The Sunspacers Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page B

blinked and we saw a 3-D view of Brazil next to a sparkling ocean; The holo blinked again, showing stars and the glowing, deep-violet curve of the planetary horizon. We were coming out of an ocean of air into the splendor of Sunspace, pushed outward from the cradle of life by the mirror image of Earth’s own attraction. The ship had its own maneuvering engines, of course, but the short passage to Lunar Orbit did not require a fully powered trajectory. We would be in the weightlessness of free fall all the way to the Bernal Cluster.
    “We’ll be reaching a speed of eighty thousand kilometers per hour,” the whispery voice said, “but allowing for slowing and maneuvering, the journey will take about twelve hours. Enjoy your trip and use caution in moving around. Zero-g pills will be dispensed by the steward to those passengers who may need them.” The voice seemed to chuckle for an instant.
    “May I help you?” a steward asked from the passageway.
    Morey grabbed the pills and swallowed them with water from a squeezeball. I hadn’t noticed how sick he had become.
    The steward looked at me. “How about you?”
    “No, thanks,” I said, even though my stomach gurgled a bit.
    “You’d better,” he insisted.
    I took the pills and forced down the water, noticing that Morey seemed a bit relieved that I wasn’t immune. He had obviously been trying to hide his discomfort ever since the air shuttle.
    “Thanks,” Morey said, passing my squeezeball back to the steward.
    “I’m Jake LeStrange. I’ll be here if you need me. If you want a snack or drink, just push the button. The slots aren’t working yet.” He spoke with his lips close together, as if he had something in his mouth. His hair was cut down to a stubble on his skull; some of it seemed gray, but he looked young.
    “No food,” Morey said. “Don’t even mention it.”
    “Barf bags are here,” Jake said, pointing, and floated away.
    Morey took a deep breath. “I see this … mess sloshing in my gut. Hope you’re not going to eat anything.”
    “I don’t feel too good myself,” I said, even though I was actually feeling much better than Morey.
    Stars showed on the screen. Earth’s sky was behind us.
    “You may have a more direct experience, if you wish,” the whispery voice said, “by using the personal viewer.” A slot opened under the screen. I pulled out the goggle-like viewer on its cable.
    “Want to look?” I asked Morey.
    “Not now.”
    I put it on and looked out through the ship’s eyes, into a deep blackness filled with stars. It was not the same as looking at a holoscreen; this was 3-D without a frame. I was out in space without a suit, yet safe from the heat and cold and lack of air.
    I looked back at Earth and saw the glow of its atmosphere, that protective membrane which filtered sunlight down to just the right intensity. The planet seemed safe and peaceful, a good firm place to put your feet. Of course, it was a safe home only because we had adapted to the amounts of sunlight it received, though not perfectly; we could stand up in its gravity and breathe the air, though not without some difficulties. The planet was safe, except for natural disasters, which still killed too many people.
    But life had a good chance on Earth. It was still the main home of humankind, and a better place than it had been during the twentieth century, when irresponsible forms of technology and industrialization had endangered the whole planet, even while making it possible to support the largest number of people in all history.
    Things had improved when people had pioneered Sunspace, gradually taking the dirtiest industries out into that vastness of resources and the Sun’s streaming energy. Earth was recovering because people had learned to see it as I was now seeing it, as only one place, not the whole universe.
    Earth was a huge organism, alive because death was part of its recycling system. I don’t think human beings had ever forgiven it that, as