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.Copernicus Control has directed us to delay and continue ourcurrent prospecting program until we're called back,' the moon creeper answered.Pete sighed.He was anticipating a week end in Copernicus.Now there is some question whetherHarvey Reinfield got under cover in time,' the moon creeper continued.'He was about one hundredmiles northwest of here, at Mayer A.No one can raise his creeper.''Harv?''The satellite will check him in about three minutes.''Damn! Tap their picture when they get it.I want to see it,' Pete said.'We are the closest party to him in this area, so we will probably be asked to investigate,' themoon creeper said.Pete leaned over the control console waiting for the new satellite picture.'Harv's probably justgot communications trouble.Is his tender's emergency transmitter going?''No.''So either both he and his tender got caught in something together, or he's O.K.'A few minutes later the strip map was replaced by a television picture from the satellite.Rapidlythe camera found the trail leading into Mayer A, and then followed a particular pair of tracks.They ended in a pile of rubble at the inside face of the crater cliff.The tender and anothercarrier were a couple hundred feet away.Pete snorted.'Can the satellite pick up Harv's interphone?''Yes, Copernicus Control is trying to break in.''Break in?' Pete asked.In answer to Pete's question the moon creeper switched in the radio system direct.A string ofprofanity was being transmitted.Pete was surprised, and then he smiled as he recognized Harv'svoice, and settled down to wait for it to stop.He noted several new words and made a mental noteto ask Harv about them later.A couple of minutes later there was a temporary lull and Copernicus Control was so ill advised asto ask what happened.After detailing the controller's incestuous ancestory, the answer came.'.What do you think happened? I got caught in this.slide!''I noticed something of the sort.Are you in trouble?' asked Copernicus Control innocently.* * *There was a long silence as Harv assimilated the implications of the question.He finally said,'I'd like to tell you to take a running jump, but it happens that I'm in trouble and I do needhelp.' There was a long pause during which Copernicus Control kept silent.'I was spiraling out ofMayer A when I saw a flash reflected from the north wall.I stopped figuring that the rim wouldgive me some protection.A couple of minutes later the slide started.I tried to get out of itsway, but didn't make it.It took off my antennas, treads, and my shield.I'm now lying on my side,completely buried.I have three weeks' food and air, with no apparent leaks,' Harv reported.'Pete Miller has been listening in,' Copernicus Control said.'What equipment will you need to digthe biggest mouth on the moon out of his rockpile, Pete?''What?' Harv said.'Relax, Harv,' Pete said.'We'll all do our best to extricate you from this trouble your stupidlack of judgement got you into.'What do you mean big-mouth and stupid?' shouted Harv.'It looks like I'm going to need a full range of digging equipment,' Pete continued, ignoringHarvey, 'starting with blasters, and working down to needle samplers.Some jacks, a portable spy-ray, be sure to include a shadow magnetometer, blast shields, a small tractor beam, something tohaul the creeper back on, since it's too expensive to abandon.'Hm-m-m !' said Harv.'Some sheets of plastic and adhesive, a couple of twenty- or thirty-foot steel wrecking bars,cable, a couple small winches, -a dozen explosive anchors, a portable crevasse bridge.Make thattwo bridges,' Pete said.'Any idea how deep you are, Harv?''Nothing but rock in sight,' Harv answered.'Have I forgotten anything?' Pete asked.file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.iam%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txt (33 of 80) [10/15/2004 2:31:41 PM]file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.%20E.%20Doc%20Smith%20-%20William%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txt'Yeah,' Harv answered.'A flask of brandy for the poor victim!''I'll send the stuff around after our digging party.I think they've already left.Where do youwant to pick it up?' asked Copernicus Control.'If it takes only four hours to dig out the first entrance, it'll be just about as fast to send itout that way.That'll also give me time to get out to Mayer A and survey the situation.Then I canask for anything else I may need.I can also check the trail from Mayer L on out for any newchasms or slides, which means that the man bringing the stuff out will be able to travel most ofthe trail at high speed.I'll need about twenty-four hours plus to get out to Harv, and the firstentrance should be open at about the same time.''We figure twenty-eight hours from now, plus or minus an hour,' Copernicus Control said.'It'll take about twenty-two to twenty-four hours after the entrance is open for him to get toMayer A.By the way, Harv,' Pete asked puzzled by a sudden thought, 'what were you doing out atMayer A? It's already been surveyed a couple of times.'Can't tell you, Pete.Ask the Mayor,' answered Harv.'I've got other work to do.Will check back later.Bye,' Copernicus Control broke in and cut offPete and Harv.'What the hell goes on here?' Pete said.He sat in front of the television screen where the mooncreeper again displayed a strip map of the area.This was a surprise! Someone, maybe the Mayor ofCopernicus, had some reason for getting Harv out to Mayer A in such a hurry that no one hadbothered to provide him with a cover story.Actually, a moment's reflection told Pete, there wouldnormally be no reason for a cover story.No one except Harv, the Mayor, and Copernicus Controlneed know anything about the trip.It was only because of the meteorite storm and the accidentthat anyone else knows even now, Pete thought.At this point they can't say much over the radio,but they can send someone special out with the digging equipment.They will probably suggest astory to Harv.They would not have to say much.Harv was mighty fast on the uptake, and could spinout a yarn with the best of them.Except Harv wasn't anything else or anyone else than HarveyReinfield.Oh well, Pete shrugged to himself, it will all come out.That a secret exists is halfthe secret.The moon creeper was already on the road.They had started out when the storm quit.'Tune me in on any conversation between Copernicus, the Control, or anyone, and Harv,' Peteordered.'I want to listen in, not a synopsis.'* * *It was a tired Mayor who turned off his visiphone.The western entrances had not been covered bythe Rodebush Bergenholm field, and, in spite of the overhanging roofs of reinforced concrete,every one of them had been blocked by the storm of secondaries from the meteor.The Southernmostentrance had been completely demolished by a single, gigantic boulder that had smashed the roof,airlock, tunnel entrance, and no one knew how many feet of tunnel into a pile of rubble.One ofthe new blaster battery sites, just over the rim, had been severely damaged.Most of the EarthsideCommunications' antennas had been knocked down.That was no great concern, since 'they werehorizontal arrays a few feet above ground level.Quake damage inside the city had occurred.RogPhilips' crews were at work on that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]