Barbary

Barbary began to be able to make the direction she decided was “down” stay where she put it, in her mind. But if she thought about her surroundings in a slightly different way, suddenly she would lose “down” and feel as though she was diving scarily toward a floor. It was easier, she found, to think of all the surfaces as walls.

“One more time,” Jeanne said, turning toward her.

Barbary steadied herself, aware of everyone watching her. The friendlier bodyguard watched with curiosity, maybe even with some envy. Barbary wondered if he had ever been in space before.

Then suddenly Barbary saw her jacket drifting free above her seat. She leaped to catch it. She arched across the cabin. People shouted and ducked. Her shoulder hit the wall. She bounced back, tumbling. Flailing to regain her balance, she cartwheeled across the compartment. She heard a shouted warning. The toe of her shoe caught the vice president’s newspaper and tore it from his hands. With a rattling, ripping sound it wrapped itself around her legs. The second bodyguard tried to catch her, but she was moving too fast. She hit the wall with her other shoulder and rebounded. For a moment she looked straight into the surprised face of the vice president, who still held one shred of newspaper in each hand. She spun away. The face of the second bodyguard flashed by. He had crinkly lines around his eyes as if he were struggling not to laugh.

Jeanne, braced against the wall with her foot hooked through a handhold, caught Barbary and held her. As soon as she had stopped, the shuttle started to spin around her and for the first time she felt nauseated. She closed her eyes. Both her shoulders ached. To her surprise, she had managed to grab her jacket and keep hold of it. She clutched it tight.

“I told you this was a mistake!” Frank snarled.

Jeanne ignored him. “Barbary, are you okay? You took a couple of nasty bumps.”

“Yeah,” Barbary said. The shakiness of her voice surprised her. “I think so.” She opened her eyes. Things had stopped spinning. “That was dumb,” she said. “That was really dumb.” She glanced toward the vice president. Her face burned with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she said. She unwrapped the ruined newspaper from her foot and held it out to him. The quiet bodyguard took it from her and suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. His laugh was more like a giggle. Barbary felt another wave of embarrassment rise across her face. Shreds of newspaper floated around the vice president like a halo, and Frank snatched at them, still scowling. The vice president opened his hands. The last pieces of paper floated away.

“Well, never mind,” he said to Barbary. “But do try not to do it again.”

“It really is okay,” Jeanne said. “Wait till you hear some of the stuff I did before I was used to it.”

She swooped to their seats. “Easy, now, right this way. Relax, and just a touch...”

Barbary put her feet against the ceiling, held tight to her jacket, and pushed off very, very gently. She moved so slowly she was afraid she would stop before she got across the space between her and Jeanne, but she reached out, being very careful, and Jeanne grasped her fingers.

“Perfect!” The other passengers applauded. Doubly embarrassed, Barbary ducked down in her seat.

Chapter Three

The shuttle neared Outrigger. If Barbary had not read so much about space, she would never have recognized the space transport as a ship. She had grown up in a world of jets and bullet-trains: sleek, slender, streamlined conveyances. Outrigger looked like a cross between a Tinkertoy and a spider web. Struts and towers, antennas and solar panels poked out at every angle.

The transport ship filled the screen with its awkward form, expanding as the shuttle approached. Soon the exterior camera showed only a featureless metal panel. Barbary wished again for windows.

With an almost imperceptible vibration, the shuttle docked against Outrigger. The doors of the shuttle’s cargo bay nestled into the transport.

“Good work!” Jeanne whispered. She glanced at Barbary and smiled. “Sometimes these dockings shake your teeth. Nice to know we’ve had a good pilot.”

“Can’t you find out beforehand?”

“Sure,” Jeanne said. “But that would spoil all the fun.” She sighed. “I used to know all the shuttle pilots, but so many joined while I was away…”

The shuttle bay doors folded open. People from the transport floated into the passenger compartment and began helping the newcomers out of their harnesses.

“It takes half an hour to unload everybody one by one,” Jeanne said. “Are you game to go with me?”

“Sure,” Barbary said.

One of the transport crew propelled himself Jeanne’s way.

“Hi, Dr. Velory,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were coming in on this flight.”

“I thought I’d better,” she said, unfastening her harness and floating beside him. “All things considered.” She unfastened Barbary’s seat belt.

“Yes,” he said. “I expect you’re right.”