Star One: Neutron Star

by Raymond L. Weil

  While some areas of the station did work around the clock, it wasn’t necessary for all areas to do so. Even so, many of the computer workstations on the level had been busy with people accessing Teela’s memory core. Kathleen had explained that many of the station’s researchers and some of the staff often worked into the late evenings. They did this in order to keep their projects and departments on schedule.

  “That’s one thing the commander insists on. We keep to our schedules no matter how many hours it may take,” Kathleen explained. “Occasionally it requires a little overtime to stay on schedule, but no one seems to mind.”

  On level four, Jennifer had found that the small stores contained a myriad of items like any store on Earth. All the comforts of home, though the prices were almost double. You could buy anything from expensive perfumes to lamps, to clothes that revealed more than they covered, and regulation Star One uniforms.

  One thing that Jennifer and Kathleen had in common was that they both liked to shop. Browsing through the stores had been an enjoyable experience. They were surprised that many of their tastes in clothes and other items were similar. Even though, Jennifer decided quietly to herself, Kathleen was the more risqué dresser. There was no way she would dare slide her body into some of the clothes that Kathleen seemed to prefer for after hours. She obviously liked to try to provoke the men of the station.

  The cafeterias looked immaculate and food could be ordered around the clock, though regular dining hours offered a wider choice on the menu. After hour meals normally consisted of some type of sandwich or computer prepared food.

  There were several fully equipped weight rooms, Olympic size swimming pools, racket ball courts, basketball courts, and even multiple tennis courts. There were also several 3D movie theaters with the latest releases and virtual reality head sets. The station had almost everything that could normally be found in a small, modern Earth city.

  The door slid open suddenly, revealing level six. Jennifer and Kathleen stepped into a truly breathtaking artificial world. A small green forest lay before their eyes, spreading serenely out as far as the eye could see. The first feeling was a sense of freshness, of young life what the world may have been like in the Garden of Eden, or back before pollution of the twentieth century destroyed much of the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

  Fresh air, heavily laden with the scent of flowers, overwhelmed Jennifer’s senses. Birds fluttered about in the nearby trees that towered nearly to the ceiling 25 feet above them. Insects, especially butterflies and honeybees, hovered around the red and yellow roses and other flowers lining the small walkways that wound through the small forest.

  A clear stream of slowly moving water ended in a small pool nearly 60 feet across in the center of a grassy clearing, which was barely visible through the trees. Shadows that could only be small trout darted back and forth across the bottom of the stream, hiding around the small rocks that were strewn about.

  “This is unbelievable!” exclaimed Jennifer, standing spellbound, letting out her breath, and finding it hard to believe that something so beautiful could exist on a space station surrounded by vacuum.

  They walked slowly down one of the paths next to the small stream. Numerous types of grasses and small plants went from one wall to the other, filling in the empty spaces around the trees. Only the narrow, carefully laid out stone paths were devoid of plant life. A squirrel darted across the path in front of them. It leaped and quickly climbed into a nearby tree to stop and chatter angrily at the two interlopers.

  Laughing and smiling at the squirrel, Kathleen gestured broadly at the greenery around them. “That’s another one of Julie Gray’s pets. She had quite a few birds, small animals, and some insects, such as the butterflies brought up from Earth. She feels that the fauna helps make people feel more relaxed and at home. They also serve an important ecological function helping to keep everything in balance.”

  “I like the butterflies,” admitted Jennifer, watching several of them hovering around the flowers. She couldn’t identify the species, other than they were extremely colorful.

  “We have nearly one million square feet of growing space on level six,” Kathleen continued as they walked on down the path toward the small crystal clear pool of water. “It’s 240 feet wide and over 30 feet high from the lower rim wall beneath the soil to the ceiling, and nearly 3900 feet in length. It’s divided up into ten sections, each with its own separate ecology. There are airtight doors between each compartment so a major disaster or accidental contamination in one section will not affect the others.”

