Silverberg, Robert - Lost Race of Mars.pdf - Robert Silverberg - chomikbob7

Lost Race of Mars

By Robert Silverberg

Illustrated by Leonard Kessler

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a division of Scholastic Magazines, Inc., by arrangement with Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.

7th Printing ........................................................................................................

April 1973

Printed in the U.S.A.

This one is for SCOTT

Chapter 1

"Do you think they've forgotten?" Jim Chambers whispered.

His sister Sally, who was almost eleven, shrugged and shook her red head. "They've never

forgotten before, have they?"

"There's always a first time," Jim said gloomily. He was twelve, old enough to know that

grownups sometimes forgot the most important things. But would they forget Surprise Day?

That was like forgetting Christmas. Still, here it was, eight o'clock, and soon it would be

bedtime, and Surprise Day would be over — without any surprise. It was hard to believe they

had forgotten.

Surprise Day was a private custom of the Chambers family. Dr. Roy Chambers, the father of

Sally and Jim, had always felt it was a pity Christmas came only once a year, so he had set up

a special day, exactly midway between one Christmas and the next, for the giving of gifts.

Surprise day fell on the twenty-fifth of June.

And that was what today was: the twenty-fifth of June, 2017. But the whole day had gone

by, and now it was long after dinner, and still no surprises had appeared. Jim and Sally had

their gifts all ready. Jim had bought a pair of magnetic cuff links for his father and a collapsing

purse-sized umbrella for his mother. Sally's gifts were a new billfold for Dr. Chambers and, for

her mother, a bottle of imported perfume to replace a bottle that had accidentally been

spilled. For weeks, Jim and Sally had gone snooping around the house to find out what gifts

would be most appreciated.

But the family custom said that Jim and Sally could not give their gifts until last. Also, it was

against the rules to remind anyone that it was Surprise Day. It had to be a complete surprise

all around.

"Maybe we ought to hint?" Sally suggested.

Jim wrinkled up his face. "Don't be silly. That's against the rules."

"It's against the rules for them to forget, you know."

"The day isn't over yet," Jim said. "Let's not talk about it any more." He walked over to the

video set and turned it on. The Chambers family had one of the new video sets that gave the

picture in three dimensions. The screen showed a girl playing an electronic piano and singing.

As her voice filled the room Chipper, the family cat, woke up and padded out of his corner to

sit down in front of the set. Chipper was a big black-and-white tomcat that spent most of his

time snoozing, but woke up every time the video was turned on. Jim insisted that Chipper

could understand the programs, but nobody else would believe that.

A moment later Dr. Chambers walked into the room. He was a very tall man, and Jim had

inherited his lean body, easy smile, and dark brown hair. Sally's red hair came entirely from her

mother.

Dr. Chambers was not smiling now. He looked very solemn, in fact. He glanced at the video

set and said, "I hope you two are finished with your homework. You know the rules around

here."

"Don't you remember, Dad?" Jim said. "The term is over in two days. We don't have any

homework to do!"

Dr. Chambers nodded. His mind seemed to be millions of miles away. "Uh-huh. I guess I forgot

about that."

"That isn't all he's forgotten," Sally murmured, just loud enough for Jim to hear.

Jim nudged her in the ribs. "You're not supposed to talk about it!"

Jim and Sally turned their attention to the screen. The singing had ended and the

commentator was covering the day's news. Congress votes . . . Debate at the United Nations

. . . video star returns from visit to Mars Colony . . . weather bureau prevents heat wave . .

They found their minds kept wandering away from the newscast. Jim and Sally told themselves

over and over again that it wasn't so. Surprise Day couldn't have been forgotten, couldn't!

When the newscast was over, Dr. Chambers said quietly, "Would you mind turning the set off?

Your mother and I want to talk to you."

Sally reached forward and switched the video off. Disappointed, Chipped ambled back to his

corner and curled up to go to sleep.

Their mother entered the room, taking a seat next to Dr. Chambers. Both of them looked very,

very serious. Sally and Jim leaned forward, wondering what was going to happen. Whatever it

was, it couldn't be good news.

Dr. Chambers said, "I waited until after dinner to tell you this, kids. I'm going to have to go

away for quite a long time."

"Go away, Dad?" Jim asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have to leave here and travel a great distance, and I won't be coming back

home for at least a year."

