Heavy Planet (22 page)
Authors: Hal Clement
“Show us! Let us look too!” she cried. “Where? What? Turn the lens!”
Sherrer was a little slow in responding, his attention being focused toward a spot at the edge of the cliff, half a mile from the balloon and from where the rock had been, and at right angles to the line of sight between these. Barlennan
reached for the rotation valve lines, but the balloon was as usual slow in responding.
reached for the rotation valve lines, but the balloon was as usual slow in responding.
Starting at the point nearest the blast, the edge of the precipice was starting to crumble away and, of course, to disappear. Cracks nearly parallel to the cliff face and up to a meter from it were appearing. Others nearly perpendicular to them were also showing briefly; then the outer sides of the prisms they outlined were leaning slightly farther out and promptly vanishing. New cracks closer to the balloon than the new edge appeared immediately, outlining sections which were vanishing in turn. The disturbance was spreading in both directions from the point where it had started—the point where, Barlennan realized, the “ripple” must first have reached the cliff face.
His memory flashed to the rockfall, hundreds of miles away, where he and some of his crew had first climbed to the plateau tens of thousands of days before. That had not stretched very far along the cliff. Right now his people and vessel, the original
Bree,
were ten miles along the edge from this new point of collapse and should be safe—
Bree,
were ten miles along the edge from this new point of collapse and should be safe—
If
this one spread no farther than the other. Neither he nor any of the Flyers had been able to explain what had caused that other fall. A vertical cliff three hundred feet high and of any length at all near a Mesklin pole was unbelievable enough; the now well determined fact that it completely rimmed a continentsized area of the giant planet was worse.
this one spread no farther than the other. Neither he nor any of the Flyers had been able to explain what had caused that other fall. A vertical cliff three hundred feet high and of any length at all near a Mesklin pole was unbelievable enough; the now well determined fact that it completely rimmed a continentsized area of the giant planet was worse.
The general layered appearance, which the Flyers claimed to mean sedimentary rock, was hard even for them to reconcile with an unbroken vertical cliff. There should be rock fragments—more reasonably rock powder—ar the bottom. All along the bottom. Barlennan had often heard them arguing about whether the perfectly vertical joints in the cliff face implied that the plateau had been lifted or the surroundings lowered, but it had been another of the inconclusive debates which seldom held his attention for long.
No guess at what might have caused that local fall had ever come close to explaining why it had stayed local; it was easy to imagine something like a careless footfall’s (whose?) starting the break—but what could possibly have kept it from dominoing both ways the whole ten- or twelve-thousand-mile circumference of the continent? And for that matter, what had studded so many thousands of square miles of the plateau’s outer edge with boulders up to truck size, most of them lying
on
the surface rather than even partially buried? No one on Toorey was in the least surprised that Mesklin showed tectonic activity, and no one was too surprised that this differed in detail from anything familiar to human, Drommian, and the other researchers’ experience.
on
the surface rather than even partially buried? No one on Toorey was in the least surprised that Mesklin showed tectonic activity, and no one was too surprised that this differed in detail from anything familiar to human, Drommian, and the other researchers’ experience.
The edges of the plateau which had been seen, only a small fraction of its total circumference, did appear to be sedimentary rock, but this did nothing to make theorizing simpler.
Would the same unknown cause, or any other, operate to stop the spread of this fall?
Were
his crew members safe? The original
Bree
was ashore on the
far side of the river, a little farther from the base of the cliff than the scarp itself was high. Many of those below would be away from the ship, farther still from the cliff, hunting, and presumably safe. Others, though, might well be fishing, since the river was a major source of food.
Were
his crew members safe? The original
Bree
was ashore on the
far side of the river, a little farther from the base of the cliff than the scarp itself was high. Many of those below would be away from the ship, farther still from the cliff, hunting, and presumably safe. Others, though, might well be fishing, since the river was a major source of food.
There was nothing Barlennan could do. The Flyers were still calling for attention. There was nothing they could possibly do either, but they deserved to watch. Barlennan was a responsible and reasonably fair-minded adult, and never thought of blaming them for what was happening.
The slow swiveling of the balloon finally brought the lens to face the cliff edge, not at the nearest point but well to the right, where the unaffected edge itself could still be seen. The captain stopped the rotation there. The new edge was now much closer to the balloon and—
And its growth was slowing? Surely it was slowing?
Barlennan’s people, after many thousands of days piling dirt and rocks around the alien rocket in the course of business, had a very clear concept of angle of repose. The collapse couldn’t possibly extend much farther back from the original edge than it was now getting, the captain told himself. The whole plateau would never crumble to fragments, obviously. At least, it hadn’t the other time.
