Across the Great Rift

by Washburn, Scott;

  * * * * *

  “Good heavens…” gasped Regina. Similar cries of surprise came over her helmet intercom from the five other members in the party. She had spent a lot of time on ships and space stations during her life, but she had never seen anything like this. She had been expecting the usual maze of sterile corridors and small or medium-sized compartments carved out of the rock usually found in such places, but instead, she had stepped off the elevator and found herself in… paradise.

  Or the nearest thing to paradise she had seen in a long, long time. The space was enormous, a huge cavity hollowed out of the asteroid’s interior. It was well over a kilometer long and nearly as wide, the floor curving upward slightly to either side. The roof could scarcely be seen overhead as it merged into a diffuse lighting system that mimicked a natural sky. Behind her, the wall was a sheer cliff that housed the elevator shafts, but the other walls stepped up in a series of terraces climbing toward the roof. And everywhere things were growing.

  She stood on a paved path, but beyond its edges was a thick lawn. Trees, some of them very tall, grew here and there. She could see small woods in the distance. Bushes, flowers, and ferns were planted in neat arrangements. Thick, leafy vines tumbled down from the edges of the terraces. More trees grew on those terraces; she could see their upper branches even from where she was. All the plants had odd, but not unpleasant, streaks of yellow, purple, and rust amidst their green. Regina realized they must be genetically engineered, like their owners, to survive in the higher carbon-dioxide environment and not give off too much oxygen in return.

  Waterfalls spilled down from terrace to terrace. To her right, one of the falls made a final leap of over a hundred meters, its water falling slowly in the lower gravity and curving bizarrely due to the Coriolis force of the spinning asteroid. As she watched, a small flock of birds took flight and disappeared into a patch of woods. Butterflies and smaller insects flitted among the flowers. Regina had a tremendous urge to tear off her helmet and smell those flowers—even though she would have passed out in short order. It was very warm, but she scarcely noticed. “Tad! Oh, Tad, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  “Tell you about what?” asked the young man who looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  “This! This place! It’s so beautiful!”

  “You like it?”

  “Like it? It’s wonderful! Oh, it’s been so long since I saw trees and grass and flowers. I was expecting just a… well, just another space station.”

  “This is Panmunaptra, the heart of my clan, Regina. We’ve lived here for over a thousand standards.”

  “It must have been an enormous amount of work,” said Charles Crawford. His eyes were wide, as if his engineer’s brain was calculating just how much work had been needed to create this.

  “There are four other such places within this asteroid. They have been added to over the centuries. I-I’m glad you like it. Uh, we had better go on.”

  Regina looked and saw that their escorts were beckoning them forward along the path. She followed immediately, eager to see more of this fantastic place. The path wound through some trees and tall ferns and then entered a more formal garden setting. Tall hedges rose to either side, providing backdrops for a series of large sculptures. They were mostly abstract shapes and seemed to have been cut from the rock of the asteroid. They were skillfully done and highly polished. The dark rock glittered and shone like it was wet. Regina wished she could stop and look at them, but their guides seemed anxious—and it really was hot here. I guess they can’t lower the temperature very much for us in here without damaging the ecosystem.

  The hedges gave way and a more open space spread out before them. Regina gasped again. The water from all the falls flowed in winding streams to a lake that took up several hectares, at least. An island stood in the center of the lake. A dozen or more bridges of stone or wood spanned the streams or connected to the island, and the bridges and most of the surrounding spaces and terraces were filled with people.

  They had seen almost no one on their way, and apparently that was because they had all gathered here. Thousands and thousands of people were there and it was obvious they had come to see the visitors. People pointed and children laughed and shrieked in excitement. Quite a number of the people were wearing breathing helmets and a few were in environmental suits, so they were not all natives of Panmunaptra.

