Titan Run

by Mark Kertzman

part 2 of 3

Nothing else untoward happened that trip. It was boring, as all long-orbit solar-sail flights are. Susannah found it almost excruciating, and I guessed she had never been farther out than the Belt, and maybe she had only made one outbound trip, at that. I don’t know if she was more excited to get out at Titan Station or if I was more excited to get her out of my ship.

We decelerated for days, tacking into Titan Orbital insertion. I had to back the sails to lose some velocity, then plot a careful maneuver to take us around Saturn and sling us into orbit. Handling a ship like this takes lots of thinking in advance, sometimes a long time before you might think that anything is happening.

Saturn grew until it filled the forward viewport. Susannah couldn’t tear herself away from the view. I guess I didn’t blame her; there was nothing else to do, really.

“It’s beautiful,” she commented as I was lounging in my pilot’s seat, idly confirming a nav calculation or two. “The rings are the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

I smiled, glancing up at her. She was silhouetted by the yellowish banded orb, its rings just visible in the side viewports.

“Everyone who gets out here says the same thing.”

“I can’t believe that people are actually living out here. It’s so foreign. Not like the Belt.”

“Sure,” I agreed absently. “Well, it’s going to be home for you, I guess.”

“That it is. Where is Titan?”

“We can’t see it yet. We’ll come around the far side, then enter its orbit.”

“Oh. Do you think that the Code exists out here, too?” She had turned to look at me as I leaned back in the pilot’s acceleration couch. Her eyes held something not quite readable.

“Sure, it exists out here. Listen, I am really sorry, but I didn’t have anything to do with making the Code. That’s just the way it is. It’s the way it has to be.”

“But why?”

“Why do you think? Listen, this isn’t Earth. Out here, there are about ten men for every woman. That makes you more valuable than gold. Without the Code, there would be anarchy. Men fighting for every available woman, and women none too safe around men, either. So we have rules, even if they aren’t written in any book. Women are their own responsibility if single, and the responsibility of their husbands, if married.”

“That’s well and good for the men, but do you realize that puts women in a gilded cage?”

“But the Code protects you.”

She cut me off, anger coming to her face. “You still don’t understand. We didn’t ask to be treated like this. Freedom is more important sometimes. What if a woman wants to leave a bad marriage?”

“I don’t know. Maybe go back to Earth. I heard there’s something called divorce lawyers there.”

“Hah!” she exclaimed.

“I am sorry about all of this, but there isn’t much I can do. I will deliver you to Titan Station, just as I contracted for.”

She finally turned and stared moodily out the window.

* * *

Hours later, I finally heard her gasp.

I was expecting it, even if she wasn’t. The nav display confirmed we had a couple of thousand kilometers between us and the visible ring edge, but Susannah didn’t think so.

“Relax,” I told her, amusement in my voice. “It’s an optical illusion.”

“What is?” Her voice was tense.

“I know. It looks like we’re going to hit the rings. Don’t worry, we’re very far out. The planet is so big it just looks like we’re skimming them. Our eyes can’t get a good grasp on how far away everything is.”

“But look,” she said over her shoulder, her eyes glued to the window, “I can see the rings moving next to us.”

“That’s an optical illusion, too. Part of it is the banding of the rings. I think that’s caused by tidal gravity.”

“Wow.” She breathed softly. I looked up. Even though I’d done the ring orbit before, I had to admit it was pretty spectacular. This close, Saturn filled half of the viewports. It really did feel as if we were racing along, like a needle coming down on a giant recording disk. I trusted the nav display, though, and knew we were safely far enough away.

The ship flew right around the planet, finally pulling slowly away from the awesome sight. The sails were still deployed to give me control, but I was now using the planet’s strong gravity to pull me into the right approach vector for Titan. The smaller yellow ball of the moon swelled rapidly, becoming a place in its own right.

The headset in my ear, I finally got back to real work. “Titan Station Control, This is Sunrider One One Two, inbound on Titan orbital insertion vector, requesting permission to dock.”

“Roger, Sunrider One One Two, this is Titan Control. What is your approach vector?”

“Control, my vector is two-four-five at four-one declination, Delta V one-seven k per second to decelerate, gravity assist.”

“Sunrider, confirm gravity assist to zero Delta V at station.”

“Roger, Control. Zero Delta V at station.” They always worry about me crashing into them.

Control was already back on the line. “Sunrider, you are cleared to dock at your approach vector, no other traffic. When you match velocity, contact Control for further instructions.”

“Roger, Control. Out until velocity match.”

I was suddenly busy. Even though the computer was matching my course and speed to the plotted one, I still watched over it like a mother hen. The sails were backed, using their tiny but constant thrust to fine-tune the orbital insertion. I didn’t have to touch the controls, as the computer jockeyed the sails a little this way and that. It was almost impossible to tell, but we were decelerating right into the groove of our new orbit.

“Is that it?” Susannah jolted me from my concentration at the orbital plot.

“Is what it?” I responded.

“Look, there’s something out there. Is that the station?”

I had to crane my neck, peering out the forward port and matching what I saw with the nav plot.

“Yup. That’s it. Your new home.”

“It’s tiny.”

I laughed. “Wait. Right now, it’s about five hundred kilometers away. You’ll see how big it is soon.”

Sure enough, it got bigger fast. I hadn’t been out this way in quite a while, but seeing the skeletal lattice framework and centrifuge at one end brought back a few memories.

Once we matched velocities, I pulled the sails in. It took a while for them to spool back into their storage bins. As the little winches worked, I called the station again. “Titan Control, this is Sunrider. We have matched velocities. Request clearance for docking.”

“Roger, Sunrider, this is Control. You are cleared to dock at pylon five.”

“Acknowledged.”

There were no cozy ship bays here, like the ones on Ceres. The station was more of a bare-bones affair, with only docking pylons at the downside end. Auxiliary control in hand, I jockeyed the ship to the dock, then latched airlock to airlock.

“Well, we’re here,” I told Susannah. My board was clear, and I shut down the ship.

She gathered up her gear, following me as I opened the inner and outer hatches. “You may not believe this, but I really do appreciate your getting me here.” She said it grudgingly, but in an attempt to mend a bridge.

We shook hands, floating in the accessway.

“Are you staying here for a while?”

I nodded absently, answering automatically. “I’m going to have to. I have some other business to conduct while I’m here.”

“Good. Then maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Sure.”

I watched her leave, then set to work.

* * *

Proceed to part 3...