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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..73f1e3f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60608 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60608) diff --git a/old/60608-h.zip b/old/60608-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ca52872..0000000 --- a/old/60608-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60608-h/60608-h.htm b/old/60608-h/60608-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 024b173..0000000 --- a/old/60608-h/60608-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,964 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Satellite Passage, by Theodore L. Thomas. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Satellite Passage, by Theodore L. Thomas - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Satellite Passage - -Author: Theodore L. Thomas - -Release Date: November 2, 2019 [EBook #60608] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SATELLITE PASSAGE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="349" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>SATELLITE PASSAGE</h1> - -<h2>BY THEODORE L. THOMAS</h2> - -<p><i>It had to come sooner or later—the<br /> -perilous moment when Our satellite<br /> -crossed the orbit of Theirs....</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1958.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The three men bent over the chart and once again computed the orbit. It -was quiet in the satellite, a busy quiet broken by the click of seeking -microswitches and the gentle purr of smooth-running motors. The deep -pulsing throb of the air conditioner had stopped: the satellite was in -the Earth's shadow and there was no need for cooling the interior.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Morgan, "it checks. We'll pass within fifty feet of the -other satellite. Too close. Think we ought to move?"</p> - -<p>Kaufman looked at him and did not speak. McNary glanced up and snorted. -Morgan nodded. He said, "That's right. If there's any moving to be -done, let them do it." He felt a curious nascent emotion, a blend -of anger and exhilaration—very faint now, just strong enough to be -recognizable. The pencil snapped in his fingers, and he stared at it, -and smiled.</p> - -<p>Kaufman said, "Any way we can reline this a little? Fifty feet cuts it -kind of close."</p> - -<p>They were silent, and the murmuring of machinery filled the cramped -room. "How's this?" said McNary. "Wait till we see the other satellite, -take a couple of readings on it, and compute the orbit again. We'd have -about five minutes to make the calculations. Morgan here can do it in -less than that. Then we'd know if we're on a collision course."</p> - -<p>Morgan nodded. "We could do it that way." He studied the chart in front -of him. "The only thing, those boys on the other satellite will see -what we're doing. They'll know we're afraid of a collision. They'll -radio it down to Earth, and—you know the Russian mind—we'll lose -face."</p> - -<p>"That so bad?" asked Kaufman.</p> - -<p>Morgan stared at the chart. He answered softly, "Yes, I think it is. -The Russians will milk it dry if we make any move to get our satellite -out of the way of theirs. We can't do that to our people."</p> - -<p>McNary nodded. Kaufman said, "Agree. Just wanted to throw it out. We -stay put. We hit, we hit."</p> - -<p>The other two looked at Kaufman. The abrupt dismissal of a serious -problem was characteristic of the little astronomer; Kaufman wasted no -time with second guesses. A decision made was a fact accomplished; it -was over.</p> - -<p>Morgan glanced at McNary to see how he was taking it. McNary, now, big -as he was, was a worrier. He stood ready to change his mind at any -time, whenever some new alternative looked better. Only the soundness -of his judgment prevented his being putty in any strong hands. He was a -meteorologist, and a good one.</p> - -<p>"You know," said McNary, "I still can't quite believe it. Two -satellites, one pole-to-pole, the other equatorial, both having apogees -and perigees of different elevations—yet they wind up on what amounts -to a collision course."</p> - -<p>Morgan said, "That's what regression will do for you. But we haven't -got any time for that; we've got to think this out. Let's see, they'll -be coming up from below us at passage. Can we make anything of that?"</p> - -<p>There was silence while the three men considered it. Morgan's mind was -focussed on the thing that was about to happen; but wisps of memory -intruded. Faintly he could hear the waves, smell the bite in the salt -sea air. A man who had sailed a thirty-two-foot ketch alone into every -corner of the globe never thereafter quite lost the sound of the sea -in his ear. And the struggle, the duel, the strain of outguessing the -implacable elements, there was a test of a man....</p> - -<p>"Better be outside in any case," said Kaufman. "Suited up and outside. -They'll see us, and know we intend to do nothing to avoid collision. -Also, we'll be in a better position to cope with anything that comes -along, if we're in the suits."</p> - -<p>Morgan and McNary nodded, and again there was talk. They discussed -the desirability of radio communication with the other satellite, and -decided against it. To keep their own conversations private, they -agreed to use telephone communication instead of radio. When the -discussion trailed off, Kaufman said, "Be some picture, if we have the -course computed right. We stand there and wave at 'em as they go by."</p> - -<p>Morgan tried to see it in his mind: three men standing on a long, slim -tube, and waving at three men on another. The first rocket passage, and -men waving. And then Morgan remembered something, and the image changed.