncle Duncan. I wanted to see everything, and I wanted everyone to see me. It seemed a pity that the port was in its winter quiet.
In fact, I don't think anyone noticed me at all. And my grand arrival at Duncan West's side in the staging area was an anticlimax.
He didn't even say hello. He just nodded at me and went on talking to a big-boned, lantern-jawed man with carroty-red hair and a scrubbed-clean red face, who glared at me, said nothing, and kept on shaking his head.
"That's where the money is coming from." Uncle Duncan never raised his voice, ever, but today he did seem more intense than usual. I had the feeling that an argument had been going on for some time. "I have no stake in this, so I have no authority to change the deal. But remember the golden rule: The one with the gold gets to make the rules."
"Not in space," the big man said. He had the gravel voice and breathy wheeze of a spacer, and with your eyes shut you might have taken him at first for Paddy Enderton.
"You ought to have told us what you had in mind when we started," he went on angrily, "so we could have stopped then and there. You say you can't change the deal. Well, neither can I. If you want to take a woman on board the Cuchulain, that's up to you. But I certainly can't agree to it. You know about women and space. You'll have to talk to the chief, see what he says. He'll be back down here tomorrow." He stared down his long, thin nose at me. "And what's this, then? Another winter surprise?"
"No. This is Jay Hara. I told you he was on the way." Duncan turned to me. "Jay, meet Tom Toole, purser of the Cuchulain. You're going to be working with me and him on the supplies."
Toole made no move to shake my hand, but he did give me a much longer, thoughtful stare. "Jay Hara," he said after a few moments. "You're a young 'un. But I started young myself. Can you organize a list of items by their masses?"
"Sure." If I couldn't, I was going to learn fast.
"Here, then." He handed me a long printed list. "You locate these items on the pallets over there, and you set them in order, most massive first. Then you wheel them to the ferry ship. They get loaded that way, see, heaviest near the ferry's center line." He turned back to Duncan accusingly. "If you can't change the deal at your end, who can?"
"Doctor Xavier. Doctor Eileen Xavier. I'll make sure she's here tomorrow to meet with your chief."
"Is she one of the women who wants to go up?"
"Yes. One of two."
"How old is she? The chief is sure to ask me."
"Pretty old. Maybe sixty-five."
Tom Toole grunted. "That's one bit of good news. How about the other one?"
"A lot younger. Thirty-five." Duncan
It began when Doctor Eileen came to the house, late one evening. She had heard from Duncan West. He had located and hired a ship, the Cuchulain, complete with crew, and was now busy arranging for supplies to be ferried up to it from Muldoon. He needed help, and he told Doctor Eileen that I could join him as soon as I was ready.
I was ready that minute, and said as much. Mother stayed up half the night, making me a spacer's jacket and trousers of dark blue, and first thing the next morning she zipped me over to Toltoona in Doctor Eileen's cruiser. They loaded me and my little bag on board a ground transport to Muldoon. I thought for a horrible moment that Mother was going to hug me in front of the other passengers, but she didn't.
Muldoon Port was a steady four-hour run around the bottom end of Lake Sheelin. I spent the whole trip in a hot glow of anticipation. Every previous time at Muldoon Port, I had been an interloper. Now I was going in as an honest-to-goodness spacer.
At the dropoff point inside the port I slung my bag over my shoulder and strolled the long way round to the cargo staging area where I was supposed to find Uncle Duncan. I wanted to see everything, and I wanted everyone to see me. It seemed a pity that the port was in its winter quiet.
In fact, I don't think anyone noticed me at all. And my grand arrival at Duncan West's side in the staging area was an anticlimax.
He didn't even say hello. He just nodded at me and went on talking to a big-boned, lantern-jawed man with carroty-red hair and a scrubbed-clean red face, who glared at me, said nothing, and kept on shaking his head.
"That's where the money is coming from." Uncle Duncan never raised his voice, ever, but today he did seem more intense than usual. I had the feeling that an argument had been going on for some time. "I have no stake in this, so I have no authority to change the deal. But remember the golden rule: The one with the gold gets to make the rules."
"Not in space," the big man said. He had the gravel voice and breathy wheeze of a spacer, and with your eyes shut you might have taken him at first for Paddy Enderton.
"You ought to have told us what you had in mind when we started," he went on angrily, "so we could have stopped then and there. You say you can't change the deal. Well, neither can I. If you want to take a woman on board the Cuchulain, that's up to you. But I certainly can't agree to it. You know about women and space. You'll have to talk to the chief, see what he says. He'll be back down here tomorrow." He stared down his long, thin nose at me. "And what's this, then? Another winter surprise?"
"No. This is Jay Hara. I told you he was on the way." Duncan turned to me. "Jay, meet Tom Toole, purser of the Cuchulain. You're going to be working with me and him on the supplies."
Toole made no move to shake my hand, but he did give me a much longer, thoughtful stare. "Jay Hara," he said after a few moments. "You're a young 'un. But I started young myself. Can you organize a list of items by their masses?"
"Sure." If I couldn't, I was going to learn fast.
"Here, then." He handed me a long printed list. "You locate these items on the pallets over there, and you set them in order, most massive first. Then you wheel them to the ferry ship. They get loaded that way, see, heaviest near the ferry's center line." He turned back to Duncan accusingly. "If you can't change the deal at your end, who can?"
"Doctor Xavier. Doctor Eileen Xavier. I'll make sure she's here tomorrow to meet with your chief."
"Is she one of the women who wants to go up?"
"Yes. One of two."
"How old is she? The chief is sure to ask me."
"Pretty old. Maybe sixty-five."
Tom Toole grunted. "That's one bit of good news. How about the other one?"
"A lot younger. Thirty-five." Duncan
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