Canticle Blue

43. Ring Sea

Music - Improbable Landscape by Tim Story
(From 'Beguiled')

Maire Gan-Meid wanted someone to ask her a question, but, despite dropping many hints, no one seemed to catch on. Finally one day, as she and Ip raced to meet Annibet in the Commons, Ip got there first and whispered something. So, as soon as Maire arrived, Annibet gave her a hug and asked, "Can your mom really make a sea?"

To which Maire's delighted and breathless reply was, "We'll see."

Annibet stared at her for a moment in mock bewilderment and then broke into laughter. "Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming... You so remind me of your mother sometimes."

Maire continued, "Mom says the Terreska will spin the water, and then she'll just add a pinch of salt."

Annibet reached for Maire's nose. "Hold still, and I'll show you how much a pinch is." Then she said, "Let's go find your mom and charm her for the details."

It was just after sunset when they found her, bathed in faint blue light, in a shaded area behind the last habitat ring. Annibet winked at Maire and told Elyse, "We're here to see about the sea."

Elyse smiled, "I take it you heard my recipe then. It will be more of a sea shore really, since we won't have much extra water for awhile. Tor's staff has been working with me on the design. We thought we could build up the back of the habitat section in pretty much the same way as the area where we're standing, with concave surfaces sloping toward the stern of the ship, and seawalls compensating for acceleration or spin. We would line it with N- type and then put in sand, rocks, and tide pools. The temperature, salt content, and PH would be controlled, and the "sea" would be filtered and aerated. We might have to build a bridge to the rear airlock—which, from what I understand, will soon be replaced.

"I think it would work. The original colonists managed to bring marine life-forms here once, mostly as frozen embryos. But, in the year before they entered the solar system, they set up marine environments on a small scale right here." She gestured toward a fresh-water pond containing Canticle Blue diatoms. "And we have access to much better technology than they did.

"And besides," she teased Maire, "it would give me something to do on a boring space trip."

Maire took the bait, "Mom, it's not boring."

Elyse laughed, "No it won't be, my little pet, because we get to take you along."

Ip concurred. "Yes, Maire is the best pet, I think."

Annibet looked up from the pond to Elyse. "And I suppose you'll want to wade in the waves?"

But Maire answered the question, "Yes, we will." And Ip raised her hand.

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The Terreska "ring sea" was delayed by necessary ship modifications. As restoration work had progressed in the habitat section, a new system of air ducts and water conduits had been installed connecting all the habitat rings to central filtering units beyond the aft bulkhead. Since the airlock between the landing bay and the habitat section was no longer needed, it was cut away, and the opening was enlarged to remove what was left of the old systems. Once that was done,  lianas dismantled the original central ventilation tube behind the lander rings and helped the Silver Run carry the parts through the new opening. They also removed the two unused lander rings. After that, construction crews re-sealed the rear wall of the chamber with two very large retractible doors and cut portals for three elevators through the bulkhead itself.

As it turned out, the open spaces created in the habitat section were excellent for morale. They gave the Terreska community the perception of much greater volume in the section, added to the overall aesthetics of the chamber, and made the presence of sunlight even more dramatic. The children were also fascinated with the nearly constant stream of small spacecraft and Middi which now passed through the zero-gravity corridor on their work schedules.

After those modifications, work on Elyse's seashore was hurried, to say the least, as the Terreska departure date loomed. The workers found that even artificially created days moved too quickly. When finished, the ring sea was an instant community attraction, with well-crafted marine environments, lighting arrangements, landscaping, and captivating tidal dynamics. It also became a favorite meeting spot for children's activities and evening interludes, especially after the wandering, exotic-matter grow-lights in the area had dimmed for the night.