Despite his 'exclusive' interview with Frank, Dolf's listenership was declining, as they had expected. There was simply nothing very exciting happening
A second large hole had been dug, and the core stage tank had been carefully lowered into actual contact with the surface of the comet. Dolf had been quick to point out acidly that by doing so, they had added mass to the comet, which would, of necessity, alter its orbit somewhat. So, he added, they were already doing what they were so frightened of doing. He reluctantly admitted, though, that the effect was minor.
The core stage tank was frozen into place over the second hole, which contained the machinery for cracking the water ice into oxygen and hydrogen, compressing the gases, and pumping them into the tank. This had required that power lines be rigged from the reactor to the electrolyzing machinery. A tunnel led to the surface, so that ice could be easily brought to the machines. The tunnel meant, of course, that the cracking plant could not be pressurized. All work had to be done in space suits.
But the plant was operating, the huge tank was slowly filling, and the men had comfortable quarters in which to spend the long time until they reached their destination in the asteroid belt.
The only complaints and recriminations came from Dolf, who was still irritated that his plan had not been adopted. Now, though, he was complaining that they had not stopped the comet's tumbling and rotation before freezing Man's Hope into the ice.
David had decided that it would be too risky and impractical to try, with the core stage attached to their belly, and sticking far out beyond Man's Hope's nose. Besides, the tumbling and rotation were not noticeable by the crewmembers; the only real effects at the moment were to complicate Dolf's orbital calculations slightly, and to occasionally interfere with Dolf's antennas.
Nevertheless, Dolf's concerns had some validity. When they approached perihelion, they would be inside the Earth's orbit, and the ice would be subliming faster. If they had been able to stop the rotation, the ship could have remained on the 'dark side', away from the heat of the Sun, where the gaseous eruptions of the vents would not have been a hazard. Now, though, the crew would have to carefully monitor the condition of the ice surrounding their holes and, of course, the ice 'plug' that retained the ship.
As Yuri had mentioned, ice is an 'unforgiving' material. If a vent suddenly appeared in the relatively thin ice 'plug', weakening it, the pressure inside would explode the plug into space, depressurizing the 'cave' and instantly killing any unsuited men inside. They were already maintaining a monitoring schedule and frequent inspections; but as they approached perihelion, their vigilance would have to be constant and total.
But their lives had, for the most part, settled into a routine. Amazing as it was to say, Man's greatest space adventure in history was becoming boring!
And the closer they approached to the Sun, the closer they came to losing their communication with Earth. Even before they started their swing around the Sun, they would, of course, be unable to communicate with Earth; the Sun's vast electromagnetic aura would simply overwhelm any signal they were capable of transmitting. So, their contacts with Control became more hurried, more comprehensive, and the crew's monitoring of news broadcasts became more frequent. Dolf had to prepare his audience for the loss of contact and the cessation of his broadcasts for a period of several months.
His final, static-laden broadcast ended with the playing of one of David's old musical recordings, ". . . See you in September . . ."
***
Susan was really worried about Frank.
The resort that was their temporary home was incredible. About a mile south of the "city" of San Antonio, it featured a gorgeous beach fronting on the South China Sea. It reminded Susan of nothing as much as old National Geographic pictures or some of those oversized coffee-table travel books people had when she was a girl. All it needed was bare-breasted girls in grass skirts.
The resort was reached via a narrow, well-maintained gravel road leading through a seemingly endless forest until suddenly the trees stopped and you were faced by that breathtaking beach view of the South China Sea.
Then the road turned, and you saw a reasonably large, Spanish-style hotel building surrounded by six of the bamboo and palm-frond buildings the natives called bahay kubo, or "nipa hut," and fronting on several swimming pools.
Jaymo had been wise enough to consult Frank about western standards of comfort, considerably different from Filipino standards. Here, even the bedrooms of the nipa huts were air-conditioned, and featured queen and king sized beds. Bathrooms, often called 'comfort rooms' here, were roomy and plush. Guests had their choice of a bathtub or shower stall, and both featured hot water, a rarity in the Philippines.
As a result, Jaymo marketed his resort to westerners, mostly Americans and Australians, via the Internet. Another of his investments was a web design company in Olongapo City, who made certain that Jaymo's ads were effective.
One of Frank's investments had been to have Jaymo add an "Owner's Suite" to the design, at his expense. At that time, Frank's wife had still been alive, though ill. Frank had designed the suite for maximum luxury and comfort, and Jaymo had fulfilled his plans. Frank brought Yoli here several times, and she had loved it. When Frank was not in residence, Jaymo was able to charge a premium price for the suite.
Susan loved it, too. There were several concrete walks leading into the forest behind the hotel building, and Susan loved to walk among the cool, green trees. She especially loved the wild monkeys that inhabited the forest. Jaymo considered them pests, because guests tended to feed them, and they turned into thieves, scampering into the trees with anything edible.
Mostly, though, Jaymo was concerned about safety. "Monkeys have big teeth. Bite much," he told her. "They can hurt bad, have to go to hospital. Also, they carry diseases. Please, Miss Susan, watch monkeys, they are fun. But don't try to touch, and please don't feed them."
To Susan, it was paradise, and their stay should have been a romantic fairytale. But Frank didn't seem to notice. He was spending up to sixteen hours a day on his computer, trying to rebuild his fortune.
At first, he had spent all his time monitoring the news, especially news about Man's Hope. But he had found little that wasn't a rehash of Dolf's briefing broadcasts. So now, he was constantly on the Internet, sending e-mails or making VoIP calls to his brokers, or simply monitoring his investments. He could rarely be persuaded to go swimming or fishing, both of which had been favorite pursuits, or to go snorkeling to admire the spectacular corals in the crystal-clear water, or to simply drive into San Antonio or Olongapo, for a dinner out, or a visit to the Subic Free Port to buy western treats. He never missed Dolf's briefings, though.
Dolf had been waging Frank's war, going savagely on the attack. He began during one of his briefings by cataloguing the actions the U.S. government had taken to oppose Frank and the project, and then accused the U.S. of opposing the project only because it was not a U.S. project, and they could not control it. He called on the entire world to demand that the U.S. explain its ongoing hostility, and on all Americans to demand an explanation from their government that did not rely on obvious nonsense like 'terrorism'.