Jim and Sally exchanged puzzled glances. Was it something bad? An operation, maybe? Or just

a teaching appointment? Their father was a professor of biology at Columbia University. Maybe

he had lost his job and had to go far away to teach. Whatever it was, it was probably serious.

Otherwise they wouldn't both look so grim. Otherwise they wouldn't have forgotten Surprise

Day.

"Is it — something you can tell us about, Dad?" Sally asked.

"What do you say, Ethel?" Dr. Chambers said to his wife. "Do you think we can tell them?"

Mrs Chambers shrugged. "You'll have to tell them sooner or later, Roy," she said with a somber

voice. "You might as well get it over with now."

Jim moistened his lips. "Tell us, Dad. We're old enough to take bad news."

For the first time, the shadow of a smile appeared on Dr. Chambers' face. "All right, I suppose

I ought to tell you. You know the research I've been carrying on, don't you? I've been making

biological studies of Mars. I've been examining the reports sent back by the colonists up

there, and I've been trying to draw some conclusions. Well, I won't be using secondhand

information any more. I'm being sent to Mars for a year to carry out some research up there."

There was a long silence in the Chambers' living room, broken only by the loud sleepy purring

of Chipper. The Jim said, "You're going to Mars, Dad? Why — that's swell, I guess."

"A whole year?" Sally asked. "We'll miss you!"

"But you'll send us letters," Jim put in. "With Mars Colony stamps on them."

"And a year isn't really so long, after all," Sally added. "It isn't forever, anyway--"

"Whoa! Hold it! Slow down!" Dr. Chambers cried. He was grinning, now. "Whatever gives you

the idea that I'm going to Mars all alone?"

Jim gasped. "But — you looked so serious."

"We thought --" Sally blurted.

"I know what you thought," their father said, chuckling. "I wanted you to think I was going by

myself. That way this qualifies as a genuine surprise. You see, we're all going to Mars for a

year — both of you, Mother, and me. The government gave me a family-sized research grant.

We'll be leaving next week."

Jim and Sally turned to look at each other. Jim saw that his sister's face was wide-eyed with

amazement, and knew that he probably looked just as astonished. Of all the possible surprises

there might have been, this was the most flabbergasting. A year on Mars!

It was one of those things too fantastic to even waste time daydreaming about. It cost a

great deal of money to go to Mars. The journey would take three weeks by the fastest

spaceship. There was a city up there, founded in 1991 — a city of three thousand people

living under an enormous plastic dome. When you went out of the dome, you had to wear a

breathing suit because the air on Mars was too thin for human beings to breathe. Jim and

Sally knew all about Mars; they had studied it in geography class, of course. But actually to

go there —

"And we thought you had forgotten," Jim said. "Because it was past eight o'clock and you

hadn't said anything about Surprise Day."

"We were saving it," Mrs. Chambers explained. "It was such a big surprise we wanted to hold it

off until nighttime"

"It's the only surprise we have, too," Dr. Chambers added. "It'll have to do — from both of us

to both of you."

"Have to do?" Jim echoed. "Why, it's worth five years of surprises!"

"Now we're forgetting," Sally reminded him quietly.

"Oh — gosh, yes. Excuse us a second," Jim said.

He and Sally scampered upstairs, took their gifts from hiding places, and ran downstairs.

Things like billfolds and cuff links and umbrellas and perfume were not in the same class with

trips to Mars, but they were surprises all the same.

There was a flurry of unpacking and examining, and thanking. Everyone laughed when the

collapsible umbrella was unpacked. "Here's one thing I won't be taking with me," Mrs.

Chambers said.

"I guess you won't, Mom," Jim admitted. It hasn't rained on Mars for thousands of years, and

it isn't likely to start now. But how was I supposed to know?"

"You weren't," his father said. "But the umbrella will come in handy when we come back to

Earth. We aren't going to be on Mars forever, you know."

"Only a year," Sally said wistfully. "That isn't much time at all."

"It is if it's a Martian year," Jim explained. "A Martian year is six hundred and eighty-seven

Earth days long!"

"So it is," Dr. Chambers agreed. "But I'm afraid my grant specifies one old-fashioned Earth

year, three hundred and sixty-five years of twenty-four hour days."

"What are we going to do about school?" Sally asked.

"It's all arranged," Mrs. Chambers said. "You'll be going to classes every day at the Mars

Colony school. You won't miss any time at all. And when you come back to Earth you'll go

right into the grade you're supposed to be in."