  “This is unbelievable,” commented Jennifer, bending over and smelling a long, red stem rose next to the path. Its sweet smell filled her senses as she gently touched its petals, amazed at its delicateness. “It must have taken a lot of work to get all of these plants to grow.”

  “We have all put in a lot of long hours,” admitted Kathleen, watching approvingly and with a little bit of pride as Jennifer walked over to touch and smell a fully opened yellow rose.

  “There are four park areas like this one, which help to replenish our oxygen, two actual farms with sheep, pigs, chickens, and a few other farm animals, plus four sections that grow food only,” Kathleen explained as they slowly walked down the path.

  “You have done so much here,” responded Jennifer, feeling awe at everything around her. “I can’t believe all of this; it’s amazing!”

  “Much of the food is grown with the use of hydroponics, or space intensive farming practices,” Kathleen said, pleased that Jennifer appreciated all the hard work that had gone into the different sections.

  “I’m sure it helps the station’s morale to have fresh vegetables available grown here on the station,” Jennifer commented. She had wondered herself what the food would be like on the station. She had pictured herself eating tasteless food out of tubes.

  “It has,” replied Kathleen, recalling how pleased everyone had been when all the fresh vegetables had made an appearance in the cafeterias. “We were shipping a lot of it up from Earth, but that’s very expensive, and we had to limit the amount we could serve. The station is almost self-sufficient in food, water, and oxygen now. Everything is recycled and reused. All the soil for the ecological habitats came from the Moon, thanks to the big mass driver on the rim of Tycho crater. It allowed the station to be expanded at a fraction of the cost of hauling everything up from Earth. We do a lot of trading with Tycho City.”

  “I heard that in my briefing,” Jennifer replied.

  She knew that the huge electro magnetic mass driver on the rim of Tycho crater hurled massive cylinders of material mined on the Moon back to Star One. Material was also sent to the lower Earth orbital stations on a daily basis, from where it was shipped down to Earth.

  “They ship us mostly raw material with the mass driver, and we build specialized parts and equipment for them in return,” explained Kathleen with a nod.

  “We have between six to eight feet of soil between us and the lower wall of the station. The soil also serves as a shield against solar radiation, even though Commander Larson plans to eventually put a thin coating of Luxen around the outer walls of the station to protect us from any and all types of radiation,” Kathleen said, pausing for a minute to catch her breath and allow herself to enjoy the scenery around them.

  “This Luxen must be a real wonder metal from everything I’ve heard,” Jennifer commented as they walked down the small path.

  “It is,” replied Kathleen, glancing over at Jennifer.

  The path meandered through the trees, and they finally came to a stop before the clear pool of water. Jennifer found it hard to believe everything that had been done on the station. It was a wonder that so much had been accomplished. It was truly an overwhelming engineering feat.

  A little green chameleon darted to shelter beneath a small leaf, startled from the grass where it had lain camouflaged. With a smile, Kathleen tossed a small pebble across the pool, watching it skip three times before
sinking slowly into its depths.

  “This pool is where Julie caught Ty and John with their fly rods. How they managed to sneak all the way down here with their fishing equipment and not be caught is still a mystery,” Kathleen said, shaking her head. “Luckily for them, they hadn’t caught any of Julie’s prized trout when she spotted them on the viewscreens in level five. From what the people on duty reported, she literally flew out of the control room, swearing threats that would make a person’s hair stand on end.”

  Taking a deep breath, Kathleen looked up at several bright red cardinals that were flitting around a recently planted oak tree across the small pond. In the distance, a quail’s call could be heard echoing through the small forest.

  “How is all of this possible?” asked Jennifer gazing around. She noticed several tiny humming birds feeding at a small feeder in a nearby tree. “All of this had to cost a fortune, and I know it wasn’t all funded by the government.”

  “The metal Luxen is a marvel. It’s what made Star One possible,” Kathleen said, answering Jennifer’s question and bending over to smell a large red petal rose that had just recently opened. Red roses were one of her favorites.