</p> - -<p>He saw the flimsy, awkward planes sputtering past each other on the -morning's mission. The pilots, detached observers, non-combatants -really, waved at each other as the rickety planes passed. Kindred souls -they were, high above the walks of normal men. So they waved ... for a -while.</p> - -<p>Morgan said, "Do you suppose they'll try anything?"</p> - -<p>"Like what?" said Kaufman.</p> - -<p>"Like knocking us out of orbit if they can. Like shooting at us if they -have a gun. Like throwing something at us, if they've got nothing -better to do."</p> - -<p>"My God," said McNary, "you think they might have brought a gun up -here?"</p> - -<p>Morgan began examining the interior of the tiny cabin. Slowly he turned -his head, looking at one piece of equipment after another, visualizing -what was packed away under it and behind it. To the right of the radio -was the spacesuit locker, and his glance lingered there. He reached -over, opened the door and slipped a hand under the suits packed in -the locker. For a moment he fumbled and then he sat back holding an -oxygen flask in his hand. He hefted the small steel flask and looked at -Kaufman. "Can you think of anything better than this for throwing?"</p> - -<p>Kaufman took it and hefted it in his turn, and passed it to McNary. -McNary did the same and then carefully held it in front of him and -took his hand away. The flask remained poised in mid-air, motionless. -Kaufman shook his head and said. "I can't think of anything better. -It's got good mass, fits the hand well. It'll do."</p> - -<p>Morgan said, "Another thing. We clip extra flasks to our belts and they -look like part of the standard equipment. It won't be obvious that -we're carrying something we can throw."</p> - -<p>McNary gently pushed the flask toward Morgan, who caught it and -replaced it. McNary said, "I used to throw a hot pass at Berkeley. I -wonder how the old arm is."</p> - -<p>The discussion went on. At one point the radio came to life and -Kaufman had a lengthy conversation with one of the control points on -the surface of the planet below. They talked in code. It was agreed -that the American satellite should not move to make room for the other, -and this information was carefully leaked so the Russians would be -aware of the decision.</p> - -<p>The only difficulty was that the Russians also leaked the information -that their satellite would not move, either.</p> - -<p>A final check of the two orbits revealed no change. Kaufman switched -off the set.</p> - -<p>"That," he said, "is the whole of it."</p> - -<p>"They're leaving us pretty much on our own," said McNary.</p> - -<p>"Couldn't be any other way," Morgan answered. "We're the ones at the -scene. Besides—" he smiled his tight smile—"they trust us."</p> - -<p>Kaufman snorted. "Ought to. They went to enough trouble to pick us."</p> - -<p>McNary looked at the chronometer and said, "Three quarters of an hour -to passage. We'd better suit up."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Morgan nodded and reached again into the suit locker. The top suit was -McNary's, and as he worked his way into it, Morgan and Kaufman pressed -against the walls to give him room. Kaufman was next, and then Morgan. -They sat out the helmets, and while Kaufman and McNary made a final -check of the equipment, Morgan took several sights to verify their -position.</p> - -<p>"Luck," said Kaufman, and dropped his helmet over his head. The others -followed and they all went through the air-sealing check-off. They -passed the telephone wire around, and tested the circuit. Morgan handed -out extra oxygen flasks, three for each. Kaufman waved, squeezed into -the air lock and pulled the hatch closed behind him. McNary went next, -then Morgan.</p> - -<p>Morgan carefully pulled himself erect alongside the outer hatch and -plugged the telephone jack into his helmet. As he straightened, he saw -the Earth directly in front of him. It loomed large, visible as a great -mass of blackness cutting off the harsh white starshine. The blackness -was smudged with irregular patches of orangish light that marked the -cities of Earth.</p> - -<p>Morgan became aware that McNary, beside him, was pointing toward the -center of the Earth. Following the line of his finger Morgan could see -a slight flicker of light against the blackness; it was so faint that -he had to look above it to see it.</p> - -<p>"Storm," said McNary. "Just below the equator. It must be a pip if we -can see the lightning through the clouds from here. I've been watching -it develop for the last two days."</p> - -<p>Morgan stared, and nodded to himself. He knew what it was like down -there. The familiar feeling was building up, stronger now as the -time to passage drew closer. First the waiting. The sea, restless -in expectancy as the waves tossed their hoary manes. The gathering -majesty of the elements, reaching, searching, striving.... And if at -the height of the contest the screaming wind snatched up and smothered -a defiant roar from a mortal throat, there was none to tell of it.</p> - -<p>Then the time came when the forces waned. A slight let-up at first, -then another. Soon the toothed and jagged edge of the waves subsided, -the hard side-driven spray and rain assumed a more normal direction.