If the Robredo were destroyed, shipwrecked in the subpolar sands or shattered by electrical storms in the region of the great lakes, the pneumoarcs were programmed to detach themselves from the rest of the ship. Just one of these was worth as much as the whole of the rest of the ship. Each one contained a further jewel, namely six pneumoarcs. This masterpiece of metal and vetrogel was able to glide almost effortlessly across the harshest of terrains thanks to these six carriages.
Bray had served as Sandguard on four other cargo ships, but none of these could compare to this marvel of engineering: thirty-six wheels – each one well over fifteen feet in diameter – capable of shifting over 25,200 tons eight boilers, each one capable of producing 45,000 horse power of steam 73 crew members six separate carriages, which meant more sets of tires for each section. Everything on board the Robredo had been designed for survival at extreme conditions and in the harshest of climates. The wipers slid silently back into position leaving the vetrogel to finish drinking. They scooped out a chamber inside them to keep themselves safe from the thorns. These huge prickly spheres were sometimes used by the Ghmor – the nomads of the wind – to cross the vast expanses of the subtropical region of World-9 where they lived. An interminable sea of yellow interrupted now and again by vast balls of tumbleweed sweeping across the surface. But these had been serious enough to set off alarms and to put the crew on edge.įor over six weeks all they had seen were sand dunes and sun-scorched terrain. The sudden loss of engine power had caused some minor problems steering the ship. There had been trouble the previous night and the one before that. The first day of the fourth month of the voyage was a cloudy Wednesday which promised rain before nightfall. The long blades of the wipers swung slowly back and forth across the windows of the bridge, feeding the vetrogel screen a mixture of alcalines and mineral salts. Lifting his cap a fraction, the Sandguard ran his fingers over his smooth head.
The begining of the american edition and some amazing illustrations by Franco Brambilla… A steampunk story set in a poisonous world where huge trucks the size of ships plow across the treacherous sands.
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