  “I’ve heard this metal mentioned a lot,” commented Jennifer, trying to remember what she had heard about the wonder alloy.

  “It’s produced in the fusion reactor down in the Power Wheel,” explained Kathleen, looking over at Jennifer. “It’s the strongest metal alloy known, almost impervious to radiation and brings in a fortune on the Earth metal markets. I have heard that we export nearly 500 million dollars worth of it a month Earthside. It has to be produced in zero gravity for some reason, even though I understand Tycho City is trying to set up a fusion reactor to try to produce it in the Moon’s low gravity.”

  They both stood for a few minutes, relaxing and enjoying the artificial sunlight and sounds of nature that surrounded them. A few other people strolled down the paths. There were several walking alone, contemplating quietly to themselves. A few couples were holding hands and whispering intimately to one another.

  This could be quite a romantic spot for young couples out for a casual stroll, Jennifer thought. It reminded her of her own early college years. She would regularly take long walks around the campus, pausing to admire the flowers and trees that were painstakingly maintained by the groundskeepers.

  “Julie’s allowing a few people access to the park areas for now,” Kathleen said, looking at a young man and woman walking on the path ahead of them.

  A few minutes later, after leaving the park habitat, the two women showed up at Jensens on time. They were shown quickly to their table inside the small establishment. The music was low and the lights subdued, particularly in the booths next to the wall. Kathleen and Jennifer were seated at a center table where the lighting was slightly brighter.

  The restaurant was very plush, with expensive carpeting on the floor and numerous paintings on the walls. Fragrant candles burned in the side booths of the room where the more romantically inclined couples were seated, engrossed in quiet conversations and enjoying their meals. The scent from savory cooking pervaded the restaurant, sending hunger pangs through the two women.

  Their waiter, dressed in a black jacket, white shirt, and tie, brought two glasses of sparkling fresh ice water and placed their menus down politely in front of them. If a person didn’t know better, they would think they were at some fancy French restaurant down on Earth in one of the more affluent seashore locales.

  “Daryl Jensen runs this place,” Kathleen said, picking up her menu and opening it. “The food is excellent, a little expensive, but the service is great!”

  Looking around, Jennifer noticed that most of the tables were occupied. A number of couples were sitting in the side booths relaxing and having a good time, with a mixture of small families, friends, and a few businessmen taking up the others. Sitting at a table with another couple a few tables over, Jennifer noticed a tall, well-tanned man with dark hair and an athletic build. Something about the man seemed hauntingly familiar, but Jennifer couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Something seemed to set him apart from everyone else in the restaurant. He carried an aura of authority and strength about him.

  Seeing where Jennifer’s eyes had strayed, Kathleen was quick to spot whom her new friend’s eyes had stopped on. It was one of her favorite targets when she was in a flirting mood.

  “You definitely have good tastes in men,” Kathleen said, impishly. “That’s Tyler Erin, the top shuttle commander and rumored to be in line for the command job on the Jupiter mission. Sitting with him are Lieutenant John Gray and his wife Julie. You’ll have to watch out for John; he likes to flirt a lot. He’s completely harmless of course, and he’s a great dancer. Julie’s the one responsible for what’s going on down in level six with all the plants, animals, and things. Plus being my boss, of course.”

  Now Jennifer remembered where she had met Commander Erin. He had held a brief meeting with the people going up on the shuttle she had flown on earlier that day. He was the commander of that flight. He had spoken to her briefly, wishing her good luck in her new job.

  Leaning forward, Kathleen informed Jennifer confidentially, “Everyone says that Ty is the most eligible bachelor on the station, and also the hardest to catch. He’s totally wrapped up in his work, and it’s hard to get his attention away from it. I sometimes think that if a woman showed up at his door totally nude, he wouldn’t even take notice!” Kathleen paused as the waiter returned to take their order.

