Cradle and All

Начало книги

Rock-a-bye-baby time and this weird planet sure as hell grew some mean tree tops. Orem Paige stood on the edge of the Amaterasu Arboreal Region Exploratory Habitat and peered at the jungle below. Called the “cradle” by everyone in it, the habitat looked like a bright orange air mattress some hundred meters square. On top, it had a transparent dome which served as a control and communications center. Beneath that, the “canvas condo” held research labs and living quarters. Inflated to slightly higher than atmospheric pressure, the cradle rode on top of the jungle canopy like a rubber raft rides on the ocean, its weight distributed so widely that the trees hardly bowed beneath.

To the west, Orem could see nothing but tree tops, undulating in the wind like a gray-green surf, a smudge on the far horizon all he could see of the distant mountains. They named the planet Amaterasu after the Japanese sun goddess. Appropriate, at least for this part. Very hot.

Читать дальше →