</p> - -<p>The man looked after the departing storm, and there was pain in his -eyes, longing. Almost, the words rose to his lips, "Come back, I am -still here, do not leave me, come back." But the silent supplication -went unanswered, and the man was left with a taste of glory gone, -with an emptiness that drained the soul. The encounter had ended, the -man had won. But the winning was bitter. The hard fight was not hard -enough. Somewhere there must be a test sufficient to try the mettle of -this man. Somewhere there was a crucible hot enough to float any dross. -But where? The man searched and searched, but could not find it.</p> - -<p>Morgan turned his head away from the storm and saw that Kaufman and -McNary had walked to the top of the satellite. Carefully he turned his -body and began placing one foot in front of the other to join them. -Yes, he thought, men must always be on top, even if the top is only a -state of mind. Here on the outer surface of the satellite, clinging -to the metallic skin with shoes of magnetized alloy, there was no -top. One direction was the same as another, as with a fly walking on a -chandelier. Yet some primordial impulse drove a man to that position -which he considered the top, drove him to stand with his feet pointed -toward the Earth and his head toward the outer reaches where the stars -moved.</p> - -<p>Walking under these conditions was difficult, so Morgan moved with -care. The feet could easily tread ahead of the man without his knowing -it, or they could lag behind. A slight unthinking motion could detach -the shoes from the satellite, leaving the man floating free, unable to -return. So Morgan moved with care, keeping the telephone line clear -with one hand.</p> - -<p>When he reached the others, Morgan stopped and looked around. The sight -always gave him pause. It was not pretty; rather, it was harsh and -garish like the raucous illumination of a honkytonk saloon. The black -was too black, and the stars burned too white. Everything appeared -sharp and hard, with none of the softness seen from the Earth.</p> - -<p>Morgan stared, and his lips curled back over his teeth. The -anticipation inside him grew greater. No sound and fury here; the -menace was of a different sort. Looming, quietly foreboding, it was -everywhere.</p> - -<p>Morgan leaned back to look overhead, and his lips curled further. -This was where it might come, this was the place. Raw space, where a -man moved and breathed in momentary peril, where cosmic debris formed -arrow-swift reefs on which to founder, where star-born particles -traveled at unthinkable speeds out of the macrocosm seeking some -fragile microcosm to shatter.</p> - -<p>"Sun." Kaufman's voice echoed tinnily inside the helmet. Morgan brought -his head down. There, ahead, a tinge of deep red edged a narrow segment -of the black Earth. The red brightened rapidly, and broadened. Morgan -reached to one side of his helmet and dropped a filter into place; he -continued to stare at the sun.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>McNary said, "Ten minutes to passage."</p> - -<p>Morgan unhooked one of the oxygen cylinders at his belt and said, "We -need some practice. We'd better try throwing one of these now; not -much time left." He turned sideways and made several throwing motions -with his right hand without releasing the cylinder. "Better lean -into it more than you would down below. Well, here goes." He pushed -the telephone line clear of his right side and leaned back, raising -his right arm. He began to lean forward. When it seemed that he must -topple, he snapped his arm down and threw the cylinder. The recoil -straightened him neatly, and he stood securely upright. The cylinder -shot out and down in a straight line and was quickly lost to sight.</p> - -<p>"Very nice," said McNary. "Good timing. I'll keep mine low too. No -sense cluttering the orbits up here with any more junk." Carefully -McNary leaned back, leaned forward, and threw. The second cylinder -followed the first, and McNary kept his footing.</p> - -<p>Without speaking Kaufman went through the preliminaries and launched -his cylinder. Morgan and McNary watched it speed into the distance. -"Shooting stars on Earth tonight," said McNary.</p> - -<p>"Quick! I'm off." It was Kaufman.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="650" height="472" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>"Quick! I'm off!"</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Morgan and McNary turned to see Kaufman floating several feet above the -satellite, and slowly receding. Morgan stepped toward him and scooped -up the telephone wire that ran to Kaufman's helmet. Kaufman swung -an arm in a circle so that it became entangled in the wire. Morgan -carefully drew the wire taut and checked Kaufman's outward motion. -Gently, so as not to snap the wire, he slowly reeled him in. McNary -grasped Kaufman's shoulders and turned him so that his feet touched the -metal shell of the satellite.</p> - -<p>McNary chuckled and said, "Why didn't you ride an oxygen cylinder down?"</p> - -<p>Kaufman grunted and said, "Oh, sure. I'll leave that to the idiots in -the movies; that's the only place a man can ride a cylinder in space." -He turned to Morgan. "Thanks. Do as much for you some day."</p> - -<p>"Hope you don't have to," Morgan answered. "Look, any throwing to be -done, you better leave it to Mac and me. We can't be fishing anyone -back if things get hot."</p> - -<p>"Right," said Kaufman. "I'll do what I can to fend off anything they -throw at us." He sniffed. "Be simpler if we have a collision."</p> - -<p>Morgan was staring to the left. He lifted a hand and pointed. "That -it?"</p> - -<p>The others squinted in that direction. After a moment they saw the spot -of light moving swiftly up and across the black backdrop of the naked -sky. "Must be," said Kaufman. "Right time, right place. Must be."