Welcome to Green Comet

Are you interested in lucid dreaming or ball lightning? How about the feet of geckos or spiders? The aquatic ape? Cave art? Maybe you like clouds. You might have a fascination with out-of-body or near-death experiences, collective nouns or synesthesia. You can find all that and more here. Just use the handy little search bar.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff here, but mostly this website exists as a place for the Green Comet trilogy and my other novels to live. Please sign the guest book.

These free novels, Creative Commons licensed Green Comet, and its sequels Parasite Puppeteers and The Francesians, tell an expansive story of love and adventure on an inhabited comet. To learn more about the trilogy, and for samples, visit the Welcome page. To download the books, visit the Books for Free page. The novels The Plainsrunner, The Prime, Sunward and the Vin Stone series are available through the Books for Sale page. To listen to the Okanagan Reader, visit the Audio page or the YouTube channel.

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Creative Commons – The Plainsrunner – Chapter Forty-Four

Continuing the serial release of The Plainsrunner under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license – (CC-BY-SA).

They finally get to see what is at the L1 Lagrange point. This chapter is a little longer.

Please join in the conversation. If you like this, let someone know so they can enjoy it, too.

rjb

Chapter Forty-Four – The Thing at L1

“Everything is fine, Mom.” Tallgrass was talking to his mother during their free radio time. They were just past the halfway point. The flip maneuver was done, including all the observations and calculations to make sure they were still on course. The ion engine was back on and they were in deceleration mode. The next major point in the mission would be arrival at L1, in half a week.

“Of course everything is fine,” said Sage, after the three second light speed delay. “I want to know about you. How do you feel? What’s it like to be so far out there?”

Tallgrass knew that his crewmates were listening, even if they were trying to look as if they were doing something else. Blunt wasn’t even trying. He was staring and smirking. “I feel fine, Mom. What’s it like? I haven’t really had time to think about it. We’re halfway, so I guess we’ll be there soon.”

Another pause, with Tallgrass trying to ignore Blunt’s smirk. Then Sage said, “So you’re getting close. Can you see anything at L1?”

“Not really. We’re still half a million kilometers away, and we don’t have much of a telescope.” He called up their latest image on his screen. “It kind of looks like there’s something big there, but it’s really blurry. It could be anything.” He dismissed the image and said, “You’ve got the same pictures there, Mom.”

“I know,” she said. “It’s just that I waited so long to talk to you, and now I can’t think of anything to say to my brave hero.”

“Mom!” he said. “You know we’re on an open speaker here, don’t you? And I’m no brave hero. If there are any heroes, it’s Seagrass. And this isn’t brave compared to what you did.” He saw Supervisor Steel raise his head and look at him.

“You’re right. Seagrass is a hero. He’s right here beside me with a big smile on. But you’re a hero, too. All four of you That’s what everybody down here thinks, so you’d better get used to it.” Tallgrass moaned, and his mother went on. “And you are so brave. If what I did was brave, then so is this, if in a different way. On my trek I had to meet immediate, personal danger every day. Then there was the city, which was its own thing. On the other hand you seem to have compressed it all down into this two week period.” She paused briefly, keeping her microphone open. “This is at least as big as what I did, son,” she finished.

Tallgrass saw Steel nod and put his head back down. He said, “Okay, Mom. I’m a brave hero.” He smirked back at Blunt, then said, “So, how’s everybody there? Moonshadow? Digger and Street? Seagrass’s mom and dad?”

“They’re all fine, and they’re all pulling for you. Do you remember after Moonshadow moved out, when she went into business for herself? Well, just this week she opened a franchise in another city. She calls the company Moonshadow Services, and she takes on people who have worked for me, like her. Or she takes some straight from Digger.” She snorted. “Of course, you know all that. But she’s doing really well and I’m so proud of her. And get this. Digger has set up a kind of franchise over there, too. You know he’s been training people to do what he does. Saving newcomers. Well, now he’s doing that in another city.” She sighed with satisfaction, and he could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “So, yes, everybody here is fine.”

Tallgrass said, “That’s great. I’m really happy for Moonshadow. She was always nice to me. And Digger. If anyone is a hero, it would be Digger. With all the good he does, and hardly anyone notices. How many lives has he saved?”

