Comet!

by Laurence Dahners

  “One hundred and three light minutes.”

  Ell ground her teeth, thinking that a hundred and three was close enough but, she had to have some cut off to give Allan. They sat, listening to the popping and watching the flashes of the star on the screen, sometimes far, sometimes close. Half the time, not visible because they opened on the far side. Never very close though.

  Frustrated Ell said, “We could set it up tomorrow for Allan to run it. We just need to give him control of the switch that opens the cover over the port and lets the double ended port get sucked through.”

  Emma sighed, “OK, I’m gettin’ pretty tired of sitting here in the col...”

  Allan said, “Now.”

  Spasmodically Ell’s thumb crushed the switch and they heard the “foomp” as the vacuum sucked the double ended port through.

  Emma held her hand up for a “high five” and they slapped them together.

  “How far out was that?” Ell asked.

  “88 light minutes.”

  “Great, a rocket could make that in about… 4 months!”

  Emma frowned, “Really? Wait, at 22 kilometers per second that should take…” she squinted, “over 25 months.”

  Ell said, “Actually, I’ve got a secret, can you promise to keep it for me?”

  Emma rolled her eyes, “Sure.”

  “I can modify the ports so they’ll work up to 150 kilometers per second.”

  “Wow, great! Why keep that a secret?”

  “Lot of kinetic energy when something is going that fast. Trying to keep people from weaponizing our inventions.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “Lot of kinetic energy at 22 kps.”

  “Well yeah, but the straightforward ports we make for stationary purposes will go that fast. It takes special circuits to get up to 150 kps and so far no one really needs to go faster than 22. Especially now that we can place transfer ports around our own solar system.” She shrugged, “So I’m trying to keep it a secret.”

  “OK,” Emma said dubiously.

  “Let’s go evaluate the port and maybe put a rocket through! The first ‘stargate!’”

  Back in the building they hooked up a video camera to the pair for the port that they’d just transferred to the Tau Ceti region. Sure enough the view through it was wildly spinning and tumbling but they saw a bright star flash past a couple of times and then asked Allan to recalculate how far the port was from Tau Ceti based on its angular diameter. This time he got a figure of 89 light minutes.

  “Great!” Ell said, turning for her office. “Can you put through a rolled 2.5 centimeter port while I’m getting the rocket I had made up for this?”

  Emma stared at Ell’s retreating back a moment then went to get a port from the stack that Manuel had made up for them. She mounted the rolled one in the transfer chamber in front of the one centimeter port they’d just sent to Tau Ceti. The transfer chamber was essentially a perforated metal chamber that sat in front of the port allowing an object to be placed inside it that would be sucked through by the vacuum when a port opened into space. The metal cage kept anyone’s fingers from getting sucked into the hole. She turned the port on, watched the rolled 2.5 cm port get sucked through and turned the one cm port back off. Then she mounted the pair for the 2.5cm port behind glass and opened it. It also showed a spinning tumbling starfield with occasional glimpses of the bright Tau Ceti. She moved the 2.5 cm port to a transfer chamber and opened the chamber just as Ell came back with a rocket in her hand.

  Ell started to slip the new rocket into the transfer chamber but Emma said, “Wait, let me look at our first ‘starship.’ Tell me what’s different here?”

  Ell said, “Not much really. It’s a standard 2.4 centimeter rocket except that it has a set of telescopic lenses here at the front feeding the forward camera. We’ll accelerate it up to 150kps and then while it’s ballistic we can use this telescope to look for planets. We especially need to look for the accretion disk. Tau Ceti is supposed to have a really big debris disk around it and we want to fly in either above or below the disk to decrease the chances our little rocket will get taken out by running into some space dust on the way there.”

  “Wait, don’t we know if Tau Ceti has planets already?”

  “They haven’t found any ‘gas giant’ types. We don’t know if there are any small rocky planets like Earth.” She quirked a lip, “The popular theory is that if there are small planets they’ll be getting beat up by comets and asteroids from the debris disk and so life will be having a hard time of it.”

