Sword of the Lamb Read Online Free PDF Page B

was the first SynchShift—or SS, which is even easier—ship launched?”
    Rich answered, “3078 The
Double Star
, under Commander Izak Samovi.”
    “Indeed. One of the few genuine heroes left us by history. Now, what about the year 3084?”
    Both spoke in unison, but Rich was a split-second ahead of his brother.
    “The first permanent colony in the Alpha Centauri A system. Leda on Pollux, in the Twin Planets.”
    “Very good.” Rovere marked another point. “Why are they called the
Twin
Planets, by the way? Alex? A bonus point.”
    “Because they revolve around each other, or rather a common center of gravity, and when they were first seen they looked like—well, twin stars.”
    “And a welcome sight they must’ve been since they fall within the life zone.”
    Rich said, “Pollux does, but Castor’s a vacuum colony.”
    Rovere smiled as Alexand reminded his brother, “It may not be comfortable for human life, but it does fall within the life zone limits because it has a thin atmosphere and—”
    “All right, I know. And even some fairly advanced life forms. Still, I think Pollux was a lot more welcome sight.”
    Rovere said, “I’m sure it was; it’s called Terra’s twin. But back to Castor. When was the first colony established there?”
    Rich was first with, “3084. The city of Helen.”
    “And the three Inner Planets?”
    “Perseus in 3085, Dionysus and Pan in . . . 3087.”
    “And the remaining planets of Alpha Centauri A?”
    Rich gave a short laugh, suggesting that Rovere should realize that he knew better.
    “Tityus and Hercules are gaseous giants, and they’ll never be colonized. Not by human beings. And none of their satellites has been colonized yet. But Tityus was
discovered
in 3085 and Hercules in 3086.”
    Rovere smiled at that. “Correct, Rich. Apparently I’ve done a good job with the two of you in history, at least. What are the dates for the Confederation extrasolar exploration phase and how many expeditions were there?”
    “3078 to 3104,” Rich answered, “and I think there were eighteen expeditions to eight different stars. Let’s see . . . well, the Centauri System, of course; Proxima and Alpha A and B. Then Barnard’s star, Lalande, Sirius A, Epsilon Eridani, 61 Cygni A, Procyon A, and Kapteyn’s star.”
    “Excellent, and in perfect order, I believe. All right, Alex, I’ll give you a chance for a bonus point. What did the Confederation’s stellar explorers find in those star systems?”
    Alexand stretched his legs and crossed his ankles, his first response to the question a brief laugh.
    “Enough information to keep astronomers and astrophyicists busy correlating it for decades, but not much in the way of habitable planets or satellites, and that’s what the Lords of the Confederation were looking for. Three of the stars didn’t have any planets at all. Barnard’s star and Cygni had some gaseous giants, a couple of them protosuns. The Confederation had some luck with Sirius and Procyon. Ivanoi and Cameroodo set up outposts on the four inner planets of Sirius, and I think on one of Procyon’s planets. But if they had ever actually been colonized, it would have to be with habitat systems. There weren’t any new Terras like Pollux.” He paused for a moment, his gaze turned up toward the blue morning sky as if he were seeing the stars behind it. Then he shook his head slowly. “The Concord hasn’t fared any better with its expeditions.”
    Rovere nodded, recognizing the regret in that. “We haven’t yet, at least. What stars has the Concord explored?”
    Both boys had the answer, but Rich was a little faster. “Kruger 60 A and B, Van Maanen’s star, and Altair.”
    Alexand added, “The Concord also sent expeditions back to Sirius and Procyon.”
    “That’s right, Alex,” Rovere said. “When was the last Concord stellar expedition?”
    Again, the two were almost in unison with the answer, but Alexand let Rich take it.
    “That was the Altair expedition.