New York
"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started…and know the place for the first time."
-T.S. Eliot
DISCLAIMER – Rendezvous with Rama is, and always will be (until Sir. Arthur C. Clarke dies and his books become public domain), the property of Arthur C. Clarke. Therefore I'm not responsible for anything I say! (kind of…)
NOTE – I am a devote sci-fi fan and particularly love the Rama series. In the Rama books a prominent character (and my favorite) Richard Wakefield leaves his wife, Nicole, and child to explore and study the Rama environment. Although Richard is ridiculously intelligent (according to IQ and other tests in the top 99.999 of human beings) the books make no mention to his finds during the 3.5+ years that he disappears into the Raman wilderness. This fanfic is to clear up what transpires during May 7 2205 - February 4, 2209 earth-time.
May 1, 2205
Rama had just gone through its 1947th night-day cycle as Richard walked out of his makeshift New York house. He stood amidst the towering, metallic black obelisks and stretched. The "sun" rose from behind the three-pronged mountains in the Southern Hemicylinder. Richard looked north over the Cylindrical Sea toward Moscow, Bombay, Beijing, Tokyo and the airlocks from which he had come. He could still remember vividly the entrance into Rama. He missed the rest of the crew and wondered what had become of them. Nicole and he had gotten lost and didn't meet up with the crew when it was departure time. They had meet up with Michel O'Toole who had also gotten lost just in time to ride the Avian's to New York. They had just narrowly escaped "Monsoon" season in Rama. Richard reminisced all the way back to his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was a misunderstood genius. He had had no friends but instead became obsessed with Stratford's celebrity, William Shakespeare. He had created two three-inch robots based on Shakespearian characters that would always be his friends. He didn't need them any more though because he had Nicole, Simone, and Michel.
As Richard stood there gazing off into the distance of Rama, Nicole came up from behind and placed her arm around him. She knew he had to go, to explore. He was too curious and too intelligent to remain locked up in the bunker they called home. She feared for his safety when he left, and for hers. Who would protect her from increasingly frequent Octospider attacks, and who would use the Raman computer to make food and necessary supplies? Michel was well over 50 and couldn't do everything Richard could but she wouldn't think about those things right now, for right now she had Richard.
Richard was bored, for he had very little to work on, and a man as inquisitive as he constantly needed a goal. The only activities he truly enjoyed now was attempting to understand the strange black screen that he assumed was a Raman computer, and tinkering with his creations (three little robotic Shakespearian characters with whom one can have conversations with). These activities occupied much of his time, but what he really wanted to do was to explore Rama. Well over 5,850 square miles of Rama, and he had seen less then 50. Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by Michel complaining that he was hungry, so Richard went to make dinner.
Richard stood before the ebony display thinking of the chemical compound for water, and on the black conveyer belt came three literjons full of pure H2O. Richard loved this challenge, trying to explain things to the computer only using math and science terms as a bridge between English and Raman. He then thought of an assortment of organic compounds and created the nutrient rich glop that the Wakefield's had been living off of. But Richard did not immediately sit down with the others and eat; he had another task. One by one Richard called forth molecules, like dawn brings the sun. First came carbon, then nitrogen, and hydrogen to make natural atoms stringed together with many other elements. After much work the final result was achieved; he took the object as it rolled out of the black opening and walked out of their shelter. Richard kept walking down Broadway, the main street of their strange environment, and made a quick left toward the waterfront. He deposited the fruit of his labors into a heap of materials and began to build.
May 7, 2205
Awoken by a slight movement by Nicole, Richard realized he was behind schedule. He quickly, yet quietly, moved toward the computer made several commands and filled he bag with food and water. Although he was busy gathering his supplies he paused for a moment and stared at Nicole and his beautiful child Simone, he knew he might never see them again. As he gazed he felt tears welling up, but he suppressed them, to proud to show his fear of what laid ahead. He rushed out of their under ground habitat to find the Raman sun shining bright like always. The only thing more beautiful then his family, he decided, was knowledge.
Well there you have it, the first Chapter of my first fan fiction. Please feel free to tell me what you think about it by reviewing. For those of you who know the story let me know if I slip up on a factual bit, I try to keep it close to the book.
-Levenbreech Vor