  Jennifer wondered idly if Kathleen had ever tried that tactic with Commander Erin. The way she dressed and with her taste in clothes, it probably wouldn’t bother her to do just that. Both women placed their orders. Following Kathleen’s lead, Jennifer ordered the baked salmon and a stuffed baked potato, which Kathleen claimed was delicious with the special spices that Jensens was famous for serving. They both settled back to enjoy the restaurant’s warm, intimate atmosphere. Jennifer found herself beginning to relax and enjoy herself. This evening was just what she needed.

  -

  So how did the meeting with the commander go, Ty?” asked John, taking a cautious drink out of his glass and wincing from the weird mixture of fruit juices and vegetables that his wife had coaxed him into trying.

  John felt a slight burning sensation on the tip of his tongue, which gradually began to spread to the back of his throat. My God, she’s poisoned me! He glanced plaintively over at Julie. A warning glare from her caused John to take a second deeper swallow, trying his best not to choke. One of these days, one of her concoctions would poison him. John reached out for the cold glass of ice water in front of him, taking several deep gulps. He hoped it would stop the burning sensation.

  Smiling, Ty shook his head at his friend’s misfortune. Julie was always getting Jensen to try different recipes from the fruits and vegetable she grew in the Hydroponic gardens. Once they were on the menu, she expected John to try them without reservations. Sometimes, like tonight, John was the first to try one of her experimental recipes.

  “I can’t say,” Ty replied evasively, recalling his recent conversation with Steve. He wished he could talk to his friends about it but for now, the mission was a secret. “Something has come up, and they want me to look into it. I’m supposed to meet with Steve in the morning for a final briefing. We’re going over a training schedule they have worked up.”

  “A training schedule,” John repeated with a knowing, excited look. “It’s the Jupiter mission! They were supposed to name the commander this week. I knew it would be you. Congratulations, Ty.”

  “It’s about time they let you know something,” added Julie, smiling. She knew Ty had been waiting on this for months.

  Looking thoughtful, John went on. “Everyone else on the crew has already been named, and they have been going through intensive training for months now. Several of them have even been helping with the final construction of the Jupiter Probe. Everyone knows that you are the most qualified to command
the mission.” Pausing, John went on with a slight frown. “I have also heard some strange rumors going around the station. Supposedly, there have been a lot of priority-coded messages coming in from Farside. I wonder what’s going on there?”

  Picking up his fruit drink, he carefully took another small sip under Julie’s attentive eyes, watching Ty for his response to his question. He had also heard that a lot of unscheduled work was being done around the clock on the Jupiter Probe. It was something he had not been able to confirm, but suspected was probably true.

  “Rumors are just that; rumors,” Julie said slightly irritated, noticing that John was still taking cautious small sips from his drink. Maybe she shouldn’t have had so many different Jalapeno peppers mixed in with this particular recipe. It might be just a slight bit too hot!

  “I was sure that the Jupiter mission would be yours, Ty; everyone has taken that for granted for weeks now. It should have been announced months ago,” Julie stated. “I don’t understand why they waited so long.”

  Looking around the room, Ty spotted Kathleen Preen sitting at a table with Jennifer Stone, the well-figured young woman he had brought up on the shuttle earlier. That could be a dangerous combination to the men on the station if Kathleen has anything to do with it, Ty thought. He couldn’t help noticing with a sigh how the top of Kathleen’s breasts showed slightly above her blouse. Kathleen had always been a big flirt and loved to turn the men on. She was also an exceptionally brilliant young woman. Jennifer Stone looked very attractive also, sitting in the subdued light of the restaurant.

  “Who’s Kathleen’s new friend?” asked Julie, noticing where Ty’s gaze had wondered.

  “That’s Jennifer Stone. Steve hired her to work on our Teela problem. She’s supposed to be a genius at working with AIs,” replied Ty, noticing satisfyingly that Jennifer was dressed a little more discreet than Kathleen was.