“Yes,” she said after the delay. “A lot. Mine included, probably. I keep thinking there should be something more I could do for him, but he won’t let me. He brings people to me when he needs to, and he’ll take a little money once in a while when someone needs it, but he won’t accept anything on a regular basis. Nothing official or permanent.”

“He told me once that he didn’t want it to become like a job,” said Tallgrass.

“That’s right,” said Sage. “If it ever got to be like a job, then it would be time to pack it in, he said.” She sighed again, then said, “It looks like my time is up, so I’d better let you go. Be safe, Tallgrass. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom. Say hello to everybody for me. It was good to hear your voice.”

By the end of the next day the big object at L1 was getting clearer. They weren’t able to tell for sure whether it was a single object, though. It could have been two or more things lined up to look like one from their angle. That was improbable, but couldn’t be ruled out. One thing they could tell, even though the image was still blurry, was that it had an irregular outline.

As they got closer it became obvious that it was a single object. Its shape didn’t change. If it were several objects then they would have expected them to move relative to each other, changing the overall shape. With that mystery solved, two big ones remained. First, how could something that big get captured at the Lagrangian? The interactions of the gravity of Grasswind and its star would be too small to stop something that massive, unless it was hardly moving at all. Tallgrass calculated it and decided that the only way it could have happened was if the object’s speed almost exactly matched Grasswind’s orbital speed, precisely when it was passing through that small volume of space. Improbable, but not impossible.

The other mystery was more difficult to solve. In the whole time they had been observing it, from the first blurry blob until now, it hadn’t changed its shape. As the image gradually improved, they were able to tell that it was an oblong, with a length to width ratio of about five to one. That ratio hadn’t changed in several days of observations, which defied all probability. It meant either that the object wasn’t rotating at all, which was highly unlikely, or if it was rotating, it had to be a disk or a square with its axis of rotation exactly vertical relative to them. The odds of that were practically non-existent.

The improbabilities were adding up, and there was more. They weren’t able to pick out anything else there. In spite of near-continuous observation, they hadn’t found even one other object trapped at L1. Again, there was a barely plausible explanation. It was possible that the big one had destroyed all the smaller ones in collisions, or even ejected them right out of there. Another thing that had to be just-so to be true. But even worse than that was the size of the thing. They ran the calculations many times, double-checking and triple-checking each other’s work. They didn’t want to report back to Mission Control with something this ridiculous, and then turn out to be wrong. Finally they had to accept it. There was no other explanation. The long axis on the object was a hundred kilometers.

“That’s impossible,” said Specialist Wayfarer.

“Yes,” said Tallgrass. “Not literally impossible of course, since it’s there, but I know what you mean. The chance of this happening naturally is effectively zero.”

Steel stared at him. “Are you saying somebody put it there?” he snapped.

Tallgrass hesitated. He didn’t want to say that, but what choice did he have? He said, “Given all the possibilities, I think that one is the least unlikely.”

Blunt said, “Whoa, Run- … Runner. Don’t commit yourself or anything.”

But Steel was nodding his head. He said, “I have to agree. It is the least unlikely explanation. But who was it? Was it our ancestors when they were going to space? When they went to Sunward? Or did someone actually come here from another star way back when and destroy our civilization?”

Tallgrass said, “And if they did, where did they go? And why did they leave this behind?”

Wayfarer gasped. “What if they didn’t go anywhere?” she said. “What if they’re still here, living in that thing?”

Everyone was quiet, then Blunt said, “We don’t have the weapons to fight something like that.”

“We’re not in a position to fight anything,” said Steel. “We’ll just have to hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“You’re still planning to go there?” said Blunt. “To go up against that thing?” He pointed at the display, still showing the huge, ominous object.

“I’m planning to complete our mission,” said Steel.

“But that’s crazy,” said Blunt. “I think we should abort the mission and go back to Grasswind.” He pointed at Wayfarer. “Call Mission Control,” he said.

Wayfarer looked at Steel, who said, “Yes, Specialist Wayfarer, call them.”