</p> - -<p>Morgan promptly turned his back on the sun and closed his eyes; he -would need his best vision shortly now, and he wanted his pupils -dilated as much as possible. "Make anything out yet?" he said.</p> - -<p>"No. Little brighter."</p> - -<p>Morgan stood without moving. He could feel the heat on his back as his -suit seized the radiant energy from the sun and converted it to heat. -He grew warm at the back, yet his front remained cold. The sensation -was familiar, and Morgan sought to place it. Yes, that was it—a -fireplace. He felt as does a man who stands in a cold room with his -back toward a roaring fire. One side toasted, the other side frigid. -Funny, the homey sensations, even here.</p> - -<p>"Damn face plate." It was Kaufman. He had scraped the front of his -helmet against the outside hatch a week ago. Since then the scratches -distracted him every time he wore the helmet.</p> - -<p>Morgan waited, and the exultation seethed and bubbled and fumed. -"Anything?" he said.</p> - -<p>"It's brighter," said McNary. "But—wait a minute, I can make it out. -They're outside, the three of them. I can just see them."</p> - -<p>It was time. Morgan turned to face the approaching satellite. He -raised a hand to shield his face plate from the sun and carefully -opened his eyes. He shifted his hand into the proper position and -studied the other satellite.</p> - -<p>It was like their own, even to the three men standing on it, except -that the three were spaced further apart.</p> - -<p>"Any sign of a rifle or gun?" asked McNary.</p> - -<p>"Not that I see," said Morgan. "They're not close enough to tell."</p> - -<p>He watched the other satellite grow larger and he tried to judge -its course, but it was too far away. Although his eyes were on the -satellite, his side vision noted the bright-lit Earth below and the -stars beyond. A small part of his mind was amused by his own stubborn -egocentricity. Knowing well that he was moving and moving fast, he -still felt that he stood motionless while the rest of the universe -revolved around him. The great globe seemed to be majestically turning -under his rooted feet. The harsh brilliances that were the stars seemed -to sweep by overhead. And that oncoming satellite, it seemed not to -move so much as merely swell in size as he watched.</p> - -<p>One of the tiny figures on the other satellite shifted its position -toward the others. Sensitive to the smallest detail, Morgan said, "He -didn't clear a line when he walked. No telephone. They're on radio. See -if we can find the frequency. Mac, take the low. Shorty, the medium. -I'll take the high."</p> - -<p>Morgan reached to his helmet and began turning the channel selector, -hunting for the frequency the Russians were using. Kaufman found it. He -said, "Got it, I think. One twenty-eight point nine."</p> - -<p>Morgan set his selector, heard nothing at first. Then hard in his -ear burst an unintelligible sentence with the characteristic fruity -diphthongs of Russian. "I think that's it," he said.</p> - -<p>He watched, and the satellite increased in size. "No rifle or any other -weapon that I see," said Morgan. "But they <i>are</i> carrying a lot of -extra oxygen bottles."</p> - -<p>Kaufman grunted. McNary asked, "Can you tell if it's a collision course -yet? I can't."</p> - -<p>Morgan stared at the satellite through narrowed eyes, frowning in -concentration. "I think not. I think it'll cross our bow twenty or -thirty feet out; close but no collision."</p> - -<p>McNary's breath sounded loud in the helmet. "Good. Then we've nothing -but the men to worry about. I wonder how those boys pitch."</p> - -<p>Another burst of Russian came over the radio, and with it Morgan felt -himself slip into the relaxed state he knew so well. No longer was the -anticipation rising. He was ready now, in a state of calm, a deadly and -efficient calm—ready for the test. This was how it always was with him -when the time came, and the time was now.</p> - -<p>Morgan watched as the other satellite approached. His feet were apart -and his head turned sideways over his left shoulder. At a thousand -yards, he heard a mutter in Russian and saw the man at the stern start -moving rapidly toward the bow. His steps were long. Too long.</p> - -<p>Morgan saw the gap appear between the man and the surface of the other -ship, saw the legs kicking in a futile attempt to establish contact -again. The radio was alive with quick, short sentences, and the two -men turned and began to work their way swiftly toward the bit of human -jetsam that floated near them.</p> - -<p>"I'll be damned," said Kaufman. "They'll never make it."</p> - -<p>Morgan had seen that this was true. The gap between floating man -and ship widened faster than the gap between men and floating man -diminished. Without conscious thought or plan, Morgan leaned forward -and pulled the jack on the telephone line from McNary's helmet. He -leaned back and did the same to Kaufman, straightened and removed his -own. He threw a quick knot and gathered the line, forming a coil in -his left hand and one in his right, and leaving a large loop floating -near the ship in front of him. He stepped forward to clear Kaufman, and -twisted his body far around to the right. There he waited, eyes fixed -on the other satellite. He crouched slightly and began to lean forward, -far forward. At the proper moment he snapped both his arms around to -throw the line, the left hand throwing high, the right low. All his -sailor's skill went into that heave. As the other satellite swept -past, the line flew true to meet it. The floating man saw it coming -and grabbed it and wrapped it around his hand and shouted into the -radio. The call was not needed; the lower portion of the line struck -one of the walking men. He turned and pulled the line into his arms and -hauled it tight. The satellite was barely past when the bit of human -jetsam was returning to its metallic haven. The two men became three -again, and they turned to face the American satellite. As one man the -three raised both arms and waved. Still without thinking, Morgan found -himself raising an arm with Kaufman and McNary and waving back.