SFFSat 09/08/2014 - Blue Ice 2

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this set - you can find the information here. 

This is part two of Blue Ice. Anton deGama is in the rings of Saturn, planting flowers on a chunk of ice the size of a football field...

He settled the flower into the hole, spread the reagant around it, and it obligingly froze the plant into position. The petals slowly opened, drinking in the sunlight. Beneath the surface, the roots would soon start seeking out the minerals that would make the crop worth harvesting.

His helmet clicked and burred, and a quiet voice broke in. "Hullo, DeGama - what colour are your draxblooms?"

Anton glanced up. This chunk was at the edge of the ring, and from here he got a superlative view of the stars shining steel-and-diamond across the heavens. One particular star was winking infinitesimally from the heart of a cluster of gossamer spiderweb overhead, which had to be the deep space array. Commlasers were not supposed to be bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, but any experienced ringdweller could spot one at this range. He knew Kellerman was handling an upgrade to the array's systems. 

Her question, on the other hand, puzzled him. "Yellow, of course - standard strain fourteen point three two."

 

Kellerman's voice was edged with concern. "I'm about two hundred klicks above you, and I've got a clear view of Rose and your ring-fragment. There’s a patch of ice showing bright blue – and it’s moving."

The bad news is that SFFS is going off the air for a few weeks - so you won't find out what is going on in the rings of Saturn for a while...

As always, comments appreciated!