Mission Control left it up to them. They wouldn’t be ordered to continue with the original mission. If they thought it would be too dangerous to confront whatever was at L1, then they could alter their flight plan and return to Grasswind. No one would censure or discipline them for their decision. It would be good to have as much information as possible, of course. Future missions would need to know as much as possible so they could prepare adequately. Grasswind itself needed the information so it could assess the danger, if there was any.

Supervisor Steel asked them all for their input, but he made it clear that the ultimate decision would be his. He just wanted their opinions to factor into it.

Blunt was first. “I vote we turn back,” he said, “before they see us.”

“Thank you, Blunt,” said Steel. “Wayfarer? What do you think?”

She thought about it, her head turned in the general direction of L1. She glanced at the display, still showing the object, then said, “I don’t think we have enough information to decide. We need to get closer and find out more.”

Blunt muttered something, and Steel glared at him before saying, “What about you, Tallgrass?”

“I agree with Wayfarer,” said Tallgrass. “But there’s something else I think we need to consider.”

“Go ahead,” said Steel.

Tallgrass took a moment to organize his thoughts, then said, “Given how long that thing has been there – thousands of years, if we’re correct – it’s not likely that it would have maintained this stable configuration.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning either it has excellent automatic control mechanisms, or there’s someone there making sure it keeps station.”

Steel nodded. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he said. “It leads to some obvious conclusions. If it has automatic systems good enough to keep it on station for that long, then it might have equally good defensive systems. Conversely, if there are people living on it, then they might want to protect it. Either way it’s possible we could be flying into trouble.”

Tallgrass nodded, and Blunt said, “Yeah! We should turn around now.”

Steel said, “You’ve had your say, Blunt. We all know what you think.” To Tallgrass he said, “But you agree with Wayfarer. You think we need to know more.”

“Yes,” said Tallgrass. “We need to gather as much information as we can. For future missions and for Grasswind.” He smiled. “Mostly, though, I just want to know. I can’t come all the way out here and see that, and then just leave it.”

Steel smiled too. “I know just what you mean,” he said. “I didn’t come all the way out here to turn and run at the first sign of trouble.” He drew himself up formally and said, “So that’s my decision. We continue. We gather as much information as possible. We review our options as we go.”

Tallgrass and Wayfarer nodded and murmured their agreement as they headed back to their stations, but Blunt said, “I’m going along with this, but I’m officially registering my disagreement.”

“That’s your right,” said Steel. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my alcove. Wayfarer, advise Mission Control of our decision.”

The information kept coming in. By the last day, when they were well under a hundred thousand kilometers from it, they could see that it looked like a collection of bits and pieces. It looked as if someone had taken all the debris there and stuck it together. Closer yet, it became clear that there was a structure underneath the rubble, which had just been stuck onto it. They were looking at something – a habitat or a huge vessel – built by someone, who then went to the trouble of gathering up all the material around and attaching it to the hull. They were in awe of the accomplishment, but they were still able to wonder why anyone would want to do that.

In the final hours, when they were only a thousand kilometers out and their thrusters had reduced their speed to nearly match the velocity of the object, Wayfarer gave a surprised shout.

“What is it, Specialist Wayfarer?” asked Steel.

“There’s something else there, sir,” she said. “Here, I’ll put it on all your screens.”

“What …” said Steel. “Oh, I see it. Extending away from the long edge. What’s that, about a thirty degree angle? It’s thin. Just a line. The Sun must have caught it just right.” He looked at her. “Can you estimate how long it is?”

“No, sir,” she said. “It just keeps going until it kind of fades out.”

“Can you estimate the part you can see?”

“Yes, sir. Right where it fades out, it’s just under three thousand kilometers from the main body.”

“Three thousand!” Steel shook his head. “Who were these people?”

“I don’t know, but they sure built big.”

“They sure did,” said Steel. “Right. Specialist Blunt, please alter course to bring us to one hundred kilometers from this thing, right where the line joins the main body.”

“Yes, sir,” said Blunt, his hands trembling slightly as he worked his controls.

Over the next few hours the object grew until it seemed to fill half the sky.

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Creative Commons – The Plainsrunner – Chapter Forty-Three

Continuing the serial release of The Plainsrunner under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license – (CC-BY-SA).