  Feeling suddenly very awkward and self-conscious, Regina’s pace slowed, but their escorts parted the crowd in front of them and led the way to a large paved area on the shore of the lake. The paving was a black and gray mosaic of flat stones in an eye-tricking pattern. A group of people, obviously dignitaries of some sort, waited for them there. These clearly were of the same people as Tad and his uncle, they had the same hairless heads, small ears, and noses; they all wore the same style clothing, although more elaborate.

  Tad and Jari Farsvar appeared to be as surprised by this public ceremony as Regina was. They glanced around uncertainly and then went to one of the dignitaries and talked quietly for a few moments. Finally, they came forward to make introductions. The leader of the clan was a sharp-eyed, rather bullet-headed man (so easy to notice with no hair) named Vanit Gorin. He smiled and shook everyone’s hand. Next came the chief administrator for the Panmunaptra base, an intense woman called Pemula Rohln. A dozen lesser-ranked people followed and Regina could not hope to remember their names or positions, but fortunately, her translating computer was recording it all for later review.

  They had brought ten more of the translators along with them and when they sought to give some of them out, this seemed to trigger a mass gift-giving session. Regina, Crawford, Innes, and their respective aides were nearly buried under an avalanche of flowers, carvings, and other gifts of unknown function. All they could do was nod and smile and feel the sweat trickle down their backs, and stack up the gifts beside them as a nearly endless line of people moved forward to present them.

  “This is all very kind and friendly,” groaned Crawford after about fifteen minutes, “but unless I get somewhere cooler, with something cold to drink, I’m going to pass out right here.” Regina had to agree; it was nearing the end of her endurance as well. She managed to catch Tad’s eye.

  “Tad, we can’t take this heat much longer. Can you do anything?” The youth seemed nearly as stunned by this outpouring as Regina had been and it took two attempts to get the message across, but once she did, he acted quickly. He went to his uncle and he went to Vanit Gorin and immediately the ceremony was concluded. They were whisked (well, none of them were in a condition to be whisked; they plodded) to an elevator concealed in a nearby clump of trees, and within a few minutes they were in a blissfully cool suite of rooms with the proper air mix and cold, cold water near at hand. They peeled off their helmets and collapsed into soft chairs.

  “Well!” gasped Charles Crawford with a smile. “That went a whole lot better than I was expecting.”

  Regina nodded, her brows drawn together in thought. “Yes, it certainly did.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “K’ser Gorin, I don’t understand all this. Didn’t you get the message I sent? Haven’t you learned of what happened on our way here?”

  Tad Farsvar scrunched down as far as he could in his seat and tried to become invisible while he watched his uncle addressing the leaders of the clan. The meeting chamber was far smaller than that enormous place on the Newcomers’ ship, but it was much more familiar and seemed far more real to Tad. Only the events taking place in it seemed strange and unfamiliar.

  “Yes we did, Execti Farsvar, and I can assure you we have not slept a moment since it arrived,” replied Vanit Gorin from his spot at the chamber’s head. There was no great table in the space, such as the Newcomers seemed to favor; just a small, low table in front of each person’s seat. Refreshments had been placed on them, but Tad had not touched his. He dearly wished he was somewhere else. This was getting far too complicated.

  “Then I am confu
sed, K’ser,” said Uncle Jari, spreading his hands. “I had half-expected us to be ordered off and refused permission to even dock. How can you welcome these strangers as you have done? They slew the Clorindan warriors!”

  “Nothing less than those curs deserved!” snorted a large man at Gorin’s right. This had to be Kar Regane, head of the clan’s warriors. No one had bothered to introduce Tad to everyone, but he was certain that’s who it was. And his words shocked him. “About time someone slapped them down hard!”

  “But… but to kill them?” spluttered Uncle Jari.

  Gorin reached out a hand to forestall any more words from Regane. “The loss of life is regrettable, Execti, but they surely brought it upon themselves. They blindly stick their unshielded hand into a container they are trying to steal. How can they complain if instead of gold, they find pure radium and are burned by it?”