But that was not the immediate problem. How far
along
would the disintegration extend? How safe were his other men? And how would he get his people and the stuff the Flyers wanted to recover physically, such as the inertial tracker, back to the equator if his original ship were lost? Taking the balloon across thousands of miles of ocean was ridiculous; it could carry fuel to heat its air for only a few days, in spite of Karondrasee’s endless research into different juices with maybe more effective enzymes. It could not carry the whole crew, even if the stuff wanted by the Flyers were all left behind.
along
would the disintegration extend? How safe were his other men? And how would he get his people and the stuff the Flyers wanted to recover physically, such as the inertial tracker, back to the equator if his original ship were lost? Taking the balloon across thousands of miles of ocean was ridiculous; it could carry fuel to heat its air for only a few days, in spite of Karondrasee’s endless research into different juices with maybe more effective enzymes. It could not carry the whole crew, even if the stuff wanted by the Flyers were all left behind.
“We’ve warned Dondragmer.” Jeanette’s voice caught the captains’s attention at this point in his thoughts. “No one is on the cliff side of the river. A dozen are away hunting. The ones still at the ship are getting as far from the river and the cliff as quickly as they can carry the radio.”
“Can they carry it while keeping it pointed so you can see what happens to the cliff, and tell me?” asked Barlennan.
“Don said he’d try.” That was enough for anyone who knew the mate.
“Can you see from it right now?”
“Yes. It’s pointed along the cliff in the direction the fall will come from, but the view isn’t too steady.”
“North” and “South” were not useful words this close to the pole, though the latter had been located very exactly long before.
“I’d suggest there can’t be any danger farther than, say, three times the river’s width away from the cliff foot. When they get that far, maybe they could put the set down occasionally to give us a steadier look and better pictures.”
“Maybe. But leave that decision to Dondragmer.”
“Of course. But you still have two cameras besides that one; maybe he could leave it—”
“We’ve been using all three. Dondragmer decides. I know what I’d do with my present knowledge, but he’s
there.”
there.”
“All right.” There were beings, most of them non-human, on Toorey who might have argued further, but Jeanette Parkos was not one of them. She was very conscious of who was in charge on the surface, and as chief communicator realized clearly who would be blamed if any major disagreement should develop with the Mesklinites. “We’ll report to you as well as we can when the collapse gets in sight from where Dondragmer is, if it does.”
“Good. I’m still hoping it won’t. That other one we climbed to get up here—”
“The other one is much narrower than this one is already. Whatever caused it can’t have been as energetic.”
Another alien voice cut in. “That’s silly! Practically all the energy involved now is coming from falling rock. You have a chain reaction.”
“But that must have been true for the other fall, too!”
Barlennan turned his attention back to the still spreading collapse. He had learned long ago the futility of listening to Flyers arguing theoretical points when anything was actually going on. They got too far behind real time much too quickly. No doubt it was because they were too far away to feel personally involved. The captain was not; he turned his eyes back to the explosion site.
At least, nothing more was flying through the air. Their own climb had ceased, according to the tracker and his own eyes; the balloon had reached its ceiling, which was low because of the rapid decrease of air density with altitude. Hars’ efforts were now focused on keeping its height constant; altitude control was highly unstable. Even a slight dip caused a decrease in balloon volume, and hence a decrease in lift, which tended to make the dip deeper. It was like the hollow boat’s behavior, so many gravities to the north. Hars had developed a high skill at handling this problem; it had been he who had conceived the deflectors which gave quick control over how much hot air was actually entering the bag, and eliminated much of the control lag involved in merely feeding fuel or sprinkling meat juice on the fire.
“It’s coming.” The human voice sounded less excited than the captain felt was appropriate, but Jeanette was not, of course, in danger herself. One should make allowances.
“How close?”
“It’s just come around the point about three miles upstream.”
“How far is the debris spreading out into the river?”
“I can’t tell very well yet. The set is on the ground, or as near as no matter. The edge view I get for the bend seems to show repose at about forty degrees for the stuff near the top, and maybe twenty near the bottom. That would mean
anything that’s more than about one cliff height away from the original bottom should be safe.”
anything that’s more than about one cliff height away from the original bottom should be safe.”
“That does not quite include the ship,” Barlennan pointed out.
Dondragmer cut in. “There wouldn’t be time to get back to the ship, much less to tow it overland any distance, before the fall gets here.”
“All right. Make sure the crew is safe. Head for the site where this balloon was built; that has to be safe, and a lot of our stuff is there anyway.”
“Yes, Captain. We’ll start searching for ship building materials at once, when we get there. Have you further orders?”
