Helium3 - 1 Crater by Homer Hickam

fighting.
    â€œPrecisely,” the Colonel said. “So what do you say? Besides doing me a great favor, it might be just the adventure for a young man. Wish I was your age again. I’d be out of here and on that fastbug scouting for the captain faster than you could say the name of my great-grandmother, Penny High Eagle Medaris.”
    Crater, who’d read the historical accounts of the Colonel’s ancestor, said, “She was a prodigious woman, wasn’t she, sir?”
    â€œYes, she was, Crater, and she would approve of what I’m asking you to do. She loved the company she and my greatgrandfather formed, out of which all of the present Medaris family companies were spawned.”
    The Colonel held every card. If Crater refused, he might lose his job or be kept as a scragline picker for the rest of his life. “I guess I can do it,” he said slowly. “But can I come back and get my old job afterward?”
    â€œWhy of course!” The Colonel smiled tenderly at the boy.
    â€œYou are a first-rate lad. I always knew that. That’s why I let you stay at the Dust Palace after your parents—that is to say your foster parents—passed. I don’t think you had a defender in my company. They all said you should be sent to Armstrong City to fend for yourself but I said, ‘No, this lad’s a survivor, that’s what he is, and smart as paint. Let him stay, let Q-Bess raise him—she has but one child, the Prince of Wales or Petro or whatever he’s called—and she loves children.’ So I solved another problem to everyone’s satisfaction.”
    The Colonel looked pleased with himself, then said, “Now, Crater, get thee to the company administrative office and tender your resignation. Then seek out Captain Teller who will take you on as a scout.”
    It was all too fast. Crater was already scared, and he hadn’t done anything yet. The Colonel took no notice, saying, “There’s another thing I am going to ask you to do. My granddaughter, Maria? She and I are joint owners of the convoy company. Like all Medarises, she knows the best way to run a company is to learn it from the inside. She has decided, therefore, to be a convoy scout on a few runs. I’m against it, but she has me twisted around her finger. That’s true for just about anybody she meets, so watch yourself, eh? A convoy across the moon has significant dangers. Captain Teller is quite competent, but Maria is headstrong and more than a little arrogant about what she can and cannot do. Things can happen out there. You will be working alongside her and I expect you to keep her safe. That, of course, includes giving up your life for hers if necessary. Agreed?”
    Crater didn’t know what to say. Look after Petro’s new girlfriend? He supposed he could do that, especially since Petro wouldn’t be around. “Of course, sir.”
    â€œSplendid. However, presuming you don’t die in defense of my granddaughter, your next most important duty is to get to the Cycler Elon Musk on time. If you don’t, there may not be another opportunity to acquire this artifact. I’ve already tried twice but had to call off the show. Don’t let me down, Crater, hmmm?”
    â€œI’ll do my best, sir.”
    â€œI expect you to do better. Now, the convoy leaves in two days. It will take approximately ten days—twelve at most— to get to Armstrong City. So if it’s twelve, the Elon Musk will rendezvous with the elevator’s ferry one day after that. By my calculations, um, sixteen days from today I expect you to be on the Cycler. Got it?”
    â€œFifteen days, sir, and I won’t fail you. Maria will be protected and I will get to the Cycler on time.”
    â€œIt’s all set then,” the Colonel said. “Off you go.”
    Crater rose, searched his muddled thoughts for something adequate to say, finally settling on a pallid