The Legacy of Earth (Mandate Book 2) (12 page)

“Wow, look at that! How fast are we going, anyway?”

Chase pointed to a display panel on the wall by the door they had come through when entering the car. The screen showed their speed and altitude: 124.6 MPH and 12.6 MILES.

“Eighty? That’s it? Seems like we’d have to go a lot faster to get into orbit.”

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Chase asked, rhetorically. “Just over an hour of travel time and there’s even a small restroom around the corner.”

“It sure beats the airport,” Jack said.

“On Earth, this would be a legal and administrative nightmare, not to mention, the engineering might not even be possible.”

“Eh? Why is that?”

“One-sixth gravity here means we’re in orbit easily at a hundred miles up—even less if you’re going faster.”

Jack stood again, walked tentatively toward the wall again to take in the view. “The centrifugal alone here at such an altitude would require . . . uh, my math skills are abandoning me. The ring must be extremely heavy.”

Chase shrugged. “I guess anything that big would have to be, and increasing weekly as the soil loads go up.”

“But, doesn’t it need to be at a higher orbit for centrifugal force to keep it in position?” Jack said.

“It does seem counter-intuitive. Like I said, it was described as more of a tall building than an object in orbit.

“It’s astounding to me that Decatur built all of this without our input or . . . advice,” Jack said.

“Personally,” Chase said, “I think enclosing the crater is the most astounding feat in history. The ring, sure, when we get there, you will be awe-struck. But the overdome . . . just look at it down there. Hundreds—no, thousands—of square miles jutting across our crater with no supports. That blocks all of Jupiter’s radiation and allows an atmosphere.”

“The gravity is pretty low,” Jack said, looking down at the large opaque roof of their colony.

“Gravity and ultra-strong nanomaterials, just like this elevator vine,” Chase said, looking up again. “Hey, there’s the ring.”

Jack looked up.

“Hey, come on,” Chase said, “the chairs lean back.” They walked back to their chairs, and soon they were both in a reclining position, looking up at the tiny ring far overhead. Jack could not make out any details yet. Without a telescope, it just looked like a tiny white light.

“It’s actually dark gray like the overdome,” Chase said, “but Jupiter is shining on it from this angle.”

Chapter 12
Farmland

Ward was walking the
perimeter of his sugarcane crop like he always did at the end of the day. They had to keep a close eye on their crops because they supplied a niche in the market and couldn’t afford to lose even one row. Ward had the exclusive run of poppies, hemp, and cane on the ring, and he also grew barley which was common. And, their chickens were not the only ones available but were regarded as some of the best on the ring.

Ward’s beer operation had started out as a hobby, but when a few neighbors sampled his brew, he had gone commercial with it and now supplied both the ring dwellers and Harmony with kegs. That was a pleasant surprise, and as a bonus, Beverly didn’t nag him about the calories. After a year, he had abandoned his food crops and dedicated the farm to beer production.

To keep his chickens in top condition, and to produce the best beer in town, Ward had to trade with another farmsteader, Dale Mercer, who was an unapologetic asshole on the best of days, according to Ward. He grew staple crops of wheat and corn, and smaller crops of peppers and tomatoes, which were popular since spices were hard to come by. The problem with Dale was, Ward had a high demand for yeast, and Dale was getting greedy—trying to set up his own bakery in addition to growing his wheat.

There was just one yeast supplier on the ring, Brenda Yates, who hated politics and refused to take sides. It was first come, first served, and she refused to deal fairly.
Damn that woman! I need to start growing my own.

And Dale needed Ward’s sugar, so they never could seem to get along, and that irked Ward to sleeplessness some days. He hated that someone would willingly refuse to cooperate when they could come up with a long-term co-op solution.

Ward walked up to the wall. He enjoyed this part of his daily walk the most. It was why he went out every day after the work was done. He could see the wall clear across the plain on the other side. It was a bit foggy and dusty in places, but you couldn’t miss something that big only a mile or so away. Right up next to it, he stared up and never lost the feeling of awe. It was greater than the Great Wall; taller than the pyramids; more awe-inspiring than a rocket launch; as tall as the tallest buildings on Earth; and it went on and on and on . . . up and around.

At the same time, it could be more terrifying than a mushroom cloud. It was hard to shake the sensation that it was going to fall on you at any minute. Overhead, the ceiling displayed simulated clouds during the day and simulated stars at night, without the glare of Jupiter.