</p> - -<p>He dropped his arm and watched the satellite shrink in size. The -calmness left him, replaced by a small spot of emptiness that grew -inside him, and grew and swelled and threatened to engulf him.</p> - -<p>Passage was ended, but the taste in his mouth was of ashes and not of -glory.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Satellite Passage, by Theodore L. 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Thomas - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Satellite Passage - -Author: Theodore L. Thomas - -Release Date: November 2, 2019 [EBook #60608] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SATELLITE PASSAGE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - SATELLITE PASSAGE - - BY THEODORE L. THOMAS - - _It had to come sooner or later--the - perilous moment when Our satellite - crossed the orbit of Theirs...._ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1958. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The three men bent over the chart and once again computed the orbit. It -was quiet in the satellite, a busy quiet broken by the click of seeking -microswitches and the gentle purr of smooth-running motors. The deep -pulsing throb of the air conditioner had stopped: the satellite was in -the Earth's shadow and there was no need for cooling the interior. - -"Well," said Morgan, "it checks. We'll pass within fifty feet of the -other satellite. Too close. Think we ought to move?" - -Kaufman looked at him and did not speak. McNary glanced up and snorted. -Morgan nodded. He said, "That's right. If there's any moving to be -done, let them do it." He felt a curious nascent emotion, a blend -of anger and exhilaration--very faint now, just strong enough to be -recognizable. The pencil snapped in his fingers, and he stared at it, -and smiled. - -Kaufman said, "Any way we can reline this a little? Fifty feet cuts it -kind of close." - -They were silent, and the murmuring of machinery filled the cramped -room. "How's this?" said McNary. "Wait till we see the other satellite, -take a couple of readings on it, and compute the orbit again. We'd have -about five minutes to make the calculations. Morgan here can do it in -less than that. Then we'd know if we're on a collision course." - -Morgan nodded. "We could do it that way." He studied the chart in front -of him. "The only thing, those boys on the other satellite will see -what we're doing. They'll know we're afraid of a collision. They'll -radio it down to Earth, and--you know the Russian mind--we'll lose -face." - -"That so bad?" asked Kaufman. - -Morgan stared at the chart. He answered softly, "Yes, I think it is. -The Russians will milk it dry if we make any move to get our satellite -out of the way of theirs. We can't do that to our people." - -McNary nodded. Kaufman said, "Agree. Just wanted to throw it out. We -stay put. We hit, we hit." - -The other two looked at Kaufman. The abrupt dismissal of a serious -problem was characteristic of the little astronomer; Kaufman wasted no -time with second guesses. A decision made was a fact accomplished; it -was over. - -Morgan glanced at McNary to see how he was taking it. McNary, now, big -as he was, was a worrier. He stood ready to change his mind at any -time, whenever some new alternative looked better. Only the soundness -of his judgment prevented his being putty in any strong hands. He was a -meteorologist, and a good one. - -"You know," said McNary, "I still can't quite believe it. Two -satellites, one pole-to-pole, the other equatorial, both having apogees -and perigees of different elevations--yet they wind up on what amounts -to a collision course." - -Morgan said, "That's what regression will do for you. But we haven't -got any time for that; we've got to think this out. Let's see, they'll -be coming up from below us at passage. Can we make anything of that?" - -There was silence while the three men considered it. Morgan's mind was -focussed on the thing that was about to happen; but wisps of memory -intruded. Faintly he could hear the waves, smell the bite in the salt -sea air. A man who had sailed a thirty-two-foot ketch alone into every -corner of the globe never thereafter quite lost the sound of the sea -in his ear. And the struggle, the duel, the strain of outguessing the -implacable elements, there was a test of a man.... - -"Better be outside in any case," said Kaufman. "Suited up and outside. -They'll see us, and know we intend to do nothing to avoid collision. -Also, we'll be in a better position to cope with anything that comes -along, if we're in the suits." - -Morgan and McNary nodded, and again there was talk. They discussed -the desirability of radio communication with the other satellite, and -decided against it. To keep their own conversations private, they -agreed to use telephone communication instead of radio. When the -discussion trailed off, Kaufman said, "Be some picture, if we have the -course computed right. We stand there and wave at 'em as they go by." - -Morgan tried to see it in his mind: three men standing on a long, slim -tube, and waving at three men on another. The first rocket passage, and -men waving. And then Morgan remembered something, and the image changed. - -He saw the flimsy, awkward planes sputtering