  “Oh, you mean there’ll be a lot of extinction events from asteroid impacts?”

  “Should be. So we might find primitive life but not bigger more advanced creatures. The big stuff would keep getting wiped out.” Ell shrugged and grinned, “But pretty soon it won’t just be guesses and theories...” she waggled her eyebrows, “pretty soon we’ll know.”

  Emma looked back at the rocket, “The circle on the side, I assume is a port?”

  “Yup, another 7.5 centimeter nitinol port wrapped around the outside of the rocket. Once it hits the cold of space the nitinol sheet will release and the port will stick out, ready to transfer stuff.”

  Emma took the rocket held it up, “What’s its name?”

  Ell looked at it. “No name. You want to name it?”

  Still holding it up at arms length Emma said, “I hereby christen thee “Heinlein.” She put it in the transfer chamber, saying, “It just seems wrong for our starship to be flying off with a big flap hanging off of it. I know the flap won’t affect its performance in the vacuum of space but dang it, our starship shouldn’t look like it just sprang a panel.”

  Ell giggled, “I feel the same way,” she whispered, “but don’t let my rational friends know.” She pressed the switch and with a “foomp” the rocket was sucked out of the chamber. “OK, let’s make sure our ‘sprung panel’ is working as a transfer port before we fly this thing all the way to Tau Ceti.”

  They loaded up the port pair for the 7.5 centimeter port that was on the side of the rocket. They mounted it behind a thick glass window and then opened the port. They saw a slowly tumbling starfield and closed it. “Allan,” Ell said, “do you have control of the rocket?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stabilize the tumble, orient on Tau Ceti and accelerate at 5g until it’s up to 150 kilometers per second.”

  “OK.”

  “Wait. Once you’ve stabilized the tumble but before accelerating, please give us a look through the telescope to be sure the camera’s working.”

  A starfield with a bright star centered in it snapped up on their HUDs.

  “Great, go ahead and accelerate up to 150 kps then shut down and go ballistic. Please analyze the images from the telescope for motion indicating a planet or evidence of the debris disk.”

  Allan said, “Earlier you indicated concern that the rocket might travel through the debris disk on the way to Tau Ceti and suffer damage. However, the debris disk is more than 35 AU from the star whereas the rocket is presently only 10.5 AU from the star. It is inside the debris disk and will not cross it.”

  “Oops, that was dumb. Please determine the plane of the system, then use the attitude jets to observe for planets in that plane.”

  “OK.”

  Ell turned to Emma stretching her arms into the air, “Alright, we’re starfarers! But nothing more’s gonna happen for a while. I’m heading for home.”

  “Me too, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

  Ell cocked an eyebrow, “Wanna go out instead?”

  Ell and Emma climbed the stairs to “Top of the Hill,” a venerable college hangout in Chapel Hill. Ell felt a little nervous to be going out as herself but Emma had convinced her to try at least one night out undisguised.

  As they walked through the bar Ell could feel eyes turning curiously her way but was gratified that no one came over to pester her for an autograph. Emma leaned up to the bar and got one of the ‘tender’s attention. �
��Wheat beer and…” She turned to look at Ell.

  “Coke.”

  Emma frowned. “Coke? I thought we were out to have some fun?”

  “Girl, I’m still underage. You went to my twentieth birthday party.”

  Emma’s eyebrows lowered, “Oh, yeah.”

  Ell winked, “Next year you can buy me a beer.”

  Emma turned back to the bartender, “Coke.”

  They took their drinks and wandered through the crowd to the outside balcony where they leaned up against the rail. They looked out musingly over the crossroads of the small college town. Emma raised her beer and whispered, “To the stars.”

  Ell quietly said, “Hear, hear.”

  Emma turned. “I find it hard to believe that we just dispatched a mission to another star. Shouldn’t there be celebrations and fireworks and stuff?”

  Ell lifted her glass and clinked it against Emma’s, “Hear, hear...” She grinned, “There’s your celebration.”

  Emma eyed Ell, “So how’s your love life?