The walls kept in the atmosphere. That was the general belief and it was mostly true. The walls did keep air—and people—from falling off the edge. But, what most visitors did not realize was that this was essentially a large space station, and it was not exposed to the vacuum of space. The ceiling—the inner side of the ring—was enclosed. The quarter mile height of the walls was not enough to produce 14 psi of air pressure. To generate Earth-normal air pressure at sea level requires a pressurized living space. Otherwise, the walls would have to be about three miles high.

Of course, there were other alternatives. The ring could be spun on its axis, with centrifugal force pushing the air downward. Artificial gravity plates helped to keep the air down like it did everything else on the surface, but the air pressure was also maintained. With a sky only 1,300 feet high, and no higher, pressure was necessary.

However, the common theory persisted—that the walls held the air in.

Ward stopped on his way back to the house, a few hundred yards from the wall, to look up. You could get a better view of the top if you weren’t standing right next to it.

A teenage boy was jogging along the dirt road which ran in front of Ward and Beverly’s house, and they nearly collided when Ward backed onto the road, still gazing at the sky. The boy dodged at the last second and went sprawling onto the dirt.

“Owww!”

“Sorry, youngster,” Ward said, helping the youth to his feet. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine, gramps. What’s the big idea?”

“Oh, just looking at the wall, didn’t realize I was so close to the road already. Sure you’re okay there, feller?”

“Look, gramps, a car could have hit you! Be careful, eh?”

“Say, what’s your name, son?”

“Friends call me Ike,” the boy said.

“I’m Mr. Gaines. Pleased ta meet ya,” Ward said, holding his hand out.

The boy stared at the outstretched hand as if a scorpion was perched on it, but he finally side-fived the older man. Then, he re-adjusted his headphones, checked his watch, and began to run along again.

“Oh, by the way, sonny, where do you live?”

The boy turned, jogging backward, “Mercer. Ike Mercer.”

Ward’s expression fell as the lad turned and was on his way. “Mercer. That sumbitch. But I reckon he’s young enough to have a kid that age. Though I wouldn’t think a woman—”

“Ward Gaines, what on Earth are you complaining about?”

The voice came from the crop field across the road.

“Eh? What? Who said that?”

“Here, silly,” Beverly said, walking quickly over and handing him a water bottle. “You headed out on your walk without it again. Knew I couldn’t leave until your day was over. Silly man!” She kissed him.

“Oh, it’s you, darling. Uh, well, did you know that sum—er, that
Mr. Mercer
has a son?”

“Sure didn’t, sweetheart, but glad to hear it. We need more families here to make it work. You know that, dear. More people equals more goods, more trade, better cooperation.”

“But that’s just my point. Shouldn’t we know
everyone
who was on the ship?”

“Dear!” Beverly chastised, “people have been having babies since we got here. You know that!”

“You sure about that? More people ain’t what we need if it’s the Mercer sort.”

“Oh, stop it, Ward!”

“Now, now, you hear me! That sumbitch has done everything in his power to make my life difficult, blocking our sale to the Andersons, stealing our supplier of seeds, you name it!”

“Yes, yes, he is
competitive
, but dear, he’s only thinking of his family, like you are. Trying to do his best by them.”

“Oh, brother! That don’t mean he’s gotta be a cutthroat capitalist! We’re all supposed to be friends here.
He
is not trustworthy! I have minded my own damn—”

“Oh, dear! You’re getting all worked up now! Here, let me take you inside for some dinner and cold iced tea. You need some rest, okay?”

Grudgingly, and complaining all the way, he agreed to follow her home. After finishing the meal, Ward sat in his comfy chair. “You know I switched to first watch to avoid the man, Beverly; to give him space. You know that, right? I did my part to play nice. But he refuses—”

“I know, I
know
, and all I’m saying is do your best. Don’t worry about the Mercers and what they’re up to. You just stick to our crops, try and enjoy yourself, y’hear? Now, how about that next batch? You gonna try that new recipe today? Hmm?”

“Bless you, woman, you do know how to cheer me up,” Wade said, and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down for a kiss.

“Now I do need to get going. Do I dare leave you?”

He pushed her up off of him, “Oh, get out of here already!”

* * * *

Jack woke with Chase gently rubbing his shoulder. “We’re almost there. Thought you’d want to watch.”

“Oh, goodness, I can’t believe I fell asleep!”

“The pills really do help you to relax. Now look here, we’re coming up on it,” Chase said, pointing upward.

“Wow!” Jack marveled. He looked over at the status screen again, which showed 85 MPH and 137 MILES.

The entire ring was now in view, although from their car’s position they could only see half of the ring. Jack looked upward along the vine and saw that it went right up into the middle of the—.