Blunt turns over a new leaf.

Please join in the conversation. If you like this, let someone know so they can enjoy it, too.

rjb

Chapter Forty-Three – The Apology

The next day they settled into the routine they would follow for most of the flight. Since they each slept for one-third of the day, and there were four of them, it didn’t naturally come out even the way the space station did. What they did instead meant that sometimes all four of them would be up together for a few hours, at other times three of them, and never less than two. The schedule ensured that all combinations would occur at least once during the trip. This morning saw Tallgrass paired up with Wayfarer, while Steel and Blunt slept.

Tallgrass said, “How far are we now, Wayfarer?”

She laughed. “Are you going to ask me that every five minutes?”

“No,” he said archly, his chin up and his nostrils flared. “Only every time we’re on shift together. And maybe when you’re on and I’m not. And when I get up. And …”

“Okay,” she said, still laughing. “I get the picture.” She checked her instruments, looked at the ship’s clock, which displayed the flight time elapsed, and punched the keys on her calculator. She said, “We appear to be just over two hundred thousand kilometers out.”

That was just over one-fifth of the distance to Grasswind’s L1 Lagrange point. “Still right on schedule then,” he said.

“Yes,” she said. “On schedule and all systems functioning normally.”

“And the flip will be the day after tomorrow.”

“First thing,” she said. “According to our shift schedule, you’re going to be sleeping at the time.”

“No,” he said. “I might be scheduled to be sleeping, but I’m going to be up for that, if only to make sure Blunt doesn’t mess it up.”

“Hey,” she said. “He’s still part of the crew.”

“You’re right,” he said. “I should probably give him the benefit of the doubt. But I’ve known him a lot longer than you have, and he hasn’t changed much in all that time.”

“I know,” she said. “I know you guys have a history. But what’s done is done. Time for a fresh start.”

“Yes,” he said. “A fresh start.”

“Speaking of fresh,” she said, “have you noticed the sanitary facilities?”

“No. What about them?”

“They’re really fresh and clean lately. I noticed after Blunt got dressed down by Supervisor Steel.”

“Come to think of it …” said Tallgrass.

“I think he’s really taking his maintenance duties seriously now.”

“You could be right. Maybe he can change after all.”

“I think so,” she said. Then she quietly added, “Do you think he really would have done it?”

He thought he knew what she meant, but he asked anyway. “Do I think who would do what?”

“Supervisor Steel. Do you think he really would have, you know, put Blunt out the airlock?”

Tallgrass thought about it, then he said, “Not for that, no. But for something that was a real threat to the mission, and with no other option, yes.”

Wayfarer shuddered. He could see the ripples in her scales. Then she said, “Yes, me too.”

They looked at the curtains closed over two sleeping alcoves, then they looked at each other. After a long shared look, they turned their eyes down to their control panels.

After four hours it was time for Wayfarer to take her sleep break, and for Blunt to come on duty. Tallgrass was not looking forward to it. He’d have to spend four hours alone with Blunt before the Supervisor got up, then four hours with both of them before Wayfarer’s sleep period was over. Then all four of them would be up together for a while, until it was Tallgrass’s turn to sleep. Or, this time, not sleep while he observed the flip and the beginning of deceleration.

It was uncomfortable. Blunt freshened up in the sanitation alcove, and Wayfarer ducked into it as soon as he came out, leaving the two of them to work out their new relationship. They didn’t speak, and their eyes met only briefly before they ignored each other. Tallgrass even tried to get his prey eyes to not see Blunt. He couldn’t do it, but he tried.

He couldn’t help but notice, then, when Blunt floated over and hovered behind him. Tallgrass finished a scan of his panel, then turned around and waited. If Blunt wanted something, if there was something he wanted to say, then the next move was up to him.

It was clear that Blunt did want to say something. He kept beginning, and then stopping and looking everywhere but at Tallgrass, who continued to wait. He could have said something to help things along, but he didn’t see any reason to make it any easier. After almost a minute of awkward silence, Blunt took a big breath and let it out in a sigh, his shoulders slumping, then he said, “I want to apologize.” He stopped, peering at Tallgrass, who said nothing. “Okay, it’s up to me, I guess,” he said.

