learn how it was done.”
CHAPTER 5
Moscow has its St. Basil’s Cathedral; Paris, the Eiffel Tower; and San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. Every great city possesses its signature monument or architectural masterpiece, a symbol by which it is known. Olympus, Mars, was no exception. The structure that symbolized the Martian capital rose two full kilometers above the northernmost rim of the volcano’s caldera. Its builders had dubbed it the Adverse Weather Communications Facility. Everyone else called it The Aerie .
Communications between the surface and the orbital relay satellites were via comm laser. No other transmission medium had the bandwidth to handle the necessary volume of information. In the early days of the colony, dust storms had blotted out the visible light lasers for weeks and even months at a time. The colony had been forced to fall back on radio circuits, which were themselves none too reliable in the spring and fall when the Martian dust was blowing.
Because the rim of Olympus Mons was already some 25 kilometers above the arbitrary “zero elevation” line that substituted for sea level on Mars, the Olympus city fathers built a communications tower to finish the job of getting above the worst of the obscuring dust. The comm lasers atop the tower were maintained in continuous standby mode, ready to take over should their ground-based counterparts become obscured. The glass sphere that housed them also included a restaurant, a bar, and a small banquet facility. These made The Aerie a favorite dining spot for both Earth tourists and the Martian upper crust.
Shortly after its completion, Victoria Bronson’s third grade class had visited The Aerie. They had ridden the lift two kilometers up the side of the tower to stand with noses pressed against the curved glass wall as they oohed and aahed at the panoramic view. Tory found herself again staring out across the lighted domes of Olympus. This time she was deep in thought concerning the voyage on which she was about to embark. She did not hear Praesert Sadibayan come up behind her until he spoke.
“Ah, Miss Bronson, there you are! May I present Captain Garth Van Zandt, Terrestrial Space Navy? He will command Austria on the expedition.”
Tory let her eyes focus on the man with Sadibayan. He was medium tall, with sandy hair and a light complexion. His features were nondescript save for his eyes, which were blue and commanding. His figure was terrestrial muscular. After a few seconds, she realized that he was examining her with equal intensity. She blushed as their eyes met.
“Captain Van Zandt,” she said, holding out her hand, “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“The name is Garth.”
“I’m Tory to my friends.”
“Very well, Tory. May I buy you a drink?”
“Of course.”
Van Zandt turned to Sadibayan and bowed. “Thank you, Mr. Subminister. If you will excuse us … ”
“By all means,” Sadibayan replied. He quickly turned on his heel and made his way back to the main reception.
There was an awkward silence as they both stood looking out across the lighted city. It was broken finally when Tory said; “I didn’t expect you so soon. Mr. Sadibayan said that he would have to send to Earth for a naval officer. That was … five days ago.”
Van Zandt laughed. “Sounds about right. My orders read ‘by the fastest available transportation.’ The subminister saw to it that I followed those orders to the letter. I will be days recovering. I take it that you people are in a hurry.”
Tory nodded and explained the desire to meet the alien as far out as possible. Van Zandt listened intently. He had his own suspicions about why everyone was so rushed. As a student of military history, he knew the advantages that flow from being one of the few privy to a closely held secret.
When she finished, he said, “I’d like to hear more. Let’s get that drink and find some place quiet where we can talk.”
An hour later, Tory found herself
CHAPTER 5
Moscow has its St. Basil’s Cathedral; Paris, the Eiffel Tower; and San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. Every great city possesses its signature monument or architectural masterpiece, a symbol by which it is known. Olympus, Mars, was no exception. The structure that symbolized the Martian capital rose two full kilometers above the northernmost rim of the volcano’s caldera. Its builders had dubbed it the Adverse Weather Communications Facility. Everyone else called it The Aerie .
Communications between the surface and the orbital relay satellites were via comm laser. No other transmission medium had the bandwidth to handle the necessary volume of information. In the early days of the colony, dust storms had blotted out the visible light lasers for weeks and even months at a time. The colony had been forced to fall back on radio circuits, which were themselves none too reliable in the spring and fall when the Martian dust was blowing.
Because the rim of Olympus Mons was already some 25 kilometers above the arbitrary “zero elevation” line that substituted for sea level on Mars, the Olympus city fathers built a communications tower to finish the job of getting above the worst of the obscuring dust. The comm lasers atop the tower were maintained in continuous standby mode, ready to take over should their ground-based counterparts become obscured. The glass sphere that housed them also included a restaurant, a bar, and a small banquet facility. These made The Aerie a favorite dining spot for both Earth tourists and the Martian upper crust.
Shortly after its completion, Victoria Bronson’s third grade class had visited The Aerie. They had ridden the lift two kilometers up the side of the tower to stand with noses pressed against the curved glass wall as they oohed and aahed at the panoramic view. Tory found herself again staring out across the lighted domes of Olympus. This time she was deep in thought concerning the voyage on which she was about to embark. She did not hear Praesert Sadibayan come up behind her until he spoke.
“Ah, Miss Bronson, there you are! May I present Captain Garth Van Zandt, Terrestrial Space Navy? He will command Austria on the expedition.”
Tory let her eyes focus on the man with Sadibayan. He was medium tall, with sandy hair and a light complexion. His features were nondescript save for his eyes, which were blue and commanding. His figure was terrestrial muscular. After a few seconds, she realized that he was examining her with equal intensity. She blushed as their eyes met.
“Captain Van Zandt,” she said, holding out her hand, “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“The name is Garth.”
“I’m Tory to my friends.”
“Very well, Tory. May I buy you a drink?”
“Of course.”
Van Zandt turned to Sadibayan and bowed. “Thank you, Mr. Subminister. If you will excuse us … ”
“By all means,” Sadibayan replied. He quickly turned on his heel and made his way back to the main reception.
There was an awkward silence as they both stood looking out across the lighted city. It was broken finally when Tory said; “I didn’t expect you so soon. Mr. Sadibayan said that he would have to send to Earth for a naval officer. That was … five days ago.”
Van Zandt laughed. “Sounds about right. My orders read ‘by the fastest available transportation.’ The subminister saw to it that I followed those orders to the letter. I will be days recovering. I take it that you people are in a hurry.”
Tory nodded and explained the desire to meet the alien as far out as possible. Van Zandt listened intently. He had his own suspicions about why everyone was so rushed. As a student of military history, he knew the advantages that flow from being one of the few privy to a closely held secret.
When she finished, he said, “I’d like to hear more. Let’s get that drink and find some place quiet where we can talk.”
An hour later, Tory found herself
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