Jupiter's Reef by Karl Kofoed

them instructions for landing at ‘Stubbs Field’, as they called it.
    “Don’t be surprised at the crowd,” the voice added before signing off.
    Diver did a vertical landing using its fan lifters. Alex didn’t like hovering because it caused too much drain on the power cells, leaving less available power for the null-gee lifters. But he told himself it didn’t matter. EarthCorp was calling the shots. They’d probably be replacing the power cells anyway.
    The null-gee system was still giving them 50% gee. Alex had decided to keep it running for Mary’s sake when ground control told him to power it down. There was urgency in the ground controller’s voice.
    “You were told to shut that field off,” shouted the voice. “We’ve got sensitive equipment down here that your gee dampers could damage.”
    “That’s dingers,” Alex radioed back. “We picked this field so we could visit Professor Stubbs and keep the field on !” shouted Alex angrily. “I have class one Sensor here who needs reduced Gees to function!”
    Mary grimaced. “Alex,” she whispered.
    “It’s expensive portable equipment, we’ve got here.” said the man.
    “That portable stuff is there because we need to be near Stubbs and weightless !”
    Alex’s face was red with rage. He stared at the radar beacon on the console’s screen.
    He shut off the radio and looked at Mary.
    “I hate those shit gobs, Mary, Oh, God in space, I swear I do,” he snarled. “They live to make life one way, their way, and snivel like imps when you point out their fascist mentality.”
    “I know,” said Mary, looking at him blankly. “It’s really just conservatism. There’s safety in the status quo. And you, Alex, apparently haven’t learned that.”
    She smiled devilishly and blew Alex a kiss. “But you’re still a great fuck and I guess can live with one gee for a while.”
    Mary’s flight suit was unzipped down the front to her navel. She fingered the round disk that guided along the fabric’s edges closing the suit, edging it lower. Her eyes never left Alex’s as she continued to lower the clasp. Finally, a tuft of platinum hair came into view.
    “We could fuck our way to the ground,” she said. “Would that be revenge enough for you?”
    Alex was defused in an instant as his anger edged into lust. Some days and some moments, like this one, he couldn’t believe that a woman so beautiful could have chosen him for companionship. But when she spoke to him, or said his name, her friendship embraced him and calmed him.
    “You are a pistol, Mary Seventeen, but I have a notion EarthCorp will shoot us down if we don’t comply.”
    In the distance, through Diver ’s unshuttered windows, they could see the dome of the distant spaceport. Superimposed lines of light were projected on the windows, showing the way to Milton, and Stubbs Field. As they approached they were warned of a cloud layer above the mountains. Alex could see the clouds and figured he could negotiate them easily enough after plowing through fifty miles of cloud top to find Jupiter’s reef. But, as advised, he set the ship’s guidance systems on automatic and went along for the ride.
    The spearhead shape of Diver descended out of the clouds over what appeared from the air to be a military encampment; a large circular field surrounded by trees. At first glance the area looked like the rest of the landscape; forested, peaceful and green. But on closer inspection, Alex saw what was beneath those trees; like ants in the grass.
    As Diver settled slowly into the center of the field, and their eyes adjusted to the shadows, they could see dome-like personnel tents, trucks, generators, rows of unicopters and scores of people standing at the edge of the field, looking up at the incoming ship.
    “Dingers,” said Alex. “Things are going to get heavier, my love,” he added as he switched off the null-gee system.
    Clouds of dust and pine needles obscured the crowd’s photo-op of Diver