that as an excuse to justify their far-flung trips, although she never made much money at her work.
When Duncan got a job at a spaceport loading dock, it was supposed to be a temporary position so they could raise money for a trip to the Moon or Europa. But once Madeleine got pregnant, they needed the stability, so Duncan kept the job, worked his way into a permanent position with a solid salary and benefits. Madeleine worked several other jobs herself while taking care of baby Derek, saving up money so they could take other trips, although travel was an entirely different proposition now that they were parents instead of footloose explorers. She didn’t mind.
After a few years she and Duncan decided they liked being parents well enough that they had a second child, Jacob. She continued to write the occasional travel article, though she had to content herself with exploring the solar system vicariously by reading the reports of other travelers. They still took a family trip each year, and when the boys grew old enough to take part, the Robinsons grew more adventurous.
Derek made up his mind that he wanted to be a cargo ship pilot or work on an interplanetary passenger shuttle. His father pulled strings with his contacts at the spaceport loading dock and got the boy signed on as a summer intern on an Earth-Moon shuttle.
But then Duncan had been killed in the accident, and all the sympathetic offers of help faded into awkward embarrassment. Then came lawsuits, financial ruin, further agony . . . and desperation.
And finally a new chance.
Septar Gro’nh was the captain of this warliner, shuttling human volunteers to uncharted planets. During the voyage, the Ildiran leader took the time to meet each party personally, and Madeleine found the Septar to be a soft-spoken, respectable man.
She and the boys were eating a quiet meal inside their cabin when Gro’nh presented himself at their door. “Madeleine Robinson, our warliner will soon arrive at your destination. Please make your final preparations.”
“Already?” Madeleine set her spoon down.
Derek leaped to his feet. “I’m ready to go. I feel cooped up on this ship.”
The Septar gave them a wry smile. “Ildirans enjoy being crowded together. We take comfort from one another’s presence. But you . . . you will be very alone on that planet.”
“That’s the idea,” Madeleine said, leaving her meal unfinished. “Thank you, Septar. We’ll meet you in the shuttle bay. Hurry up, boys—gather our equipment.” Derek and Jacob quickly packed their sacks, sealed up crates, and handed everything to TZ. Madeleine rounded up the last of the things that they had scattered around their temporary cabin. When they were ready, the compy trudged along with his burden of packages down to the shuttle bay.
The Ildirans had already provided Madeleine with a file that contained everything on record about the planet they would be surveying. Llaro : a dry and rocky place with a large habitable landmass, and the Robinsons would be there, alone, for seven weeks, until the warliner retrieved them. The Ildiran records included only sketchy details on Llaro, because they simply weren’t interested in the planet. Their vast empire had stopped expanding thousands of years ago.
The Ildirans generously offered a large shuttle for each survey party, camp supplies, and a fast one-person recon skimmer for mapping; a designated craft waited for them in the warliner’s launching bay.
Madeleine regarded the alien vessel as they entered the bay. “Apparently, the controls are intuitive and have a standard configuration.”
Derek grinned to see the sleek, half-dome-shaped ship. “Don’t worry, Mom—I can fly it.” The boys had spent a lot of time during the voyage playing in the simulator room.
Septar Gro’nh bade them farewell as they boarded their scout shuttle. “You will be alone down there, but we are scheduled to return in seven weeks. You have reviewed the information? I
When Duncan got a job at a spaceport loading dock, it was supposed to be a temporary position so they could raise money for a trip to the Moon or Europa. But once Madeleine got pregnant, they needed the stability, so Duncan kept the job, worked his way into a permanent position with a solid salary and benefits. Madeleine worked several other jobs herself while taking care of baby Derek, saving up money so they could take other trips, although travel was an entirely different proposition now that they were parents instead of footloose explorers. She didn’t mind.
After a few years she and Duncan decided they liked being parents well enough that they had a second child, Jacob. She continued to write the occasional travel article, though she had to content herself with exploring the solar system vicariously by reading the reports of other travelers. They still took a family trip each year, and when the boys grew old enough to take part, the Robinsons grew more adventurous.
Derek made up his mind that he wanted to be a cargo ship pilot or work on an interplanetary passenger shuttle. His father pulled strings with his contacts at the spaceport loading dock and got the boy signed on as a summer intern on an Earth-Moon shuttle.
But then Duncan had been killed in the accident, and all the sympathetic offers of help faded into awkward embarrassment. Then came lawsuits, financial ruin, further agony . . . and desperation.
And finally a new chance.
Septar Gro’nh was the captain of this warliner, shuttling human volunteers to uncharted planets. During the voyage, the Ildiran leader took the time to meet each party personally, and Madeleine found the Septar to be a soft-spoken, respectable man.
She and the boys were eating a quiet meal inside their cabin when Gro’nh presented himself at their door. “Madeleine Robinson, our warliner will soon arrive at your destination. Please make your final preparations.”
“Already?” Madeleine set her spoon down.
Derek leaped to his feet. “I’m ready to go. I feel cooped up on this ship.”
The Septar gave them a wry smile. “Ildirans enjoy being crowded together. We take comfort from one another’s presence. But you . . . you will be very alone on that planet.”
“That’s the idea,” Madeleine said, leaving her meal unfinished. “Thank you, Septar. We’ll meet you in the shuttle bay. Hurry up, boys—gather our equipment.” Derek and Jacob quickly packed their sacks, sealed up crates, and handed everything to TZ. Madeleine rounded up the last of the things that they had scattered around their temporary cabin. When they were ready, the compy trudged along with his burden of packages down to the shuttle bay.
The Ildirans had already provided Madeleine with a file that contained everything on record about the planet they would be surveying. Llaro : a dry and rocky place with a large habitable landmass, and the Robinsons would be there, alone, for seven weeks, until the warliner retrieved them. The Ildiran records included only sketchy details on Llaro, because they simply weren’t interested in the planet. Their vast empire had stopped expanding thousands of years ago.
The Ildirans generously offered a large shuttle for each survey party, camp supplies, and a fast one-person recon skimmer for mapping; a designated craft waited for them in the warliner’s launching bay.
Madeleine regarded the alien vessel as they entered the bay. “Apparently, the controls are intuitive and have a standard configuration.”
Derek grinned to see the sleek, half-dome-shaped ship. “Don’t worry, Mom—I can fly it.” The boys had spent a lot of time during the voyage playing in the simulator room.
Septar Gro’nh bade them farewell as they boarded their scout shuttle. “You will be alone down there, but we are scheduled to return in seven weeks. You have reviewed the information? I
Similar Books