Tallgrass nodded.

Blunt continued, “So I want to apologize to you for pulling those pranks. I know it was wrong, now. I know that I endangered the mission a little bit. And I’m sorry I pulled the pranks on you and got you in trouble.” He stopped and crossed his arms, looking up from under his brow.

Tallgrass nodded again, then said, “Thank you, Blunt. That’s a big step, and I appreciate it. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you so, like I said, I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” said Blunt, turning to go back to his station. But he stopped and faced Tallgrass again. He said, “You still ratted me out, Runny. I’m not going to forget that.”

As Blunt turned away again, Tallgrass turned back to his panel, a tight, wry smile stretching his mouth.

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Creative Commons – The Plainsrunner – Chapter Forty-Two

Continuing the serial release of The Plainsrunner under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license – (CC-BY-SA).

Blunt goes too far.

Please join in the conversation. If you like this, let someone know so they can enjoy it, too.

rjb

Chapter Forty-Two – The Joke

Tallgrass knew a bit about machinery. He had seen working machinery, and he knew what a camshaft looked like. That’s how he visualized his mind looking as he tried to sort out the last couple of days. Everything that had happened was bright and clear in his mind. The problem was, there were so many of them that they kept bumping each other out of the way. They kept bobbing in and out of view like the cams on a camshaft.

The last week had been an agony. A combination of trying to get all the preparations for launch done in a rapidly diminishing time, and time seeming to drag as he looked forward to the day. The final two days were a flashing sequence of activities, including the send-off party, attended by nearly everyone who wasn’t on duty at the time. Everyone in Mission Control, from the Mission Control Specialists to the security guards, wanted to shake his hand and wish him luck. Then there were the last few hours where they were strapped into their acceleration harnesses, waiting for the moment to launch.

At last they took off, and that memory was one of noise and pressure and violent shaking, and the feelings of fear and excitement. Then they were on orbit, docking with the space station, meeting the crew, seeing their ship, the Emissary, for the first time, and accelerating out of Grasswind’s gravity well. A day later they were still getting used to their new surroundings when they lost Mission Control. And he almost lost Seagrass again, for the second time. And that made him think of the first time, in the auditorium, with the awful, bloody wounds on his friend’s body. And later, the shrunken form on the pad in the hospital room.

All this was jostling in Tallgrass’s mind as he stood, hovering at his station, staring at the instruments without seeing them. Instead he was seeing the faces of the people who shook his hand at the pre-launch party, and wondering which of them were among the twenty who were killed, and the ten who were injured. Then they bobbed out of sight as the camshaft turned, and up came something else.

He snorted and shook his head, then bore down hard on his instruments. The work he was trying to do now wasn’t critical. It wasn’t even scheduled. He was just doing it to try to occupy his mind, so he wouldn’t get caught up in an endless cycle of grief and speculation. He knew that his crewmates must be going through something similar. Supervisor Steel and Mission Specialist Wayfarer were in their respective alcoves with their curtains drawn. He guessed they were either sleeping, or in quiet contemplation. He knew everyone had their own way of dealing with things. He could sense Mission Specialist Blunt moving around, apparently tending to his maintenance duties.

Finally, after staring blindly at his instruments, he began to see them, and something was wrong. Nearly every instrument on his board was giving the wrong readings. Nothing was wildly wrong. Nothing was in a danger area and there were no alarms or warning lights activated. Everything was just a little bit off. He was checking knobs and tapping dials when Blunt said close behind him, “Problems, Runny?” His voice was quiet so only Tallgrass could hear him. And it was insinuating.

In that moment, Tallgrass knew what was going on. He said, “What did you do, Blunt?”

“Me?” said Blunt, in transparent innocence.

“Fix it, Blunt. Right now.” Tallgrass pushed away from the control board.

“What’s wrong?” said Blunt. “Why so grumpy? Your problem is you have no sense of humor.” He grabbed Tallgrass as he headed for Steel’s alcove. “Where are you going? It’s just a little fun.”