A sudden thought occurred to Jim as the cat stirred in his corner and began washing his paws.

"Dad — does this grant of yours include cats?"

"I'm afraid not, son," Dr. Chambers said, his smile disappearing. "We'll have to leave Chipper

behind. Maybe the Robinsons will agree to take care of him while we're gone."

"But a cat doesn't take up much room," Sally protested.

"That spoiled cat of yours weighs fourteen pounds, Sally. You'd shudder if you knew how

much it costs to ship fourteen pounds of cute but useless cat all the way to Mars. And when

he's there, he'll have to eat, breathe, and drink, won't he? The Martian Colonists manufacture

their own food, air, and water. These are very precious, and they aren't going to like the idea

of sharing them with Chipper, no matter how important he may be to you."

Jim scratched the cat behind the ears. This attention usually produced a purr, but now

resulted only in a cold stare. "See? He's unhappy already. He knows what we're talking about,

Dad."

"It wouldn't matter even if he could read and write, too, Jim. He'll have to stay behind."

"I suppose you're right," Jim admitted. He stroked the tom's silken fur. "So long, old fellow.

We'll be back in a year. I guess we'll miss you as much as you miss us, but it can't be helped,

Chipper."

"Mrreow!"

"You know where we're going, Chipper? We're going to Mars. Do you know where that is?"

"Miuaouurk!"

"Come on," Jim said. "I'll give you a look at Mars." Scooping the cat up, Jim walked through the

front hall and stepped out on the front porch. He was aware that Sally and his parents were

coming, too.

Jim searched the skies for a moment, until he found what he wanted, high in the star-dotted

blackness. Mars stood out clearly, a gleaming, brick-red ball. Jim pointed to it. "See that up

there, Chipper? That red-dish thing? That's Mars. Mars! And we're going to be there soon —

all of us except you."

"Mmnmeerk," the cat said sadly.

Jim let the cat down. "Sorry, Chipper. There rules are the rules."

The Chamberses went back inside. It was still hard to believe. "Gee, Dad," Jim said, "this is the

biggest surprise there could have been. Imagine — we're going to Mars!"

Chapter 2

The next five days were the most hectic the Chambers family had ever known. Many of the

preparations for the trip had been made quietly in the past few weeks, ever since Dr.

Chambers had known definitely he was getting the grant, but there was still plenty of

last-minute work — packing to do, letters to write, bills to pay. Relatives kept coming in

person or calling by visiphone to wish the spacefarers a happy blast-off. Reporters came

calling. It was a good human-interest story, "Professor and family off to Mars," and every

paper wanted to run something about it.

Although the reporters were a nuisance, the newspaper stories came in handy on the final day

of school. Jim and Sally had told all their friends and classmates, of course. But not until the

papers came out with the headlines about their trip did everyone really believe it. Suddenly

Jim and Sally became the most important people in their school. Fore the first time in their

lives Jim and Sally learned what it meant to be a celebrity. They weren't sure they liked being

at the center of so much noisy fuss and attention.

Packing was a hard job – not because they had so much to pack, but because they were

allowed to take so little. The regulations allowed them only seventy pounds of baggage

apiece, which was not very much at all for a years stay. But it wasn't necessary to take

clothes for different seasons because the artificial air of the Mars Colony dome was kept at

the same temperature all year round, sixty-nine degrees. So spring clothes were all that they

needed. And nothing fancy, either, since the colonists didn't go in for frills and formalities.

Spaceships left for Mars only once a month. They carried mail for the colonists and supplies

that were not being produced on Mars, like mustard and grapefruit and other items that were

not strictly necessary but made the diet a little more interesting. The monthly spaceship also

carried new colonists, if there were any, as well as anyone visiting temporarily.

The trip would take three weeks. The first unmanned spaceship that had ever gone to Mars

had required almost nine months to get there, but that had been back in the 1960's.

Spaceships were much more efficient now, more than half a century later. They could attain a

much greater initial thrust, and the new fuels allowed a longer period of acceleration that

reduced flight time tremendously.

The night before they left, Jim and Sally took Chipper down the street to the home of their

friends, Ned and Edna Robinson. Ned and Edna were twins, a little younger than Jim. They

were in Jim's grade at school. They had a cat of their own, a fluffy Persian named Xerxes, and

Silverberg, Robert - Lost Race of Mars.pdf

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