that hangs around for a while.
I hustled. Off in the distance I could see the faint aura of orange from a fusion caterpillar. The rising mist from its roaring fusion exhaust diffused the light for tens of klicks. Blue-green shadows in the eroded hillsides contrasted with the gentle orange glow. Suddenly Ganymede felt strange and more than a little threatening.
I was glad when the Cat came within sight. It was backed up to the way station. I clumped up the ladder and wedged through the narrow lock into the cabin.
“You’re in time for the feast.” Yuri said.
“Hope I can taste it.”
“Why?”
I opened my mouth and pointed. Yuri looked in, turned my head toward the light, looked again. “It is a little red. You should look after it.”
I got out the first-aid kit and found the anesthetic throat spray. It tasted metallic but it did the job; after a moment it didn’t hurt to swallow.
I broke down the humidity control unit in my suit. Sure enough, the microprocessor had a fault. I look a replacement chip slab out of storage and made the change. Everything worked fine.
I was surprised at how much Yuri could do with our rations. We had thin slices of chicken in a thick mushroom sauce, lima beans that still had some snap in them, and fried rice. We topped it off with strawberry cream cake and a mug of hot tea. Pretty damned elegant, considering.
“My compliments,” I said. “That was undoubtedly the best meal within a million miles.” I felt giddy.
“Some compliment,” Yuri said. “That means I’m better than the base cafeteria.”
I got up from the pullout shelf that we used for a table. The room began to revolve. I put out my hand to steady myself.
“Say!” Yuri shouted. He jumped up and grabbed my arm. The room settled down again.
“I—I’m okay. A little dizzy.”
“You’re pale.”
“The light is poor in ultraviolet here. I’m losing my suntan.” I said woozily.
“It must be more than that.”
“You’re right. Think I’ll go to bed early.”
“Take some medicine. I think you have suit throat.”
I grinned weakly. “Maybe it’s something I ate.” I jerked on the pull ring and my foldout bunk came down. Yuri brought the first-aid kit over. I sat on the bunk taking off my clothes and wondered vaguely where second aid would come from if the first aid failed. I shook my head: the thinking factory had shut down for the night. Yuri handed me a pill and I swallowed it. Then a tablet, which I sucked on. Finally I got between the covers and found myself studying some numbers and instructions that were stenciled on the ceiling of the cabin. Before I could figure out what they meant I fell asleep.
The morning was better, much better. Yuri woke me and gave me a bowl of warm broth. He sat in a deck chair and watched me eat it.
“I must call the base soon,” he said.
“Um.”
“I have been thinking about what to say.”
“Um… Oh. You mean about me?”
“Yes.”
“Listen, if Captain Vandez thinks I’m really sick he’ll scrub the rest of the trip. We’ll have to go back.”
“So I thought.”
“Do me a favor, will you? Don’t mention this when you call in. I’m feeling better. I’ll be okay.”
“Well—”
“Please?”
“All right. I don’t want this journey ruined just because you are careless.” He slapped his knees and got up. “I will make the call.”
“Mighty nice of you,” I mumbled. I dozed for a while. I was feeling better, but I was a little weak. I heard Yuri talking to Zak briefly. I ran over the route we would follow that day. The next way station was a respectable distance away and there was only one sensor package to visit. We would have to spend our time making tracks for the next station—which was just as well, with one crew member on the woozy side.
“Yuri,” I said, “check and be sure we got our tanks filled with air and water. It’s a long way to the next—”
“Bohles, you may be sick but that doesn’t mean you can start
I hustled. Off in the distance I could see the faint aura of orange from a fusion caterpillar. The rising mist from its roaring fusion exhaust diffused the light for tens of klicks. Blue-green shadows in the eroded hillsides contrasted with the gentle orange glow. Suddenly Ganymede felt strange and more than a little threatening.
I was glad when the Cat came within sight. It was backed up to the way station. I clumped up the ladder and wedged through the narrow lock into the cabin.
“You’re in time for the feast.” Yuri said.
“Hope I can taste it.”
“Why?”
I opened my mouth and pointed. Yuri looked in, turned my head toward the light, looked again. “It is a little red. You should look after it.”
I got out the first-aid kit and found the anesthetic throat spray. It tasted metallic but it did the job; after a moment it didn’t hurt to swallow.
I broke down the humidity control unit in my suit. Sure enough, the microprocessor had a fault. I look a replacement chip slab out of storage and made the change. Everything worked fine.
I was surprised at how much Yuri could do with our rations. We had thin slices of chicken in a thick mushroom sauce, lima beans that still had some snap in them, and fried rice. We topped it off with strawberry cream cake and a mug of hot tea. Pretty damned elegant, considering.
“My compliments,” I said. “That was undoubtedly the best meal within a million miles.” I felt giddy.
“Some compliment,” Yuri said. “That means I’m better than the base cafeteria.”
I got up from the pullout shelf that we used for a table. The room began to revolve. I put out my hand to steady myself.
“Say!” Yuri shouted. He jumped up and grabbed my arm. The room settled down again.
“I—I’m okay. A little dizzy.”
“You’re pale.”
“The light is poor in ultraviolet here. I’m losing my suntan.” I said woozily.
“It must be more than that.”
“You’re right. Think I’ll go to bed early.”
“Take some medicine. I think you have suit throat.”
I grinned weakly. “Maybe it’s something I ate.” I jerked on the pull ring and my foldout bunk came down. Yuri brought the first-aid kit over. I sat on the bunk taking off my clothes and wondered vaguely where second aid would come from if the first aid failed. I shook my head: the thinking factory had shut down for the night. Yuri handed me a pill and I swallowed it. Then a tablet, which I sucked on. Finally I got between the covers and found myself studying some numbers and instructions that were stenciled on the ceiling of the cabin. Before I could figure out what they meant I fell asleep.
The morning was better, much better. Yuri woke me and gave me a bowl of warm broth. He sat in a deck chair and watched me eat it.
“I must call the base soon,” he said.
“Um.”
“I have been thinking about what to say.”
“Um… Oh. You mean about me?”
“Yes.”
“Listen, if Captain Vandez thinks I’m really sick he’ll scrub the rest of the trip. We’ll have to go back.”
“So I thought.”
“Do me a favor, will you? Don’t mention this when you call in. I’m feeling better. I’ll be okay.”
“Well—”
“Please?”
“All right. I don’t want this journey ruined just because you are careless.” He slapped his knees and got up. “I will make the call.”
“Mighty nice of you,” I mumbled. I dozed for a while. I was feeling better, but I was a little weak. I heard Yuri talking to Zak briefly. I ran over the route we would follow that day. The next way station was a respectable distance away and there was only one sensor package to visit. We would have to spend our time making tracks for the next station—which was just as well, with one crew member on the woozy side.
“Yuri,” I said, “check and be sure we got our tanks filled with air and water. It’s a long way to the next—”
“Bohles, you may be sick but that doesn’t mean you can start
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