Starquake.pdf

Qui-Qui reported in at the flyer. She had brought Heavy-Egg along with her. She could have traveled
faster alone, and gone back to pick him up in the flyer, but neither wanted to be separated from the
other.
"Where have you been!" Hohmann-Transfer exploded when the call from the flyer was transferred to
her. "I was worried sick that you'd done something stupid, and we'd lost our only operational vehicle on
Egg. What took you so long?"
"I found a survivor, Admiral. He needed medical attention. His name is Heavy-Egg. He was a shift
supervisor on the Space Fountain project. He would like to talk to Cliff-Web."
"I want to tell him I'm sorry we lost the Fountain," said Heavy-Egg.
After the long wait, it was Cliff-Web's voice that answered."I'm glad to hear another one of the crew
survived. As soon as we get down from here, we're all going to start building the Fountain again. It is sure
a relief finding an experienced construction worker on Egg. We've got a lot to do. The first thing is to
have you look at the gravity catapults at the East Pole and tell me their condition. Then we can start
working on repairs."
Qui-Qui let him handle the reply.
"I wish I could, Boss," said Heavy-Egg. "But I don't have any eyes left."
"Heavy-Egg was the only one left alive in Swift's Climb," Qui-Qui explained. "So far there are only two
of us."
"There may be more," said Staring-Sensor. "The humans reported a patch of vegetation at the Inner Eye
Institute in Bright's Heaven. The Polar Orbiting Space Station has now confirmed the report. It has been
decided that you should try there next."
"And this time keep in touch!" It was Admiral Hohmann-
Transfer. "The constant worry has aggravated the chronic inflammation in my eating pouches. Youare
going to let the engineer be the pilot for the flyer now, aren't you Qui-Qui?"
"I'm blind, Admiral," Heavy-Egg reminded her.
Qui-Qui shut down the communications link and raised power on the flyer. Then she glided above the
road that led directly west to Bright's Heaven. The broad highway had buckled in many places and was
littered with the remains of glide-cars. She knew Bright's Heaven well and brought the flyer to a landing
close to the Inner Eye Institute. Side-by-side, holding eye-stubs, they glided onto the Institute grounds.
Plants were everywhere.
There was every possible variety of plant one could imagine, but only a few of each type. Qui-Qui
picked a few of the ripe fruits, and they both enjoyed the fresh taste after turns of packaged food. The
plants obviously had been freshly transplanted, for the trays they had been in were stacked nearby. They
both listened with their treads, but could hear nothing but some food Slinks in a distant pen. As they
moved by a low-walled office compound, Heavy-Egg came to a halt, his sensitive tread having detected
something.