past each other on the -morning's mission. The pilots, detached observers, non-combatants -really, waved at each other as the rickety planes passed. Kindred souls -they were, high above the walks of normal men. So they waved ... for a -while. - -Morgan said, "Do you suppose they'll try anything?" - -"Like what?" said Kaufman. - -"Like knocking us out of orbit if they can. Like shooting at us if they -have a gun. Like throwing something at us, if they've got nothing -better to do." - -"My God," said McNary, "you think they might have brought a gun up -here?" - -Morgan began examining the interior of the tiny cabin. Slowly he turned -his head, looking at one piece of equipment after another, visualizing -what was packed away under it and behind it. To the right of the radio -was the spacesuit locker, and his glance lingered there. He reached -over, opened the door and slipped a hand under the suits packed in -the locker. For a moment he fumbled and then he sat back holding an -oxygen flask in his hand. He hefted the small steel flask and looked at -Kaufman. "Can you think of anything better than this for throwing?" - -Kaufman took it and hefted it in his turn, and passed it to McNary. -McNary did the same and then carefully held it in front of him and -took his hand away. The flask remained poised in mid-air, motionless. -Kaufman shook his head and said. "I can't think of anything better. -It's got good mass, fits the hand well. It'll do." - -Morgan said, "Another thing. We clip extra flasks to our belts and they -look like part of the standard equipment. It won't be obvious that -we're carrying something we can throw." - -McNary gently pushed the flask toward Morgan, who caught it and -replaced it. McNary said, "I used to throw a hot pass at Berkeley. I -wonder how the old arm is." - -The discussion went on. At one point the radio came to life and -Kaufman had a lengthy conversation with one of the control points on -the surface of the planet below. They talked in code. It was agreed -that the American satellite should not move to make room for the other, -and this information was carefully leaked so the Russians would be -aware of the decision. - -The only difficulty was that the Russians also leaked the information -that their satellite would not move, either. - -A final check of the two orbits revealed no change. Kaufman switched -off the set. - -"That," he said, "is the whole of it." - -"They're leaving us pretty much on our own," said McNary. - -"Couldn't be any other way," Morgan answered. "We're the ones at the -scene. Besides--" he smiled his tight smile--"they trust us." - -Kaufman snorted. "Ought to. They went to enough trouble to pick us." - -McNary looked at the chronometer and said, "Three quarters of an hour -to passage. We'd better suit up." - - * * * * * - -Morgan nodded and reached again into the suit locker. The top suit was -McNary's, and as he worked his way into it, Morgan and Kaufman pressed -against the walls to give him room. Kaufman was next, and then Morgan. -They sat out the helmets, and while Kaufman and McNary made a final -check of the equipment, Morgan took several sights to verify their -position. - -"Luck," said Kaufman, and dropped his helmet over his head. The others -followed and they all went through the air-sealing check-off. They -passed the telephone wire around, and tested the circuit. Morgan handed -out extra oxygen flasks, three for each. Kaufman waved, squeezed into -the air lock and pulled the hatch closed behind him. McNary went next, -then Morgan. - -Morgan carefully pulled himself erect alongside the outer hatch and -plugged the telephone jack into his helmet. As he straightened, he saw -the Earth directly in front of him. It loomed large, visible as a great -mass of blackness cutting off the harsh white starshine. The blackness -was smudged with irregular patches of orangish light that marked the -cities of Earth. - -Morgan became aware that McNary, beside him, was pointing toward the -center of the Earth. Following the line of his finger Morgan could see -a slight flicker of light against the blackness; it was so faint that -he had to look above it to see it. - -"Storm," said McNary. "Just below the equator. It must be a pip if we -can see the lightning through the clouds from here. I've been watching -it develop for the last two days." - -Morgan stared, and nodded to himself. He knew what it was like down -there. The familiar feeling was building up, stronger now as the -time to passage drew closer. First the waiting. The sea, restless -in expectancy as the waves tossed their hoary manes. The gathering -majesty of the elements, reaching, searching, striving.... And if at -the height of the contest the screaming wind snatched up and smothered -a defiant roar from a mortal throat, there was none to tell of it. - -Then the time came when the forces waned. A slight let-up at first, -then another. Soon the toothed and jagged edge of the waves subsided, -the hard side-driven spray and rain assumed a more normal direction. - -The man looked after the departing storm, and there was pain in his -eyes, longing. Almost, the words rose to his lips, "Come back, I am -still here, do not leave me, come back." But the silent supplication -went unanswered, and the man was left with a taste of glory gone, -with an emptiness that drained the soul. The encounter had ended, the -man had won. But the winning was bitter. The hard fight was not hard -enough. Somewhere there must be a test sufficient to try the mettle of -this man. Somewhere there was a crucible hot enough to float any dross. -But where? The man searched and searched, but could not find it. - -Morgan turned his head