Broken Sky by John Harvey

Author:John Harvey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA Science-Fiction Fantasy
Publisher: John Harvey
Published: 2020-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Seven

As the nine guests followed Anders into the modest cabin, each took a long look at Jack and Ethan before greeting Niels. Jack couldn’t be certain what they were thinking, but—as with their initial encounter with Anders—it was apparent that he and his cousin had been expected.

Niels’ friends were much younger than him, but still in their sixties or seventies. They introduced themselves and asked polite questions: had the boys really found the lake without a map, had Ethan really only arrived on Cirrus yesterday, how had they avoided CorpSec for a whole day; and other questions that revealed Niels had predicted their arrival.

“Enough questions,” the woman introduced as Natalya finally said. “These boys are hungry.” She was a tall woman, taller even than Ethan, and spoke with a heavy Russian accent. She was also Anders’ wife. As soon as she started setting the table, the others joined in as if she’d ordered them to.

The group had brought plenty of food to the island—something Jack and his cousin appreciated, and also plenty of beer—something Anders and a few of the others appreciated more. The conversations grew louder and more animated through dinner.

Jack learned about Niels’ friends and life on Cirrus in the decade before his parents arrived. The first wave of workers did not live on the station full time. Most had adult children and even grandchildren on Earth. All the group members were now retired or semi-retired and had incredible stories—and probably a few lies—to tell about themselves and each other. Jack was sure these stories had been told many times before, but got the feeling the storytellers were glad to have a new audience for them.

“How long have you lived on Cirrus?” Jack asked Anders.

Suresh, a dignified-looking gentleman with a thick salt-and-pepper beard, laughed. “Don’t believe a word he says.”

Henri, a mechanic with meaty, weathered hands like Jack’s father, slapped the table. “He not only has the body of a troll, but an ego just as large.”

Aziza, who reminded Jack of his school principal, cautioned Henri, “Don’t make these young men think poorly of us.” She grinned, then nodded toward Anders. “Let the giant speak.”

Anders laughed, and Jack understood the teasing had been in good humor. From what he’d seen so far, Anders was modest and quiet-spoken—for someone with a chest as large as a bear’s. He answered Jack’s question, but it was his friends who really told his tale.

Jack had assumed from Anders’ physique that he’d been a construction worker, a miner, or worked another profession where his size would be an asset. He was surprised to learn Anders taught microbiology at the university in Reykjavik before coming to Cirrus thirty-two years ago.

Suresh and Henri pieced together the story of how he and another scientist had hiked on the inner, ice-covered surface of Cirrus. They described how Anders’ colleague had fallen into a crevasse and broken his leg while trying to drill through the ice to sample the water below. Anders carried the injured man several

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