  Ell shrugged, “Quite a few friendly boys. No real boyfriends.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t really know. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with me. I really do like these guys. Roger’s a great friend and really smart and he’s so very nice to me. He takes me out and doesn’t push me even though I know he’d like more. We have a lot of fun when we do go out. Same with Phil. Phil is a real hunk of course,” she raised an eyebrow, “and an astronaut. I had a lot of fun with a guy out in Las Vegas too.” Ell sighed and looked aside. “I think I should be in love with one of these guys. But I don’t know… I don’t… feel the spark, or the passion or whatever it is that you read about in books. Maybe there really is something wrong with me.” She smiled, “But, I’m having a good time, so I’m just gonna let it ride a while. Maybe I’ll know it when I see it?”

  “You didn’t mention the guy with the band, Gordon.”

  Ell rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s just messed up, huh? I like him a lot. Sometimes I’m afraid that I’ve got a typical good girl crush on the bad boy musician.”

  Emma frowned. “What’s messed up about that? He’s cute, he’s great on the guitar and he can sing… And, he likes you. Seems perfect to me.”

  “Hah! ‘Belle’ likes him so much she got her ‘aunt’ to sponsor his music career. But he thinks of ‘Belle’ as a buddy who happens to be a girl. Meanwhile, he idolizes this nonexistent ‘Ell’ girl, the gymnast and dancer that he’s never even had a conversation with! We form our own triangle! How messed up is that?!”

  Emma grinned and shook her head, “I hadn’t thought of it that way. You are your own messed up little triangle! You really should visit one of his shows as ‘Ell” and meet him so he can fall in love with the real you.”

  Ell got a far away look and leaned on the balcony, turning her eyes up to the stars. “I don’t know. I kinda want him to fall in love with ‘Belle,’ not this infatuated weird idea of ‘Ell’ that he thinks got him started on his music career by dancing at his show.”

  Emma laughed, “You want him to fall in love with the ‘fake you?’”

  Ell blushed and looked down, “I guess. Crazy huh? Enough about me. Tell me about your love life. How’s the hunt for ‘Mr. Kenner’ going?”

  This time Emma turned and looked out over the town, “Ah, not that great actually.”

  Ell frowned, “Why not? Cute girl like you should have them lining up.”

  “Yeah, sometimes. But we’ve talked before about how guys are intimidated by girls with advanced degrees. Lotta guys that are gung ho fade once they find out I’m not actually a waitress anymore.”

  “Hmmm, I got some advice once… that maybe applies. It was from an older guy.” Ell looked a little distant for a moment, then turned back to Emma, “He seemed to think…” Ell colored up, “He thought that my looks would intimidate guys.” Ell she said in a rush that was almost a mumble. “Which is embarrassing, ‘cause I really don’t think I’m that great looking even though a lot of people make kind of a big deal over my looks… But anyway, he told me that guys would have a hard time asking me out because, they’d… they’d be afraid of getting ‘shot down.’ He said I had to make it obvious to guys that I was open to the possibility of their asking me.”

  Ell turned back to Emma but Emma was staring back out over the town again. She said, “Yeah, maybe I’ll have to try that someday.”

  Ell leaned back, “Someday? Why not now. ‘No time like the present’ and all that.”

  Emma turned to look intensely at Ell wondering if she should mention her increasing crush on Roger. After all, Ell had just told her that she wasn’t really in love with Roger. She just thought of him as a “friendly boy” after all. “Because, it’s complicated… I don’t know how to say…”

  The girl at the little table to Ell’s right plaintively said, “But Sam, I didn’t. I swear! I didn’t.”

  The young man sitting across from her snarled without raising his voice, “Don’t lie to me Bridget. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “You saw me look at him?”

  Out of the corner of her eye Ell saw the young man nod. A sharp emphatic nod, laden with freight.

  “I can’t even look at other men now?” the girl said incredulously.

  “Not that way.”

  “Not what way?” Ell saw the girl’s brow furrow. “Matt’s been a friend for a long time. Am I supposed to act like he’s not even there!”

