Sky Hunter (Targon Tales Book 0) by Chris Reher

Author:Chris Reher [Reher, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2013-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

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“Now this is what this entire place is all about.” A Centauri officer waited for her small gaggle of sightseers to gather on the catwalk overlooking the elevator hub. Skyranch Twelve was not designed to attract much of a tourist crowd, unlike the ones above the ice-bound Feron where few inhabitants had ever seen food grow above ground or Feyd where a thick atmosphere made launching into space from an orbiting platform far more affordable.

The two orbiters that would serve Bellac were designed purely for the manufacture of food and electricity and down here, on the lowest level where the tether from the ground met the station, things were pretty much utilitarian. Nova had expected a modern passenger handling area, perhaps kiosks where one could get more information about the tether’s nanotube construction, or a spot to take some video of the planet hanging over their heads.

Instead, the area they were now shown looked like any loading dock she had ever seen on any base station or transport ship, albeit much larger. Metal floors and walls, cold metal railings, hoists, trolleys, storage containers and control stations. Workers bustled in the clear space around the tether to prepare for a new arrival from the ground. Nova’s group leaned over the railing to watch, restricted from entering the steady, well-ordered routines on the floor.

“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Boker propped his elbows on the metal bar. After Lieutenant Rolyn had decided to abandon him in favor of the skyranch, Boker had given up his plans for Siolet’s alehouses. Besides, the orbiter had two very nicely stocked lounges. His eyes traveled upward along the cable. “Look how thin that tether is. You don’t notice that down on the ground.”

Nova nodded. Their temporary guide chatted about tensile strength, payloads and velocity while actually holding a cross section of the nanotube belt in her hands. On the ground, near Shon Gat, the bottom part of the elevator was protected by graphene cages as well as shielding. As support for a system of sensors, com gear and defensive measures, its width seemed far more reassuring than this ribbon. Maybe the extra girth near the ground was intended to keep passengers from fleeing in terror. “I think I might be too scared to go for a ride down this thing,” she said. “The skyranches I’ve been to weren’t tethered.”

“Imagine sitting in a box tied to this for three days.”

Nova turned to the guide who had stopped to take a breath. “Will this be used for passengers?”

“Not at this time. It just takes too long. Once we’re fully staffed, the station will operate a commuter shuttle for round trips every twenty days. We’ll have emergency vehicles, of course, and a private transport company is going to offer trips to the surface if you can’t wait for the shuttle. So far we have just cargo pods traveling along the tether. Eventually we may bring in a passenger car for those who want the experience of traveling through space that way.

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