disposal, the Russo-Chinese were able to colonize a much larger area of the planet than could the USAC. Bitter rivalry was the result. And that was where things stood when young Euler Frost arrived on Venus.
He lived, at first, with the USAC colony of twenty thousand people beneath its main domes, never seeing the sun through the perpetual cloud cover of the planet. The rate of rotation was such that there were some fifty-eight Earth days of light—dim and dreary light—on Venus, followed by fifty-eight Earth days of darkness. The settlers from Earth learned to adjust to this, as to everything else, and they followed the standard twenty-four-hour day of Earth.
During those early years, some colonists believed that no life was possible outside of the domes because of the high atmospheric pressure that existed on the planet. But gradually, as Earth science learned more about Venus science—and about the amazing adaptability of the human body—it became obvious that some life could exist for brief periods outside the domes, if protected by pressure suits.
Knowing he could never return legally to Earth as an American citizen, Euler Frost had taken out citizenship on Venus. It was something that the government did not discourage, in its race to equal the size and scope of the Russo-Chinese colony, grown now to ninety thousand persons. The exiles to Venus, like the British exiles to Australia centuries earlier, would become the founders of a new nation, a new world, which would ultimately gain its independence from Earth.
But as the days of his exile lengthened into weeks and months and years, Euler Frost began to look around him. The new citizens of Venus, with no real ties to Earth except the weekly spaceship, and no ties to the USAC except the memory of their exile, were being drawn increasingly to the Russo-Chinese colony beyond the mountains. A young man named Folger—with whom Frost had grown friendly in his exile—suddenly disappeared from the dome one night. Though they were citizens of Venus, people like Folger and Frost were still technically under the control of the USAC garrison on the planet. Once they left the dome, the only place they could seek shelter was with the Russo-Chinese, and this was strictly forbidden.
Frost heard nothing more of Folger for many weeks, and it was assumed by some that he must have died in the Free Zone between the colonies. True, the atmosphere in the mountains of the Free Zone was a bit cooler and more conducive to life, but how long could anyone live there without food or water? Frost marveled at the logic of some of these people, who believed that a man like Folger would perish in the mountains rather than go over to the enemy camp. For himself, he never doubted that Folger had reached the Russo-Chinese domes, nor that he was living happily there.
It came as something of a surprise when he learned that both sides were wrong in their assumptions. Folger had not died in the mountains, but neither was he living happily in the Russo-Chinese Colony. The revelation came one night during the dark period, after the arc lights had been dimmed and the colony was asleep. Frost was awakened by a gentle shaking, and looked up to see Folger’s familiar freckled face glowing above him in the light from a wrist-lamp.
“Come on, boy,” Folger said. “I can get you out of here.”
“What? … What in hell are you doing back here? We thought you were dead, or with the Russo-Chinese.”
“Neither one, fortunately. I’m living in the Free Zone with a colony of defectors from both sides. We have food and a small dome that some of the Russo-Chinese erected. I came to get more food, and to bring you back with us.”
Until that moment, Frost had never seriously considered the possibility of leaving the great multi-domed colony. Despite the attraction of the Russo-Chinese venture, one did not easily give up the known for the unknown. But it took him only a few moments to decide. “I’m
He lived, at first, with the USAC colony of twenty thousand people beneath its main domes, never seeing the sun through the perpetual cloud cover of the planet. The rate of rotation was such that there were some fifty-eight Earth days of light—dim and dreary light—on Venus, followed by fifty-eight Earth days of darkness. The settlers from Earth learned to adjust to this, as to everything else, and they followed the standard twenty-four-hour day of Earth.
During those early years, some colonists believed that no life was possible outside of the domes because of the high atmospheric pressure that existed on the planet. But gradually, as Earth science learned more about Venus science—and about the amazing adaptability of the human body—it became obvious that some life could exist for brief periods outside the domes, if protected by pressure suits.
Knowing he could never return legally to Earth as an American citizen, Euler Frost had taken out citizenship on Venus. It was something that the government did not discourage, in its race to equal the size and scope of the Russo-Chinese colony, grown now to ninety thousand persons. The exiles to Venus, like the British exiles to Australia centuries earlier, would become the founders of a new nation, a new world, which would ultimately gain its independence from Earth.
But as the days of his exile lengthened into weeks and months and years, Euler Frost began to look around him. The new citizens of Venus, with no real ties to Earth except the weekly spaceship, and no ties to the USAC except the memory of their exile, were being drawn increasingly to the Russo-Chinese colony beyond the mountains. A young man named Folger—with whom Frost had grown friendly in his exile—suddenly disappeared from the dome one night. Though they were citizens of Venus, people like Folger and Frost were still technically under the control of the USAC garrison on the planet. Once they left the dome, the only place they could seek shelter was with the Russo-Chinese, and this was strictly forbidden.
Frost heard nothing more of Folger for many weeks, and it was assumed by some that he must have died in the Free Zone between the colonies. True, the atmosphere in the mountains of the Free Zone was a bit cooler and more conducive to life, but how long could anyone live there without food or water? Frost marveled at the logic of some of these people, who believed that a man like Folger would perish in the mountains rather than go over to the enemy camp. For himself, he never doubted that Folger had reached the Russo-Chinese domes, nor that he was living happily there.
It came as something of a surprise when he learned that both sides were wrong in their assumptions. Folger had not died in the mountains, but neither was he living happily in the Russo-Chinese Colony. The revelation came one night during the dark period, after the arc lights had been dimmed and the colony was asleep. Frost was awakened by a gentle shaking, and looked up to see Folger’s familiar freckled face glowing above him in the light from a wrist-lamp.
“Come on, boy,” Folger said. “I can get you out of here.”
“What? … What in hell are you doing back here? We thought you were dead, or with the Russo-Chinese.”
“Neither one, fortunately. I’m living in the Free Zone with a colony of defectors from both sides. We have food and a small dome that some of the Russo-Chinese erected. I came to get more food, and to bring you back with us.”
Until that moment, Frost had never seriously considered the possibility of leaving the great multi-domed colony. Despite the attraction of the Russo-Chinese venture, one did not easily give up the known for the unknown. But it took him only a few moments to decide. “I’m
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