  “Look, you little bitch,” he hissed, “Don’t even try to pretend this is nothing. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  Ell turned to see if Emma had noticed the spat and saw her focused on the man with laser like intensity. Ell glanced around. She could tell that several other people had noticed the couple and their fight, though most people were trying to ignore what was going on. Ell whispered to Emma, “Hmmm, makes me think maybe I don’t want a boyfriend.”

  Emma said, in a conversational tone, “I had a boyfriend like that asshole once. Shortly after a conversation like that one he gave me a black eye.”

  Ell cringed inside. Surely the young man had heard Emma? She glanced at him and saw him glaring at Emma. She turned back to Emma and said quietly, “You’re speaking loudly enough that he can hear you.”

  Again in a carrying voice Emma said, “I don’t care if he hears me. I want her to know that it’s time to get the hell out of that relationship.”

  The man stood violently and Ell felt her zone starting to drop over her. She tamped it down a little. Emma cringed back a tiny bit, then stood bravely back where she’d been, still staring the man right in the eye. He, still staring at Emma, reached a hand out to the girl saying, “Bridget, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  The girl definitely shrank back from him, pulling her hand out of his reach, “No! I don’t want to leave with you when you’re in this kind of mood Sam.”

  “Sam” transferred his intense gaze to the girl. In a voice dripping sarcasm he said, “Well I’m leaving Bridget. I’m sure that by the time you’re ready to go, I’ll be in a much better mood.” He turned to stalk through the crowd.

  “Sam?” Bridget cried plaintively after him.

  Ell saw the crowd, whose attention had been drawn to the little drama turn away as if afraid of getting involved. While she wondered what to do, Emma stepped over and sat in the chair Sam had vacated. “Hey Bridget.” Emma took the girl’s hand and patted it.

  Bridget’s eyes filled with tears and one ran down her cheek. She glanced fearfully over her shoulder in the direction Sam had vanished. Without looking at Emma she said, “I wish you hadn’t done that. He’ll be awful later tonight.”

  Emma moved her face into Bridget’s line of sight, staring wide eyed at her. “For God’s sake, don’t go back to him. Good riddance. I can tell you from experience that your life will be ever so much better without him.”

  “This date was supposed to be for our one year anniversary,” Bridge
t mumbled.

  Aghast, Emma said, “You’re married?!”

  “No... one year since we met.”

  “Oh! Thank God! In the future you can celebrate it as the day you got rid of him.”

  The girl sniffed, “But it won’t be... he’ll be waiting for me outside. I’d better go... the longer he has to wait, the worse he’ll be.”

  Emma put a restraining hand on the girl’s wrist. “Bridget, do you want to keep on with this relationship? Ask yourself, ‘Tomorrow, will I be glad I went back to him?’”

  Bridget shook her head. “No. Tomorrow will be just as miserable as tonight and on and on. But if I don’t go back it’ll be even wor…” She trailed off without completing the thought.

  Fiercely Emma said, “We’ll go with you when you leave. We’ll help you get to the women’s shelter. We’ll help you get out of this situation.”

  Bridget sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her wrist. “Why are you sticking your nose in our business?” She looked Emma in the eye for the first time.

  “Because… Because no one helped me when I was in your situation. And I swore… I swore… Swore that I wouldn’t turn away if I ever saw anyone in my situation.” Emma’s eyes glistened and she stared fiercely around the crowd that was fixated on the drama playing out before them, locking eyes with several people who glanced away in shame. She wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her bent wrist.

  Bridget dropped her eyes to her table and whispered, “He’ll hit… he’ll hit you too, you know?”

  “He’s already been hitting you girl?”

  Bridget swallowed convulsively and nodded jerkily.

  Emma hissed, “You so need to get out and get out now! This kind of guy just gets worse and worse… then someday you end up dead.”

  Bridget glanced fearfully over her shoulder as if she was afraid that Sam might be there watching. “You really don’t want to be with me when I leave… He’s gonna be… he’ll be horrible!”

  Emma glanced around the staring crowd. “Let’s go in the bathroom and plan.”