away from the storm and saw that Kaufman and -McNary had walked to the top of the satellite. Carefully he turned his -body and began placing one foot in front of the other to join them. -Yes, he thought, men must always be on top, even if the top is only a -state of mind. Here on the outer surface of the satellite, clinging -to the metallic skin with shoes of magnetized alloy, there was no -top. One direction was the same as another, as with a fly walking on a -chandelier. Yet some primordial impulse drove a man to that position -which he considered the top, drove him to stand with his feet pointed -toward the Earth and his head toward the outer reaches where the stars -moved. - -Walking under these conditions was difficult, so Morgan moved with -care. The feet could easily tread ahead of the man without his knowing -it, or they could lag behind. A slight unthinking motion could detach -the shoes from the satellite, leaving the man floating free, unable to -return. So Morgan moved with care, keeping the telephone line clear -with one hand. - -When he reached the others, Morgan stopped and looked around. The sight -always gave him pause. It was not pretty; rather, it was harsh and -garish like the raucous illumination of a honkytonk saloon. The black -was too black, and the stars burned too white. Everything appeared -sharp and hard, with none of the softness seen from the Earth. - -Morgan stared, and his lips curled back over his teeth. The -anticipation inside him grew greater. No sound and fury here; the -menace was of a different sort. Looming, quietly foreboding, it was -everywhere. - -Morgan leaned back to look overhead, and his lips curled further. -This was where it might come, this was the place. Raw space, where a -man moved and breathed in momentary peril, where cosmic debris formed -arrow-swift reefs on which to founder, where star-born particles -traveled at unthinkable speeds out of the macrocosm seeking some -fragile microcosm to shatter. - -"Sun." Kaufman's voice echoed tinnily inside the helmet. Morgan brought -his head down. There, ahead, a tinge of deep red edged a narrow segment -of the black Earth. The red brightened rapidly, and broadened. Morgan -reached to one side of his helmet and dropped a filter into place; he -continued to stare at the sun. - - * * * * * - -McNary said, "Ten minutes to passage." - -Morgan unhooked one of the oxygen cylinders at his belt and said, "We -need some practice. We'd better try throwing one of these now; not -much time left." He turned sideways and made several throwing motions -with his right hand without releasing the cylinder. "Better lean -into it more than you would down below. Well, here goes." He pushed -the telephone line clear of his right side and leaned back, raising -his right arm. He began to lean forward. When it seemed that he must -topple, he snapped his arm down and threw the cylinder. The recoil -straightened him neatly, and he stood securely upright. The cylinder -shot out and down in a straight line and was quickly lost to sight. - -"Very nice," said McNary. "Good timing. I'll keep mine low too. No -sense cluttering the orbits up here with any more junk." Carefully -McNary leaned back, leaned forward, and threw. The second cylinder -followed the first, and McNary kept his footing. - -Without speaking Kaufman went through the preliminaries and launched -his cylinder. Morgan and McNary watched it speed into the distance. -"Shooting stars on Earth tonight," said McNary. - -"Quick! I'm off." It was Kaufman. - -[Illustration: "Quick! I'm off!"] - -Morgan and McNary turned to see Kaufman floating several feet above the -satellite, and slowly receding. Morgan stepped toward him and scooped -up the telephone wire that ran to Kaufman's helmet. Kaufman swung -an arm in a circle so that it became entangled in the wire. Morgan -carefully drew the wire taut and checked Kaufman's outward motion. -Gently, so as not to snap the wire, he slowly reeled him in. McNary -grasped Kaufman's shoulders and turned him so that his feet touched the -metal shell of the satellite. - -McNary chuckled and said, "Why didn't you ride an oxygen cylinder down?" - -Kaufman grunted and said, "Oh, sure. I'll leave that to the idiots in -the movies; that's the only place a man can ride a cylinder in space." -He turned to Morgan. "Thanks. Do as much for you some day." - -"Hope you don't have to," Morgan answered. "Look, any throwing to be -done, you better leave it to Mac and me. We can't be fishing anyone -back if things get hot." - -"Right," said Kaufman. "I'll do what I can to fend off anything they -throw at us." He sniffed. "Be simpler if we have a collision." - -Morgan was staring to the left. He lifted a hand and pointed. "That -it?" - -The others squinted in that direction. After a moment they saw the spot -of light moving swiftly up and across the black backdrop of the naked -sky. "Must be," said Kaufman. "Right time, right place. Must be." - -Morgan promptly turned his back on the sun and closed his eyes; he -would need his best vision shortly now, and he wanted his pupils -dilated as much as possible. "Make anything out yet?" he said. - -"No. Little brighter." - -Morgan stood without moving. He could feel the heat on his back as his -suit seized the radiant energy from the sun and converted it to heat. -He grew warm at the back, yet his front remained cold. The sensation -was familiar, and Morgan sought to place it. Yes, that was it--a -fireplace. He felt as does a man who stands in a cold room with his -back toward a roaring fire. One side toasted, the other side frigid. -Funny, the homey sensations, even here. - -"Damn face plate." It was Kaufman. He had scraped