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    Cavernauts
    Cavernauts
    Cavernauts
    Ebook56 pages50 minutes

    Cavernauts

    By David Bartell

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Two men journey deep into Jupiter's moon Callisto to rescue a beloved teammate before time runs out. And just what wondrous but deadly secret is hidden at the bottom of the frozen cavern?

    ”Cavernauts” is a novelette originally published as the lead story in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, March 2009.

    Trade Reviews:

    “Tense... quite an adventure... Some of the imagery is awe-inspiring... the wonders of the universe are beautiful as well as deadly, and are eternally of a more fantastic nature than we can ever imagine.” - Tangent

    “Gripping adventure... enjoyable... smoothly written” - The Fix

    “A rousing adventure tale... RECOMMENDED” - Internet Review of Science Fiction (IROSF)

    “An exciting tale ... inventive ... a good finish” - SF Revu

    Analog Reader Comments:

    ”Love Cavernauts! !!!!”

    ”Excellent story"

    “Good story! Has a Robert Heinlein combo Arthur Clarke feel to it.”

    “A nicely old-fashioned problem story”

    “I loved David Bartell’s ‘Cavernauts’!” - Analog reader, via Brass Tacks (letters to the editor, Analog magazine)

    A Russian translation of CAVERNAUTS has appeared in the Russian SF magazine ESLI. Much more information on the author's website.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid Bartell
    Release dateAug 28, 2011
    ISBN9781466180246
    Cavernauts
    Author

    David Bartell

    David Bartell is an award-winning science fiction author, futurist, and member of SFWA. He has sold numerous stories to professional magazines and anthologies. In 2011, he appeared in the Discovery Channel "Curiosity" episode, "Alien Invasion: Are We Ready?" with Michelle Rodriguez, Michio Kaku and others. The UK title was "When Aliens Attack". In 2012 he appeared in National Geographic's "Evacuate Earth", and its 2013-2014 spin-off "How to Survive the End of the World", for which he also consulted.His latest story takes place in Larry Niven's Known Space universe, in the anthology MAN-KZIN WARS XIII. If you are a fan of Niven, kzinti, or stasis boxes, check out "Zeno's Roulette".David has a degree in astrophysics, a masters certificate in project management, and is a manager in the high tech industry near Washington, D.C. He is a world traveler, scuba divemaster and father.

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      Book preview

      Cavernauts - David Bartell

      Cavernauts

      by David Bartell

      Smashwords Edition

      Cavernauts copyright 2011 David Bartell

      http://www.davidbartell.us/

      Introduction:

      Cavernauts was originally published as the lead story in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, March 2009, with an illustration by the incomparable Vincent Di Fate. The tagline was Rationality is one of our most characteristic traits - but not the only one.

      An accompanying article for The Science Behind the Story was published on the Analog web site, http://www.analogsf.com. This article is provided following the story. A Russian translation of CAVERNAUTS has appeared in the Russian SF magazine ESLI. Much more information at:

      http://www.davidbartell.us/?m=200903

      Trade Reviews:

      Tense… quite an adventure… Some of the imagery is awe-inspiring… the wonders of the universe are beautiful as well as deadly, and are eternally of a more fantastic nature than we can ever imagine. - Tangent

      Gripping adventure… enjoyable… smoothly written - The Fix

      A rousing adventure tale… RECOMMENDED - Internet Review of Science Fiction (IROSF)

      An exciting tale … inventive … a good finish - SF Revu

      Analog Reader Comments:

      Love Cavernauts! !!!!

      Excellent story

      Good story! Has a Robert Heinlein combo Arthur Clarke feel to it.

      A nicely old-fashioned problem story

      I loved David Bartell’s ‘Cavernauts’! - Analog reader, via Brass Tacks (letters to the editor, Analog magazine)

      by David Bartell

      Why would anyone voluntarily grope around the dark, frozen bowels of a dead moon 400 million miles from Earth, spending two years away from home, only for standard wages? If you’re not an extreme thrill seeker, I can’t tell you.

      I’d hoped I’d never have to answer the question, but no bit shield or sociobypass can give complete privacy. People would just answer for me, in my absence from the net, and my foolishness would be confirmed democratically. That’s what happened while I was bound for Callisto on the Ozark. The WyrdNet was buzzing to know why an expectant father like me would bolt to some distant rock, just as I got the news about the baby.

      I couldn’t tell them that another woman needed me on Callisto, so I recited a stock joke: I was going just to escape WyrdNet. The general reaction to that is surprise; people don’t know that you’re off line when you’re deep underground. A typical question: How can you stand being unplugged so long, especially in a dangerous place? If you weren’t plugged in, you were in a vacuum, alone and ignorant.

      I also never tell people that the most beautiful sight in the Solar System is under Callisto base. The cave we call John’s Glen, formed by crystallized urine refuse, is a sight to behold. Sometimes you just can’t tell the truth.

      Bart and I returned to Callisto to help our partner Colleen, and as soon as we touched down, we had another reason to revisit those caves.

      Guys, I’ve got bad news, the base’s Ops Director Trev told us. He was waiting for us outside the airlock. Not a good sign. Colleen was missing, he told us, somewhere down in the caverns.

      Search and rescue, Bart shouted. I’ll assemble our gear.

      Roger that, I said.

      It’s been too long, Rick. Trev gave us the particulars, and Bart and I both ran some quick mental calculations.

      She could possibly be alive, Bart said.

      You’re joking. Listen, fellows, I know you came out all this way, and are bored crazy from the trip, and I’m very sorry, but-

      Bart’s right, I said. If she managed to reach one of the P&A caches, there’s a fair chance she’s okay.

      Bart flexed his knees and hit his fists together, his whole body chomping on a bit. I nodded, and he rushed off to assemble our gear. I lingered with Trev, to hear some details.

      No, he said.

      Trev, it’s Colleen. To me, just the mention of the name should have had an effect. In a field of mostly men, we tended to pamper the women, even though they were usually made of stronger stuff then we. It’s not that they needed special treatment; it’s that we needed to give it. And it wasn’t just Colleen. One of the

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