“None for now, except when you think you’re far enough out to be safe you should set the Flyers’ eye where they can see what happens. Remember they can see things over again, and could be able to tell us how best to find and recover anything that gets buried.”
Dondragmer was probably the least susceptible of the
Bree’s
crew to being startled, and had spent many thousands of days burying and then digging out the alien rocket, but the thought of excavating a rockfall jolted him. Several of the crew could tell this. None, however, said anything, and the communicator was set down and pointed as the captain had ordered. The natives stayed where they were afterward, and nervously watched the collapse region as it neared them.
Bree’s
crew to being startled, and had spent many thousands of days burying and then digging out the alien rocket, but the thought of excavating a rockfall jolted him. Several of the crew could tell this. None, however, said anything, and the communicator was set down and pointed as the captain had ordered. The natives stayed where they were afterward, and nervously watched the collapse region as it neared them.
They could see that the falling material was pretty certain not to reach them, but Mesklinites in general are not calm about
anything’s
falling. Not even Mesklinites with the background of Barlennan’s crew.
anything’s
falling. Not even Mesklinites with the background of Barlennan’s crew.
The roar of the rocks was loud enough now to drown out even their voices, and there was no conversation as the wave thundered past in front of them.
From Toorey, the view through the lens involved less emotion, though several of the watchers were already, and everyone hoped prematurely, wondering what the loss of the original
Bree
would do to their plans. More were observing, in as much detail as the optics allowed, the way new vertical joints appeared closer and closer to the watchers, delimiting sections of rock which began to tilt slowly outward—a slow fall was a phenomenon on Mesklin—and then develop horizontal cracks which shot back toward the areas already bared by the downward disappearance of previously loosened material. The rock above each crack tilted slightly outward and vanished in its turn, reappearing as it shattered on the growing slope below. Lower segments of the falling prisms were just as invisible during their falls, but didn’t fragment as completely before coming to rest. The repose angle grew steeper as the eye traveled upward and encountered less and less fine material and more and more large slabs and columns.
Bree
would do to their plans. More were observing, in as much detail as the optics allowed, the way new vertical joints appeared closer and closer to the watchers, delimiting sections of rock which began to tilt slowly outward—a slow fall was a phenomenon on Mesklin—and then develop horizontal cracks which shot back toward the areas already bared by the downward disappearance of previously loosened material. The rock above each crack tilted slightly outward and vanished in its turn, reappearing as it shattered on the growing slope below. Lower segments of the falling prisms were just as invisible during their falls, but didn’t fragment as completely before coming to rest. The repose angle grew steeper as the eye traveled upward and encountered less and less fine material and more and more large slabs and columns.
On any other world the details would have been mostly hidden by dust—with or without an atmosphere to suspend it.
Not on this one.
The collapse wave thundered past. Dondragmer retained enough presence of mind to turn the vision set to the left, so the Flyers could keep watching its progress. This was just as well, because it let them see its sudden halt.
The wave was fully two miles past by this time; whatever stopped its progress could not have helped the ship still on the river bank. But it did stop.
Within seconds, the debris seemed to have reached equilibrium. The observers, local and offworld, found themselves looking at a new straight-up cliff far to their left extending
inward
from the former face, roughly toward the grounded rocket. Its lower section was partly hidden by the scree slope so suddenly formed, but what could be seen was as nearly vertical as the original had been.
inward
from the former face, roughly toward the grounded rocket. Its lower section was partly hidden by the scree slope so suddenly formed, but what could be seen was as nearly vertical as the original had been.
Several of the Mesklinites, rendered more nearly insane than their fellows by the events of the last thousands of days, promptly started back toward the cliff, slanting downstream to get a look at the end of the fall. Dondragmer was equally curious but ordered them back. Jeanette interrupted his commands.
“It’s probably safe enough, Don. The stuff must have reached repose angle right away.”
“No doubt you are right, Flyer Jeanette, but we will first bring the captain up to date with events. He could not have seen this, unless the balloon has moved remarkably fast in the right direction. You would know better, but I can’t see it from here. Also, you do not mention that the repose angle, if it really is that, is much steeper for the higher, larger fragments than for the much finer material near the bottom.”
Other books
The Complete Novels Of George Orwell by George Orwell
Lair of Killers by Will Molinar
Warped by Alicia Taylor
Exquisite Betrayal by A.M. Hargrove
June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Untouched by Lilly Wilde
Naomi’s Christmas by Marta Perry
The Fourth Victim by Tara Taylor Quinn
Lissa Kasey - Dominion 2 - Reclamation by Lissa Kasey
Flings by Justin Taylor
