Canticle Blue

54. Hedra

C-Link Text Correspondence – Ship to Ship || Date & Time: 3/2/37 || 2200hrs.
Time Delay: 23 Minutes
Terreska~Picarin || Annibet Sem~Tor Stym || Personal - Access Protected

Annibet to Tor:
Dear friend,
By now you should be about half way to Nantis, and things are about to get more exciting here too. Our guys have finished your "shuttle" and are going to deploy it soon. They took note of most of your ideas for it and also made modifications. The undersized Terreska drive panels barely fit but worked really well. We call it the Hedra, which Havilan and Grahmen insist comes from the original Colonist languages. It literally means "world pusher" and is supposed to have folkloric origins. It isn't what you would call a "looker," (or maybe you might). Lots of power though, docking facilities on both ends, and two main-drive clusters. (To me it looks like a spare part for something else.) All of the drive blades are coated with N-type. Pilots on test runs say it can really throw you back in your seat. The nose is like the Castel, a relatively small sphere, but it does have steering thrusters up front. It's girth is shuttle size, but it's about thirty feet longer than the others.

It has the thrust-frame you guys suggested, mounted behind the bow. The frame has six legs, with coring anchors and shock absorbers on each one. The crew can extend it well past the bow and change its angle with hydraulics. You'll get to see it spar with the comet, almost live, on the C-link.

By the way, I recently read your "Ark Notes" proposal to create a floating ecosystem outside of the Picarin. The planners here seem interested. All the more reason to try to save what we can of the comet for resources.

Tor:
Always good to hear from you, Annibet. I'll be holding my breath about the Hedra. Such a huge undertaking, really, to push a comet.

I'm surprised they would consider our Ark idea at this point. We certainly would like to build it, but there is so much left to do on the Picarin. I imagine you have an opinion about it...

Annibet:
Well, as you know, I always have an opinion. It sounds exciting, especially for the
long term. But I think you should call it something more grandiose, like "Island Universe." The modular construction does seem like the best way to go, with something like a small park floating in space to start, and then adding to it as the bugs are worked out (though I'm sure you'll want some bugs to live in it too).

Speaking of which, I'm sure you'll want to know that it was the Ark idea that tipped the scales toward engaging the comet. Os agrees with Cian's predictions, though. They fully expect some kind of fracturing when they try to move it. They just plan on picking up the pieces as best they can and using the Hedra to steer them to you. The biggest challenge will be slowing it down.

I got your note about the thrust-frame pusher for the Arna too and hope it can get here in time to help if the comet comes apart.

Tor:
Wow! I guess you have some movers and shakers up there, getting all that stuff
done (no pun intended). Anyway, I'll tell our people that we'll need a container to put the comet in. That should get them excited, not that they need motivation. I don't think they'll buy "Island Universe," but maybe we could call it "Sky Island." I can really picture that, especially sailing above Nantis.

By the way, Dev wants me to tell you that he fell asleep on a park bench, watching Nantis on the V-sky. He says one of the females brought him breakfast and that you should move to the Picarin to take care of him.

Annibet:
You tell Dev that, if he doesn't write to me soon, I'm going to put an avatar that looks like him on my C-link terminal and send it into infinite loop. And I know that it was Estmere who brought him breakfast, because she told me. Maybe I should hitch a ride on the Hedra though, when it heads your way, and surprise him. Of course, he might not recognize me after the G-forces.

Oh, and two more things. The kids up are anxious to hear about Corei's new trees. They are asking for "seeds." Also, our astronomy people want to know where they can find info about Nantis' new moons on the C-link. They heard you found a few more.

Well, bye for now. I'm trying to keep to a regular sleep routine for a change. Our prayers and best to all of you guys, especially Dev with his writer's block.

Tor:
Thanks, Annibet. Hope you get some well-deserved rest. I'll be up early to watch the Hedra when it launches and will pass along your "encouragement" to Dev.