Named for an Aboriginal legend of a world tree.
Why do you need to move your base? In case a hurricane comes?
Well, yes, though as I said theyve got hurricanes pretty much licked these days. He glanced at the sky. But further up there are other hazards. Relic satellites in low Earth orbit. Even NEOs. NearEarth objects. Asteroids. This thing goes a long way up, Bisesa, and has to deal with a lot of perils along the way. Are you ready to move on?
He brought them to one of the trucks. He called it a spider. It had solar-cell wings folded up against its flanks, and that complicated pulley mechanism on its roof. Its transparent hull was loaded up with some kind of cargo, palettes and boxes. The spider was actually moving, though slower than walking pace, rolling in a line of others identical save for registration numbers stamped on its hullthe spiders were making for the thread in a kind of complicated spiral queuing system, Bisesa saw.
Alexei walked alongside the spider. He dug a plastic disc the size of a hockey puck out of his pocket, and slapped it to the spiders hull. Just give it a moment to break through the protocols and establish its interface He briskly leapt up onto the spiders roof, and stuck another hockey puck to the pulley mechanism up there. By the time he was down on the ground again a transparent door had slid back, and he grinned. Were in. Myra, can you give me a hand? He jumped easily inside the hull, and began to bundle the cargo carelessly out of the door. Myra helped by shoving it aside.
Just so Im clear, Bisesa said uncertainly, we shouldnt be doing this, should we? In fact were stowing away in a cargo truck.
Its human-rated, Alexei said confidently. Pressurized. Good radiation shielding, and well need it; well be spending rather a long time in the van Allen belts. Well be fine with the gear I brought along. It was thought best to get you off the planet as fast as possible, Bisesa.
Why? Myra, are you on the run? Am I? Sort of, Myra said. Alexei said, Lets move it. Were nearly at the ribbon.
Once the cargo was cleared, Alexei summoned his suitcase. It extended little hydraulic legs to jump without difficulty into the spiders hull. Myra followed, and then only Bisesa was walking alongside the trundling spider.
Mura held out her hand. Mum? Come on. Its an easy step.
Bisesa looked around, beyond the jungle of spiders, to the blue sky of Canaveral, the distant gantries. She had an odd premonition that she might never come this way again. Might never set foot on Earth again. She took a deep breath; even among the scents of oil and electricity, she could smell the salt of the ocean.
Then she stepped deliberately off the crawler platform and into the hull, one step, two. Myra gave her a hug, welcoming her aboard.
The hulls interior was bare, but it was meant for at least occasional human use. There was a handrail at waist height, and little fold-down seats embedded in the walls. The view through the transparent hull was obscured by those big folded-away solar panel wings.
Alexei was all business. He spread a softscreen over the inner hull, tapped it, and the door slid shut. Gotcha. He took a deep breath. Canned air, he said. Nothing like it. He seemed relieved to be shut up in the pod.
Bisesa asked, Youre a Spacer?
Not strictly. Born on Earth, but Ive lived most of my life off the planet. I guess Im used to environments you can control. Out there in the raw, its a littleclamoring. He reached up and peeled his tattoo off his face.
Bisesa touched her cheek, and found her own tattoo came away like a layer of wax. She tucked it in a pocket of her suit.
Alexei advised them to sit down. Bisesa pulled down a seat, and found a narrow pull-out plastic belt that she clipped around her waist. Myra followed suit, looking apprehensive.
The spiders before them in the line were clearing away now, revealing the ribbon, a vertical line of silver, dead straight.
Alexei said, Whats going to happen is that our spider will grab onto the ribbon with the roller assembly above our heads. Okay? As soon as it has traction it will start to climb. Youll feel some acceleration.
How much? Bisesa asked.
Only half a G or so. And only for about ten seconds. After that, once we hit