the front of his -helmet against the outside hatch a week ago. Since then the scratches -distracted him every time he wore the helmet. - -Morgan waited, and the exultation seethed and bubbled and fumed. -"Anything?" he said. - -"It's brighter," said McNary. "But--wait a minute, I can make it out. -They're outside, the three of them. I can just see them." - -It was time. Morgan turned to face the approaching satellite. He -raised a hand to shield his face plate from the sun and carefully -opened his eyes. He shifted his hand into the proper position and -studied the other satellite. - -It was like their own, even to the three men standing on it, except -that the three were spaced further apart. - -"Any sign of a rifle or gun?" asked McNary. - -"Not that I see," said Morgan. "They're not close enough to tell." - -He watched the other satellite grow larger and he tried to judge -its course, but it was too far away. Although his eyes were on the -satellite, his side vision noted the bright-lit Earth below and the -stars beyond. A small part of his mind was amused by his own stubborn -egocentricity. Knowing well that he was moving and moving fast, he -still felt that he stood motionless while the rest of the universe -revolved around him. The great globe seemed to be majestically turning -under his rooted feet. The harsh brilliances that were the stars seemed -to sweep by overhead. And that oncoming satellite, it seemed not to -move so much as merely swell in size as he watched. - -One of the tiny figures on the other satellite shifted its position -toward the others. Sensitive to the smallest detail, Morgan said, "He -didn't clear a line when he walked. No telephone. They're on radio. See -if we can find the frequency. Mac, take the low. Shorty, the medium. -I'll take the high." - -Morgan reached to his helmet and began turning the channel selector, -hunting for the frequency the Russians were using. Kaufman found it. He -said, "Got it, I think. One twenty-eight point nine." - -Morgan set his selector, heard nothing at first. Then hard in his -ear burst an unintelligible sentence with the characteristic fruity -diphthongs of Russian. "I think that's it," he said. - -He watched, and the satellite increased in size. "No rifle or any other -weapon that I see," said Morgan. "But they _are_ carrying a lot of -extra oxygen bottles." - -Kaufman grunted. McNary asked, "Can you tell if it's a collision course -yet? I can't." - -Morgan stared at the satellite through narrowed eyes, frowning in -concentration. "I think not. I think it'll cross our bow twenty or -thirty feet out; close but no collision." - -McNary's breath sounded loud in the helmet. "Good. Then we've nothing -but the men to worry about. I wonder how those boys pitch." - -Another burst of Russian came over the radio, and with it Morgan felt -himself slip into the relaxed state he knew so well. No longer was the -anticipation rising. He was ready now, in a state of calm, a deadly and -efficient calm--ready for the test. This was how it always was with him -when the time came, and the time was now. - -Morgan watched as the other satellite approached. His feet were apart -and his head turned sideways over his left shoulder. At a thousand -yards, he heard a mutter in Russian and saw the man at the stern start -moving rapidly toward the bow. His steps were long. Too long. - -Morgan saw the gap appear between the man and the surface of the other -ship, saw the legs kicking in a futile attempt to establish contact -again. The radio was alive with quick, short sentences, and the two -men turned and began to work their way swiftly toward the bit of human -jetsam that floated near them. - -"I'll be damned," said Kaufman. "They'll never make it." - -Morgan had seen that this was true. The gap between floating man -and ship widened faster than the gap between men and floating man -diminished. Without conscious thought or plan, Morgan leaned forward -and pulled the jack on the telephone line from McNary's helmet. He -leaned back and did the same to Kaufman, straightened and removed his -own. He threw a quick knot and gathered the line, forming a coil in -his left hand and one in his right, and leaving a large loop floating -near the ship in front of him. He stepped forward to clear Kaufman, and -twisted his body far around to the right. There he waited, eyes fixed -on the other satellite. He crouched slightly and began to lean forward, -far forward. At the proper moment he snapped both his arms around to -throw the line, the left hand throwing high, the right low. All his -sailor's skill went into that heave. As the other satellite swept -past, the line flew true to meet it. The floating man saw it coming -and grabbed it and wrapped it around his hand and shouted into the -radio. The call was not needed; the lower portion of the line struck -one of the walking men. He turned and pulled the line into his arms and -hauled it tight. The satellite was barely past when the bit of human -jetsam was returning to its metallic haven. The two men became three -again, and they turned to face the American satellite. As one man the -three raised both arms and waved. Still without thinking, Morgan found -himself raising an arm with Kaufman and McNary and waving back. - -He dropped his arm and watched the satellite shrink in size. The -calmness left him, replaced by a small spot of emptiness that grew -inside him, and grew and swelled and threatened to engulf him. - -Passage was ended, but the taste in his mouth was of ashes and not of -glory. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Satellite Passage, by Theodore L. 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