  “But the Clorindans will not think that way,” protested Uncle Jari. “And they will blame us as well as the Newcomers. K’ser, my ship was raided twice by them in just one standard. They left my people impoverished. The next time, will they even leave us our lives?”

  “It is a risk,” admitted Gorin. “Indeed we spent many hours discussing exactly this issue. But these Newcomers are powerful and if we ally ourselves with them, the Clorindans would be fools to bother us.”

  “But do we dare to ally ourselves with the Newcomers? They kill without thought! I saw them do it. Do… do we want such allies?” Uncle Jari stopped suddenly and looked embarrassed. “Forgive me, K’ser, it is not my place to question you or the council on such a matter.”

  “Don’t worry, Execti, we all asked those same questions, and they needed to be asked. But, in truth, what choice do we have? Even if we disavowed the Newcomers and drove them out—if indeed we could—then what? Would the Clorindans forgive us our role in this? I think not. They would take their revenge anyway and we would have no ally at all to protect us.”

  “And some other clan would be quick to secure the trade rights,” said Pemula Rohln, from Gorin’s left. “Not all fear the Clorindans as we do. They would reap the riches these strangers offer and we would still suffer. Better that we take the risk and win the prize that goes with it!”

  “Yes, and the strength that prize can bring us!” said Regane. “We can smash the Clorindans and take back our ancestral orbits!”

  “Peace!” said another voice. Tad looked and saw the Lifegiver’s archpriest, an old man sitting three places to his left. Old, but not weak, he could see. The man’s expression was stern and his voice strong. “Peace, Brother Kar, do not dishonor yourself or your clan.”

  “I ask forgiveness for my rash words,” said Regane with a sour look. He did not sound the least bit sorry. “I was not suggesting we actually kill any of them, Father.”

  “No, you are hoping the Newcomers will do that.”

  “If they do, so be it.”

  “And you will shed no tears, yes, I know. But I serve the Lifegiver and killing is still killing. Blood spilled by the Newcomers will still stain our hands.”

  Regane appeared to be marshaling an angry response, but before he could loose it, Gorin broke in. “Father Darri, please! Let’s not break this seal again. We argued this for hours yesterday. With the Lifegiver’s blessings, no blood will be spilled at all. But the decision has been made: we will conclude an agreement with the Newcomers and, if need be, defy the Clorindans. There simply is no other vector open to us.” The priest subsided and Regane leaned back with a small snort. Gorin looked around the room but no one else spoke immediately. Tad flinched when the leader’s eyes flicked across him. But then, to his surprise, Uncle Jari dared to speak into the silence.

  “What will the other clans think of us?”

  Pemula Rohln laughed. “Don’t worry about them. Six clans had already offered us subcontracts to deal with the Newcomers before the news of the battle arrived. Since then, two more have made offers—and none of the first ones have been withdrawn.”

  “Blinded by greed,” muttered Father Darri, earning a stern look from Gorin.

  “Be that as it may, the other clans are supporting us in this. There could be immense profits to be made—for all. And let me assure you, Execti,” Gorin paused and nodded at Uncle Jari. “You and your family will not be forgotten. The standard finder’s percentage will be yours, and even though I strongly suspect the volume of this will send it to the bottom of the scale, it will still make you rich beyond your dreams.”

  “Thank you, K’ser. My family is grateful.” Tad could see the surprise—and relief—on his uncle’s face. He suspected his own face looked the same. Instead of disgrace and disaster, the family was saved!

  “You have earned it. Or, perhaps I should say: you will earn it. Right now, we are going ask for everything that you and your nephew can remember about the Newcomers. No detail is insignificant. We want everything. After that, we are going to want you to remain as their guides and escorts. They seem to trust you and you are familiar with their ways—or more familiar than anyone else. Most of their time will be taken up with trade meetings, I’m sure, but there will still be social events and I imagine they will want a tour of Panmunaptra. You will conduct those.”

