When Flandry and Djana reach the top of a mountain from where they should be able to radio for help, they see:
a steep drop to a flat horizon (such steepness possible only in low gravity);
radio masts, visible through binoculars, on the horizon;
on every other side, jumbled rock, ice and shadows;
scattered stars;
scattered clouds;
the sun, Mimir;
the planet, Regin.
"The wind whimpered around." (p. 243)
Wayland is desolate but it is a world:
"'...about three per cent the mass of Terra but half the surface pull. It's that dense.'"
-CHAPTER TWO, p. 210.
- dense with easily extracted rare metals, uranium, thorium, neptunium, plutonium, osmium, platinum...
Flandry's response recalls van Rijn:
"...my God! My greed!" (ibid.)
Not Mirkheim but something.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
A very big "something"! All these metals would be enormously useful for an Empire whose FTL tech probably depends on access to large supplies of such resources for building star ships at a reasonable cost. I wouldn't be surprised if Flandry invested in the mining company Ammon planned to set up for developing those resources after going legitimate.
Ad astra! Sean
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