“It looks like a wagon wheel!” he exclaimed.

Chase smiled, “Yep,” admiring the beauty of the massive station.

“Well, what in the world do you even call such a thing? It can’t be a ship, not a vessel, not quite a space station, either, is it?”

“Oh, I think station describes it pretty well, but you’re right, it defies easy labeling.”

“I still can’t fathom why Decatur built it, Chase. I really can’t come to grips with the sheer massive
scale
of the object. Why?
Why
?”

“Are you asking me why you can’t come to grips or why it was built?” Chase asked.

“Well, okay, that’s fair. I meant, why build it?” Jack said.

“Remember the situation with the aliens?”

“Of course,” Jack answered.

“And, Decatur seemed to take responsibility for botching relations with them—the Tau Cetians, I believe they are called. Do you suppose he was worried about a war?”

Jack’s eyes grew wide. “An interstellar war? That’s inconceivable!”

“But do you think it is a possibility?”

“What difference does that make, we would
lose
!” Jack shouted.

“Okay, don’t get upset, this is hypothetical,” Chase said. “This ring, if it becomes fully self-reliant, sustainable, it is probably a better home than any colony on any moon or planet out here.”

“So, you think it’s just a . . . better place to live . . . away from Earth?” Jack asked, doubtful.

“Why not? It has perfect Earth gravity. It can spin
and
has grav plates. It has its own reactors and I’ve heard talk from engineers that the hub, where the vine goes, might be equipped with engines.”

“What? You mean this crazy huge thing can be
moved
?” Jack said, astounded.

Chase shrugged. “Just what I’ve heard. We can look around the control center when we get there.”

“But, the crater, Harmony colony, all the domes and expansion, all the awesome new technology that went into it, and the farming out there in the open, under the giant overdome,” Jack pondered. “That’s all an extraordinary accomplishment. I can’t shake the question: why was the ring necessary?”

“Maybe it’s just inevitable?” Chase said, though he preferred to not think about it so much.

“What do you mean,
inevitable
?”

“Just this, Jack. The concept has been in our cultural psyche for generations. Like walking on the Moon, walking on Mars—it’s necessary, for some reason, that we do these monumental things. I don’t know, because we just
have to
?”

“You don’t sound convinced of your own argument.”

“I’m . . . well, reciting the talking points of old conversations. Not my ideas,” Chase said. “A lot of fiction has been devoted to the idea. Scientists have discussed it. But, decades ago, they described the problems in terms of twentieth-century engineering. Ridiculous nonsense like building spaceships with
steel
! Can you just imagine that? But, point is, maybe certain things are inevitable?”

Jack laughed, “Oh, yeah, I used to get quite a chuckle, even as a kid. Ridiculous is right. Why would anyone even suggest such an idea as a
steel
spacecraft or station?”

Chase shrugged, “Hmph, it’s all they knew at the time. And then, our engineers developed nanofiber. Carbon nanotube fabrication. Stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum. Conductive, if we want. Capable of being
squeezed
microscopically to generate circuit boards, microprocessors. . . . That was the turning point, Jack.”

“I don’t take credit for that,” Jack said, somewhat derisively, as if he was tired of hearing it.

“Oh, I know. I know all about you . . . moving on. But, you got the ball rolling, hired the right people at the right time, who hired more right people, and who meshed, synched, synergized.” Chase interlaced the fingers on both hands to demonstrate, then made a large first.

“Fine, I’m happy to take credit for hiring a few people. But the enemies I made along the way got
her
killed. And, I would give up
all of this
to have her back. All of it, man! I would throw this colony away, destroy this ring, to get her back.”

Chase said nothing for many minutes. “I understand grief, Jack. But don’t deny the next generation their due. They have earned the right to take the reins now. Let’s let them, and see how far they go!”

Jack set his chair upright and bowed his head. “You’re right. I have no right to be like that. The time of mourning is over. Now I’m just full of bitterness, and I don’t think that will ever go away. You’ll have to go on without me. Go ahead, prosper, succeed. I can’t follow.”

Chase was satisfied. He had brought Jack here to discuss the very thing he had just admitted. He smiled inwardly, pleased that it had not become a confrontation. He didn’t think he could have done that—not with Jack Seerva.

Car number four slowed when it approached the ring hub. Jack and Chase could see down into half of the ring from their present perpendicular angle, and the glare from Jupiter’s light reflected against the inner surface—the
roof
, so to speak. Then they plunged into the hub and the view was blocked by a gray wall.