  “We will be honored, K’ser.”

  “Good. You’ll be provided with assistants to make sure our guests are comfortable. And with all the other clansmen arriving here, you’ll have an escort to ensure their security.” Gorin paused and fixed his gaze on Regane. “Kar, there will be representatives from all the clans here—including the Clorindans. We’ve agreed to this and I want all of your men to know that I want no trouble. Do you understand me on this? I mean no trouble!”

  Kar Regane frowned, but he nodded. “Yes, K’ser, I understand: there’ll be no trouble. At least none that’s started by us—I can promise no more.”

  * * * * *

  Regina Nassau looked over her meager wardrobe and tried to decide just how daring she wanted to be today. She certainly did not want to offend her hosts, but she wasn’t entirely sure yet what they found offensive. Most of the people she’d observed on Panmunaptra the last four days had been modestly dressed—but then they found the temperatures here comfortable. How far could she peel down in the heat before it became scandalous? The only display of public nudity she’d seen so far was in that zero-G sporting contest she’d watched on the video last night. All the players, male and female, had been naked to the waist. But then the local women’s breasts were non-functional and small. Her own tended to attract more attention. Topless today?

  She shook her head and chided herself. There was no need to shake up hormones around here; the Seyotahs were friends. Still, it would be fun to outrage Beatrice Innes, although it was so easy to do, it was hardly a challenge. And since there was so little risk of serious consequences it would not be much of a thrill, either. The price of success, Regina, dear.

  She had never expected success. Years ago she had convinced herself that the system stank and that she could never rise to the top anyway, so she had used her sexuality to shock and disrupt and, occasionally, advance her prospects in a manner that she fully expected to eventually self-destruct her career. Amazingly, it had not; and now, somehow, she was one of the top professionals in her field. She was good, no doubt of that, but she was the first to admit that her current success was due, in great measure, to luck as much as anything else. A looming ecological disaster on the planet of Galgan IV had, by a chance that still amazed her, exactly matched the parameters of a theoretical model she had been constructing. Her boss had been totally clueless about what to do, and desperate enough to listen to her, and the rest, as the saying went, was history. Suddenly she had been a heroine and able to write her own ticket.

  So why’d I write a ticket to here?

  She’d asked that question a number of times and she still did not have a satisfactory answer for herself. The stock one, the one she gave when people asked her, was the adventure and excitement of the whole thing. Ac
ross the Great Rift! Andera’s first foothold in the Perseus Arm! Who would pass up the opportunity? The answer to that question, of course was lots of people. Ten years in cold-sleep and another two in isolation while the gate was built was enough to turn a great many people away from the project. And it was not like they would be the first humans across the Rift—she snickered at how upset the Petrunans were going to be when they learned that they had not been first, either. Nor would she have been the first to terraform a planet in the Perseus Arm—assuming she got to terraforming any planet here at all.

  No, the secret truth, the very secret truth, was that she wanted to get away from Andera for a while. She did not like what was happening back home, and she hoped that by the time contact was reestablished, things would have changed. There was no doubt that changes would happen in twelve years, but for the better—or worse? Hopefully someone will have found the guts to put a bullet through the Protector’s head by then! The Republic of Andera had never been a democracy, but the ‘reforms’ made after the Protector seized power had been disturbing setbacks for personal liberties. Regina had never been that interested in politics, but she had never let political consideration temper her actions, either. She feared that if she stayed around she would ultimately make some blunder that even wearing sexy clothing could not fix. But maybe after twelve years…

  “Reggie? Aren’t you even dressed yet?” She turned and saw Jeanine Sorvall, her assistant, standing in the doorway. “Tad will be here soon. You’re not going to torment the poor boy by parading around naked in front of him, are you?”

  “I’m not naked,” insisted Regina, although the robe she was wearing was sheer and transparent enough that she might as well have been. “But I was thinking that if I just wore shorts I could undo my braid and sort of let it hang down in front to cover things.”