Starquake.pdf

"Our total space force consists of three space stations—East Pole, West Pole, and Polar Orbiting.
Nominal permanent crew is twenty-four each. We lost a number of those who happened to be on the
ground during the starquake. With no contact from Space Operations Headquarters on Egg, and with
retired Admiral Steel-Slicer off on the call-back mission with Captain Far-Ranger, Admiral
Hohmann-Transfer, as ranking active officer, is Acting Commander of all Space Operations.
"In addition to the assigned space force personnel, we have 16 civilians on East Pole Station who are
refugees from the Space Fountain. There are six explorer ships, four cargo snips, and eleven scout ships
out in deep space on exploration missions. Our total inventory is 287 personnel, three space stations, six
explorer ships, six cargo ships, twelve scout ships, four jumpcraft with no jump loops to jump to, two
catapult-lifts with no catapult to drop to, and three shuttlecraft with no Space Fountain to shuttle to."
"Don't forget the humans," said Cliff-Web. "They are only a quarter-orbit away."
"The Slow Ones will certainly be of no help in our present crisis," warned Admiral Hohmann-Transfer.
"They were once," Cliff-Web said. "And they may be again. For instance. Do our technical libraries on
the space stations contain the construction plans for a gravity catapult?"
A young ensign high in the rear spoke shrilly into his vibration pickup. "I doubt it, sir. That technology
has been obsolete for dozens of generations."
'The humans have that information, and other 'obsolete' information stored away in their memory
crystals. I would count them as part of the 'inventory' if I were you, even if they are slow."
"Then it is 287 people and six humans," Fixed-Star said, in obvious annoyance.
"That is 293 'people' worried about what has happened on Egg," Cliff-Web insisted. "I'm worried too.
Whathas happened on Egg?"
"Our next report is from Lieutenant Staring-Sensor, Egg Resources Monitor," said Admiral
Hohmann-Transfer.
"According to Doctor of Crustallogy Shear-Wave, our expert on crustquakes, what happened on Egg
wasnot a crustquake, but a much more severely damaging phenomenon called a 'starquake' by the
humans. Such a thing occurs only rarely-even at human timescales—so we never expected it to happen
to Egg. During a starquake, if the ground movement doesn't kill you, the electromagnetic heating will, and
for those still left alive, the gamma-ray radiation levels are lethal."
Staring-Sensor moved his tread, and a map appeared on everyone's screen.
"We have carried out a preliminary survey of the surface of Egg. All major structures are down, including
all jump loops, gravity catapults, and the Space Fountain."
"It will take a half-dozen greats to get a jump loop or space fountain built," said Cliff-Web. "When do
the authorities think they'll be able to get the gravity catapults back in operation?"
"We are trying to contact the pilot of the flyer," said Lieutenant Shannon-Capacity. "Other than the flyer,
we have detected no signs of life on Egg."
Qui-Qui had brought her flyer down to a soft landing outside West Pole Mountain Resort. When she