Challenge 965

Think or Swim

In Nemo West’s Negotiation: Why must Chelle grab Deak’s gun? Aside from his threats, what is her motivation?
In Maurice Humphrey’s Out of the Darkness of Space: What are some of the likely dangers of assigning anyone to three years’ duty as the solitary keeper of an isolated space station?
In David Barber’s Travellers to Isfahan:
1. Why, exactly, does Ivris Lot go to Isfahan, and what does he expect to find?
2. If you were asked to conclude the story with an explicit moral, as in the style of the classic fable, what would it be? Can you think of more than one moral?
In James Rumpel’s Maintenance Break:
1. What is the dramatic function of Jeremy’s games of Minesweeper?
2. Does Jeremy make a good decision in lying to Susan about the sensor log’s having missed the lead ship’s beacon? If Jeremy does other than what he does, what would Susan do in response? What would be the likely consequences?
3. The frozen-sleep spaceship is programmed for a voyage of 200 years. At what fraction of light-speed would it be traveling if it were going to Proxima Centauri, the star system nearest to Earth, in that time?
4. About how many ships appear to have preceded the one of Jeremy and Susan in voyages to New Earth?
In Gary Inbinder’s Lemons: Why does the poet not identify “some people” as “lemons”? What would be the danger in making such a statement?