The Clouds of Venus: Hard Science Fiction by Brandon Q. Morris & Ashton McLee

Author:Brandon Q. Morris & Ashton McLee [Morris, Brandon Q.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hard-SF.com
Published: 2020-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

June 9, 2079, Venus Base

Peter and Maria entered an elongated cave that was dimly lit with organic LEDs. Although the robots could orient themselves with ultrasound, it was apparently easier to do so with the help of optical sensors. Perhaps the LEDs had only been installed for humans’ sake. In the light of the LEDs the walls, ceilings, and floor looked wholly black.

The very back of the cave was used as a storage and sorting room. A robot was at that moment pouring rough diamonds into a container. Then the opening closed. Presumably, Venus’s atmosphere was being pumped out before the stones were analyzed. Only rough diamonds that could be processed into gemstones were worth the expensive trip to Earth.

Maria pulled him toward the airlock on the right side. She must have surmised that their quarters were there. Peter followed her. But when they stood in front of it, the airlock remained closed. No opening mechanism was visible. Peter was confused, but Maria seemed to have an idea regarding what to do. She pressed a few buttons on her suit.

“The doorbell is virtual,” she explained. “You have to peer through the visor, and then you will spot it.”

Shortly after that the door opened and they entered. The airlock closed automatically behind them. A whooshing sound told him that Venus’s air was being pumped out. The sound was at first loud, then decreased in intensity, because the air became too thin to conduct soundwaves. Maria took him by the arm and shook him—he’d zoned out and had not even realized that the inner door was open. They had arrived. This place would be their home for the next few weeks.

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