Jim Ching can set his phone to pass calls only from certain people. Jim mentions the possibility of:
"...a rogue planet on a collision course." (p.177)
- not that there is one in this story but his remark sets the scene for some later instalments.
A hundred young Earth people contend for each of the few annual spaceman's berths. Although only sixteen, Jim can fly above the ocean in his car. He has also made:
"...occasional trips to Luna..." (p. 178)
He must cope with tensor calculus problems projected onto his screen by the Education Central computer.
League apprenticeships are scarce and:
"...mostly filled by relatives." (p. 179)
Jim hopes to attend the Academy, serve on a regular run and maybe become a captain. His principle counsellor consults Jim's psychoprofile whereas a Master Merchant of the Polesotechnic League would just tell Ching what to do and learn.
This story is full of information about life on Terra if we read it right.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Also, as we learn from "Margin of Profit," most civilian merchant ships did not need large crews, maybe only four or five persons. That would contribute to explaining why openings for space man berths were so few and so eagerly competed for.
Ad astra! Sean
Though there seem to be a fair number of people -emigrating- from Earth.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Given FTL and not too impossibly expensive space travel I would expect emigration as well. And quite a few would leave Earth for socio/political/religious/cultural reasons. To avoid being homogenized into the dominant civilization. Such as the Croats or Serbs who settled Dennitza.
Ad astra! Sean
I wonder how easy it is to colonize extra-solar planets, though.
Kaor, Paul!
I would not expect it to be easy. Even very terrestroid planets like Grey/Avalon will have dangers colonists will discover by harsh experience.
Recall as well Oleg Khan's comments to Flandry about the difficulties the first colonists on Altai had adapting to living there in "A Message in Secret."
Ad astra! Sean
Though Altai is somewhat terraformed by Oleg's time. Eg., terrestrial plants and animals have supplanted what was left of the native life everywhere except the polar regions.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
True, and I should have mentioned that.
Ad astra! Sean
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