Tallgrass looked at him and said, “I told you last time. One more practical joke and I’m reporting you.” He tried to shake off Blunt’s grip.

Blunt squeezed harder and spoke into Tallgrass’s face. He said, “I wouldn’t if I were you. Not if you know what’s good for you.”

Tallgrass stared back, unflinching. “You might just have time to get it back to normal before he gets out here.”

Blunt’s threatening scowl held for a moment before it changed to a look of panic. He let go of Tallgrass’s arm and flew over to his station, where he frantically made adjustments. By the time Steel came out and flew over to him, he was trying to look nonchalant, and looking unmistakably guilty.

Steel moved up close, and Blunt instinctively drew his head back. The Supervisor’s voice was low and calm, and it was terrifying. Even Tallgrass got a chill from it, and it wasn’t even directed at him. It made Blunt back up, and he seemed to shrink. Steel asked, “What have you been doing, Blunt?”

“Nothing,” said Blunt. “It was nothing. Just a little joke.”

“A joke?” Steel’s face was horrified. Outraged. “Do you think we’ve been sent out here as a joke?” When Blunt didn’t reply he said, “Well, do you?”

Blunt stammered, “No, sir, but …”

“No. That’s right. We haven’t. Then, do you think we can improve the mission’s success by playing jokes?”

“No, sir, that wasn’t …”

“No. So, do you want to tell me what you were doing? What you hoped to accomplish?”

“Well, sir, it was … I was trying … I just wanted to lighten things up. You know, after what happened.”

“You’re talking about what happened at Mission Control?”

“Yes. Yes, sir. I just wanted to help.”

“So, you thought you’d help by messing up our instruments.”

“No, sir! I mean …”

“Do you know what my job is on this ship, Mission Specialist Blunt?”

“Well, sir, you’re like, the boss.”

“That’s right. I’m like the boss. And that means the success of the mission is my responsibility, and to that end, I’m supposed to ensure that the members of my crew do their jobs.” Steel took a breath and said, “Do you know what your job is, Blunt?”

“Yes, sir!” said Blunt, relieved to have a question that he could answer unequivocally. “My job is maintenance. To ensure the correct and efficient operation of all the ship’s systems.” He held his head up proudly. Then, when Steel left him enough time to think about it, he began to see the problem.

Steel spoke slowly and quietly, while Blunt squirmed, aware of what was coming. “The correct and efficient operation of all the ship’s systems,” he repeated. “Was that your goal when you messed up Mission Generalist Tallgrass’s instruments? When you had your little joke?”

“But it …” began Blunt, stopping when he saw Steel’s face. “No, sir,” he said, dropping his head. “It was wrong. I see that now. It won’t happen again.”

“Good,” said Steel. “It had better not, and I’ll tell you why. As part of my duty to ensure the success of this mission, I have the authority to deal with all threats to it, using my best judgement. That means I have the authority to do whatever I think is best, up to and including throwing you out the airlock, Blunt. Do you understand?”

Blunt’s eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. He swallowed and said weakly, “Yes, sir. But I was just …”

“Don’t say another word,” growled Steel. When Blunt merely shook his head, Steel turned to Tallgrass and said, “As for you, Mission Generalist Tallgrass, you’re going on report, too. By not reporting this dangerous activity immediately, you endangered the mission just as much as he did. Don’t let it happen again.” He turned toward a sleeping alcove with a closed curtain and raised his voice. “Mission Specialist Wayfarer,” he said. When she poked her head out, eyes wide, he said, “Did you know anything about this?”

“No, sir,” she said quietly.

“Tallgrass never talked about it? Blunt never played a joke on you?”

“No, sir.”

Tallgrass said, “She didn’t know anything, sir.”

Blunt said, “I never …”

“Fine,” said Steel. “That is all, then. Carry on.” He floated over to his alcove, went in, and firmly shut the curtain.

Wayfarer looked at them, then pulled her head back in and tugged her curtain shut.

Blunt looked at Tallgrass, his expression a mixture of his conflicting emotions, including a flicker of resentment that showed as he turned to get back to work.

Tallgrass looked at his back for a while, then shook his head and sighed. He took a deep breath and looked at his instruments, thinking of camshafts.

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