[TML] A Bit of Fluff

[Eris Reddoch]

Here's something a bit different, just a bit of fluff from one 
of the PBEM's I'm running.

The PC's are on a "camping trip" on a very thin atmosphere 
planet. They want to visit "The Crystal Desert", seeing it at 
midnight and sunrise when it is suppose to be "the wonder of 
the whole sector." They also will be camping near the route 
where "The Great Land Yacht" race will be passing tomorrow as 
the sail powered, grav lifted, yachts speed across the 
thousand kilometer course from the Star Port to Hoffburg, 
where they will circle the town and sail back.  Our PC's think 
taking a pair of smaller land yachts out and camping along the 
race's route will be interesting entertainment.  They are just 
leaving Hoffburg where they've rented their boats...

 >>> Glancing at the limp sail she adds, "I'll take this
 >>> boat out of the hanger under grav power, but I'm anxious
 >>> to try out the sail once we get onto open ground."
 >>  Bernie settles in next to Tasha. "How long will it take
 >>  to reach our destination?"
 >
 >  Mal'ya gave the craft a slight push with the repulsors as
 >  the doors to the hanger drifted open, muttering almost
 >  gaily under her breath, "...all ahead one quarter..."

The man at the hanger doors pushes a button and the large 
double doors slowly open leaving only a gravity gradient 
curtain separating the thick warm air inside the hanger from 
the thin cold atmosphere outside. The semi-transparent curtain 
of gravity shimmers like a soap bubble when you look at it.

Gravity gradient curtains are common on low (and even no) 
atmosphere planets. They aren't strong enough to "carry a 
load" or even retain a higher pressure atmosphere permanently, 
but they are strong enough to temporarily minimize the loss of 
air as you move from the T-normal atmospheric pressure inside 
a building into the low or no pressure environment outside. 
Pressure doors are still required, and air-locks are still 
common, but these gravity curtains make living on low pressure 
worlds much easier.

The two small land yachts move ahead sluggishly on their grav 
drives, sails limp against the tall masts. As the boats move 
through the curtain it shimmers iridescently all around you. 
You feel an increase in pressure, then a sudden drop and the 
bite of the cold thin atmosphere as you emerge on the other 
side. All of you raise a hand, almost instinctively, to the
respirator mask covering your mouth and nose adjusting it
*securely* into place.

Your cold weather clothing keeps your body warm, and all of
the jackets come with hoods you can pull up to cover your
heads and most of your faces, if you wish. Each of you also 
has goggles to cover your eyes, but all of you have the 
goggles around your necks at the moment, and the cold bites at 
your exposed skin there.  The gloves of your cold weather gear 
keep your hands warm, but are so thin and flexible that it is 
almost as if your hands are uncovered. The heated leggings 
under the padded trousers keep your lower extremities equally 
warm, and the spacer boots you wear will keep your feet warm 
right down to liquid oxygen temperatures.

An unpaved track heads from the hanger out of town toward the 
desert. Even the track ends at the edge of town, leaving you 
to head west into the desert. A wind from the north is 
whipping up shimmering dust in the very thin atmosphere. The 
fine grains of dust sting your eyes, and the sinking sun 
glares angrily making it hard to see ahead.

You squint and look ahead. No one speaks for a few seconds as 
you all take it in. A very faint hum is all you hear over the 
comm dots you each wear, then Elaine says, "My god it's 
beautiful!"

Stretching to the horizon is a vast expanse of emptiness. 
There is almost none of the low growing vegetation you saw on 
the monorail during the trip out from the star port, just 
rolling hills and sharp edged bluffs outlined in stark 
shadows. But the landscape is anything but colorless. Shades 
of color ranging from deep red to yellow gold streak the sands 
and dot the bluffs. This is all set against the brooding red 
of the sun in the sky ahead of you which has turned the sky 
shades of red and orange!

(Picture sailing out into a Martian landscape...temperature is 
a bit higher and so is the air pressure, but not much, and the 
sun is much bigger and redder.)

Time to set the sails and see if you can really handle these 
boats...

...hope you enjoyed the read.

Eris