Starquake.pdf

egg-tending fever. Every time I see those twelve luscious eyeflaps, I feel like a hatchling again." He
shuffled his tread a bit, then reached into a pouch and pulled out a message scroll. Instead of rolling it
over to Star-Glider, he held onto it as he talked.
"As you probably realize, your tour of duty here is coming to an end. You have done an excellent job
and could stay on here for another tour if you so desire, but you have been recommended for another
position. It is not one of the normal command posts, but is a unique one-time mission that requires
someone with your breadth of experience in large space operations. It will be an onerous post at times
and will require a long-term commitment on your part. Longer than the usual four-great tour of duty. For
those reasons, we are not just going to assign you to the post. Instead, I came up here to talk to you
candidly about the positive and negative aspects of the position and give you an opportunity to turn it
down."
"I don't mind committing myself to an extra-long duty tour, if it is the right kind of post," said Star-Glider.
"But what is so onerous about the job?"
"You will be given full responsibility ... but almost no authority," Milky-Way explained. "In fact, most of
the work of the commander of this special mission will be to beg and plead and cajole to get enough
authority to carry out the mission he has the responsibility to perform. In this case, by authority I mean
money." He rolled the message scroll across the deck.
"It was over four greats of turns ago that a meteorite struck one of the rockets herding the Six Eyes of
Bright and placed the humans in danger. At that time it was estimated that it would take about five human
minutes or ten greats of turns be-
fore the circular formation of the Six Eyes became so deformed that the gravity tides would tear the
Inner Eye spaceship apart. Shortly after that, even the isolation tanks would be unable to protect the
humans.
"When the accident happened, the President of the Combined Clans made the commitment that the
people of Egg would undertake a mission to restore the rocket and save the humans. But the initial public
enthusiasm for the project rapidly wore off. It was a full two greats of turns before even a design study
contract was issued—andit was inadequately funded. The Web Construction Company has completed
the design effort and come up with a technically feasible approach. They tried to keep the costs down,
but the mission is going to require a significant increase in the space budget and the Legislature of the
Combined Clans are clenching their treads and procrastinating to avoid having to appropriate the funds."
Star-Glider pushed on the scroll and it flattened out on the deck. He lowered an eye to read it.
"A promotion to admiral!" he said.
"Yes. Six more points on your star if you take the job," said Milky-Way. "And I can almost guarantee
another star if you can ride the Swift without getting eaten."
Star-Glider hesitated.
"You will earn every one of those six points if you take the job," said the admiral. "You will have to go
on holovid shows and attend clan gatherings to regenerate public enthusiasm for the project. You will
have to get to know most of the members of the Legislature of the Combined Clans and become so close
to the members of the legislative sub-group on Space, Communications, and Slow One Interactions that
they will think of you as a hatchling mate. Above all, despite provocation, you will have to keep calm,