resembled the one the alien had carried. He looked up at the Bio Officer.
"Thanks for the help, Simon. I'd have never finished in time without it."
The other man made a dismissive gesture. "You about had it sewed up when I came down. I only hope it works right."
"Yeah, I wish we were as well prepared as they are," Rob said, then added,
"They seem very welcoming."
Viorst shrugged. "Yeah, they do. Maybe it's going to turn out all right."
Rob smiled at him. "Sure it is."
When the doctor reached the control cabin with his equipment, he found Raoul, Jerry, Joan, and Mahree waiting for him. "You all set, Doc?" the Captain asked.
"It's ready." He glanced at each of them. "Who'll be doing the testing? I'll have to show you how."
"You are, Doc," Raoul said. "We're going, you, Joan, and I."
Rob's mouth went dry, even as he felt it widening into a huge, silly grin.
"Me?" He glanced at Jerry and Mahree, saw the disappointment in their eyes, and felt a brief stab of guilt. They're the ones who worked so hard on the programming . . . especially Mahree. "You sure you want me?"
"Yeah. Joan and I'll carry the computer hook-up, and I want you to handle the atmosphere testing personally. I only wish we had some kind of film about us to show to them."
"Uncle Raoul?" Mahree tugged at her uncle's sleeve. "I thought about that, and I had the computer run off these flimsies
68
and fastened them into a sort of book." She held out a sheaf of what appeared to be photographs.
"Huh?" Raoul flipped through them. Rob caught a quick flash of scenes from Earth, some in color, many in black and white, plus diagrams of the Sol system. "This is the kind of stuff I meant, Where'd you come up with this?"
"My history text, the same place where I found the Pioneer and Voyager pictures." She managed to smile, though it was a bit shaky. "These are the images they sent out on the Voyager disks. They're terribly dated, I know, but better than nothing. And each scene was carefully chosen by experts to tell the maximum number of things about Earth."
Raoul gave her a warm smile and a quick hug. "I think it's entirely fitting that part of the message those folks sent out to the stars will finally get there, honey. This is great."
"You did good, kiddo," Rob said. He gave her a thumbs-up sign and grinned.
She tried to smile, but this time it didn't quite come off. Rob leaned over and whispered, "Stay up here on the bridge. I'll call you on the security channel.
It'll be almost like you're there with us. Okay?"
She nodded, biting her lip.
Raoul took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess that covers everything. We'd better get suited up."
"Why the rush?" Rob asked.
For an answer Raoul flicked on the intercom, and Rob read the location ID
above it. The forward airlock.
A hollow thump reverberated, then two more, then three more.
Then it came again. One . . . one-two . . . one-two-three . . .
"They've been knocking for nearly five minutes," Raoul said. "It'd be rude to keep them waiting."
69
CHAPTER 6
The Simiu
Dear Diary:
I'm sitting here in the control room all by myself. It was nice of Rob to promise to call me, but ... but, dammit, I'm tired of him treating me like his kid sister! I mean, he doesn't have to fall in love with me, but I'm not twelve!
I get the feeling that he's sensitive about his own comparative youth, and that treating me like a little kid is one way of widening the gap between us ...
I'm also pissed because I'm not going with them. Jerry and I developed those programs. One of us should be there, not Joan.
This is it, this is really it. . . the something special, the thing nobody else has done. If only my--
Wait a minute! The vid-cams just came on, presenting me with a view of three spacesuited figures in the airlock!
. As the inner airlock door hissed closed behind him, Rob pulled on the gloves to his spacesuit, then sealed them. Taps sounded against the outer airlock door. One . . . one-two . . . one-two-three . . . Quickly he
"Thanks for the help, Simon. I'd have never finished in time without it."
The other man made a dismissive gesture. "You about had it sewed up when I came down. I only hope it works right."
"Yeah, I wish we were as well prepared as they are," Rob said, then added,
"They seem very welcoming."
Viorst shrugged. "Yeah, they do. Maybe it's going to turn out all right."
Rob smiled at him. "Sure it is."
When the doctor reached the control cabin with his equipment, he found Raoul, Jerry, Joan, and Mahree waiting for him. "You all set, Doc?" the Captain asked.
"It's ready." He glanced at each of them. "Who'll be doing the testing? I'll have to show you how."
"You are, Doc," Raoul said. "We're going, you, Joan, and I."
Rob's mouth went dry, even as he felt it widening into a huge, silly grin.
"Me?" He glanced at Jerry and Mahree, saw the disappointment in their eyes, and felt a brief stab of guilt. They're the ones who worked so hard on the programming . . . especially Mahree. "You sure you want me?"
"Yeah. Joan and I'll carry the computer hook-up, and I want you to handle the atmosphere testing personally. I only wish we had some kind of film about us to show to them."
"Uncle Raoul?" Mahree tugged at her uncle's sleeve. "I thought about that, and I had the computer run off these flimsies
68
and fastened them into a sort of book." She held out a sheaf of what appeared to be photographs.
"Huh?" Raoul flipped through them. Rob caught a quick flash of scenes from Earth, some in color, many in black and white, plus diagrams of the Sol system. "This is the kind of stuff I meant, Where'd you come up with this?"
"My history text, the same place where I found the Pioneer and Voyager pictures." She managed to smile, though it was a bit shaky. "These are the images they sent out on the Voyager disks. They're terribly dated, I know, but better than nothing. And each scene was carefully chosen by experts to tell the maximum number of things about Earth."
Raoul gave her a warm smile and a quick hug. "I think it's entirely fitting that part of the message those folks sent out to the stars will finally get there, honey. This is great."
"You did good, kiddo," Rob said. He gave her a thumbs-up sign and grinned.
She tried to smile, but this time it didn't quite come off. Rob leaned over and whispered, "Stay up here on the bridge. I'll call you on the security channel.
It'll be almost like you're there with us. Okay?"
She nodded, biting her lip.
Raoul took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess that covers everything. We'd better get suited up."
"Why the rush?" Rob asked.
For an answer Raoul flicked on the intercom, and Rob read the location ID
above it. The forward airlock.
A hollow thump reverberated, then two more, then three more.
Then it came again. One . . . one-two . . . one-two-three . . .
"They've been knocking for nearly five minutes," Raoul said. "It'd be rude to keep them waiting."
69
CHAPTER 6
The Simiu
Dear Diary:
I'm sitting here in the control room all by myself. It was nice of Rob to promise to call me, but ... but, dammit, I'm tired of him treating me like his kid sister! I mean, he doesn't have to fall in love with me, but I'm not twelve!
I get the feeling that he's sensitive about his own comparative youth, and that treating me like a little kid is one way of widening the gap between us ...
I'm also pissed because I'm not going with them. Jerry and I developed those programs. One of us should be there, not Joan.
This is it, this is really it. . . the something special, the thing nobody else has done. If only my--
Wait a minute! The vid-cams just came on, presenting me with a view of three spacesuited figures in the airlock!
. As the inner airlock door hissed closed behind him, Rob pulled on the gloves to his spacesuit, then sealed them. Taps sounded against the outer airlock door. One . . . one-two . . . one-two-three . . . Quickly he