Moonliner: No Stone Unturned
Page 23
“I don’t think so,” he answers; “feel free.”
Nikki sits on the bench and looks out over the lagoon before speaking.
“Looks like we have the park to ourselves,” she tells him.
“Aren’t you that DOT-5 reporter?” Cedric asks her.
“No,” Nikki answers; “you must have me confused with someone else.”
“I’m sorry,” Cedric responds; “my mistake.”
“Don’t worry, it happens all the time,” Nikki tells him.
Cedric stares at her. She looks away for a few seconds. Then she turns back laughing. Cedric laughs too. Nikki slides next to him and grabs his hand.
“So how was your day?” she affectionately asks.
“Not bad,” he replies; “I spent most of it working on my thesis. How about you?” he asks.
“Busy,” Nikki tells him; “I had to cover for two reporters on summer leave. But all in all it was a pretty good day.”
They sit silently in a timeless moment, staring at the reflective water. Nikki rests her head on Cedric’s shoulder as the two look up at a crescent moon, piercing the blue morning sky.
* * *
[1] Light takes 1.26 seconds to travel the average distance between the earth and moon.
[2] One lunar day is equal to 27 days, 7 hours & 43.2 minutes.
[3] Distance from Earth to the moon is 363,104 km (225,622 mi) at perigee and 405,696 km (252,088 mi) at apogee
[4] Earthport & Moondock, the orbital stations, are each comprised of separate tori in synchronized rotation. They are not connected physically, but are electromagnetically locked in uniform motion. Simulated gravity is attained through the centrifugal force of their rotation.
[5] Frozen Orbit: one of only four inclinations that allows a craft to stay perfectly parked in low lunar orbit without having to continually adjust for gravitational anomalies. The anomalies, first noticed during the Apollo 11 mission, are caused by mascons, or massive concentrations of matter in specific areas just below the lunar surface due to the moon’s absorption of massive impacting bodies that hit long ago during its violent history.
[6] Fremont Troll: a huge statue troll that sits beneath the north end of the Aurora Bridge (George Washington Bridge) in Seattle’s Fremont district, clutching an actual Volkswagen Bug in his hand.
[7] Bourbon Betty: a whiskey based cocktail originating in the 2040s.
[8] influenced by Alfred North Whitehead’s notion of presentational immediacy, found in his work Process & Reality
[9] Ivar’s: Famous Seattle based fish & seafood restaurant chain; a popular spot on Seattle’s pier.
[10] The Alpha Centauri system, our nearest neighbors, is comprised of 3 stars; Alpha Centauri A & B, and Proxima Centauri. The binary star system sits 4.37 light years from the sun.