Free The Great Destroyer by Jack Thorlin Page A

looked recognizably similar to the American space shuttle. It was moderately sleeker than the shuttle, with a small extra set of wings near the front called canards, no tail, and a single engine at the back.  The light-brown vessel also had a reflective section above its nose that was evidently a cockpit. 
     
    “We shouldn’t be surprised that it looks so much like something we could have made,” Takagawa noted.  “Their engineers were presumably solving the same kind of design problems as we were when we developed the space shuttle all those centuries ago.”
     
    A Space Administration technician asked, “Why include the wings and canards on a spacecraft?”
     
    Emma had already considered that.  “Those wings are for navigating in an atmosphere.  The canards would give them additional control when flying in an atmosphere that’s thinner than they’re used to.  It means they’re planning on coming down here at some point.”
     
    “Look at the cockpit!”  the Equality Minister said excitedly on the radio.  She was waving from the porthole as the Super ship came to within about a hundred yards of the Empathy , clearly moving to dock.  “Robot, open the outer airlock door!”
     
    “Yes, Equality Minister.”  Charlie II obediently pushed a button.
     
    A few feet from Takagawa, the chief ground control officer was evidently not happy about Eldridge opening the airlock.  “Equality Minister, we don’t know anything about the Supers, we need to proceed slowly and carefully—”
     
    Eldridge replied with a hint of anger, “I am making our guests welcome!  They are a civilized people and we don’t want them finding out how rude we are right off the bat, do we?”
     
    Lights mounted outside the Empathy were pointing to the docking fixture at the nose of the capsule, trying to indicate to the Super vessel that it should link up with the Empathy at the dock.  With the airlock open, the Super ship approached the airlock instead. 
     
    Seeing that a docking with the airlock hatch was impossible, the Super ship took up station about fifty feet from the airlock, firing small attitude control thrusters to maintain position relative to the Empathy .  After three minutes of inactivity, a port opened on the Super ship.
     
    Three figures emerged, brightly lit by sunlight. 
     
    “Oh...” The Equality Minister said, a mix of disappointment and curiosity.
     
    Each figure was cloaked in light green spacesuits of some kind; their faces hidden behind opaque gold-tinted glass.  Their shape was generally human-like at first glance, though the differences struck a dissonant note. 
     
    Their feet were larger and more circular than those of humans. The other visible physical difference was size.  The three figures ranged from about four to five and a half feet tall.  They were wider than humans, however---squat, almost dwarfish.
     
    Jackson said, “Of course, it’s just like the shuttle.  They had to evolve under similar conditions as we did probably.  Evolution was solving for the same problems there as here.”
     
    Takagawa recognized her phrase and added, “Their height is doubtless an adaptation to their higher-gravity planet.”
     
    Eldridge was less circumspect.  “They look very innocent, with their small stature and their clear desire to make contact with us.”
     
    The Supers were linked together and to their shuttle craft by a thin white rope, which extended behind them as they activated miniature thrusters on their suits to push them over to the Empathy . 
     
    “The Supers are coming!”  Equality Minister Eldridge exclaimed. 
     
    The chief ground control officer said on the radio, “Equality Minister, please put on your helmet.  We have no way of knowing what their presence might do to the atmosphere inside the Empathy .”
     
    “No, the Supers are honored guests, and one does not greet honored guests from a plastic bubble,” Eldridge explained simply.
     
    No one in