The Planet MappersEvans, E. Everett (Edward Everett)
Science
The Planet Mappers
Evans, E. Everett (Edward Everett)
Families -- Juvenile fiction; Science fiction; Space flight -- Juvenile fiction; Space pirates -- Juvenile fiction
"Sure, nothing to it. We may even have one among the stores. If not,
it's just a diaphragm inside a tube, oscillated by electricity. I'll
see if we've got one, or else make one and install it."
As they neared the entrance to the ship they saw their mother standing
in the opened lock, getting a breath of fresh air, and looking about
the clearing with an interested expression.
Jon had just opened his mouth to call to her when suddenly, without
warning, without even a change in the light or feeling in the air, rain
began coming down in great sheets. The boys, after only a momentary
start of surprise, raced for the airlock. Their mother stayed to help
them climb in. But by the time they were inside and the outer door was
closed, they were wet through to the skin.
"Wow, that's sure some storm! Wonder if it's a regular feature here?"
"I wouldn't know," Jak panted. "Did you get a look at that lightning,
and hear the thunder?"
"Didn't take time--I was too busy running." Jon laughed as he tried
to wring the worst of the water out of his coveralls before going
through the living room to the bunkroom, where they could change to dry
garments.
As they came out their mother, now also in dry clothes, met them with a
smile. "I think your father is getting better--he moved about quite a
bit a while ago, although he didn't completely regain consciousness."
"Wonderful!"
"That's super!"
Later, as the three were eating dinner, Jak suddenly laid down his fork
in excitement. "Just happened to think. We didn't see any cities here,
so doesn't that make this a prime discovery?"
"That it do, that it do," Jon said delightedly.
"Then that means we have the right to name and claim this system...."
"Unless there are intelligent inhabitants on some of the other planets."
"Seems to me if there were any, they'd be here--this is certain to be
the most logical world to support life. What'll we call this system?"
"'Carveria,' of course, stupid. After Pop," Jon answered witheringly.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Son." His mother smiled at him fondly.
"We'll call the sun 'Carveria,' then, and the five planets will be
'Tad,' 'Marci,' 'Jak,' 'Jon,' and 'Rover.'"
"Ouch, how corny can you get?" Jon sniffed. "Since there are five, I
know the fifth should be named for the ship, and we can't very well
call it 'Star Rover.' But certainly not just 'Rover,' either."
"Why not leave off the last 'r' and just call it 'Rove'?" their mother
suggested.
"Good!" "Swell!" the two exclaimed at once.
"That means this one is named after you, Mom. How does it feel to have
a whole world named after you?"
"You ought to know," she retorted with a smile that brought out her
dimples in the old way. "You've each got one named for you."
"Then let's call this moon 'Diana,' after the ancient goddess of the
moon," Jak said.
"Look, Owl, this is Mom's planet. She has the right to name her own
moon." Jon's voice was almost a sneer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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