And, at about this time, Guybrush and the rest in Boss Hog were approaching Ganymede. One half of the moon was lit, very faintly, by light from the Sun; this shaded into light reflected from the vast surface of Jupiter, casting a gloomy twilight over much of the moon. Even with the naked eye, though, it was possible to see the tiny pinpricks of light that marked settlements on Ganymede. The largest of these was an orange smear, and this was Exus-1.
Down on the ground several black shapes moved on the outer perimeter of the lit area. One of them held a small square shape in his hands. He stopped and placed it against a nondescript squat grey machine, then faded into the background with the rest of the group. Their presence, as yet, had not been noted.
In the cockpit of Boss Hog, Guybrush was pointing out specific features as they approached. "Those reflective patches you can see are ice," he said. "Ganymede has a little surface ice, though most of it is concentrated in these huge underground crevasses."
"What about the other dots of light?" asked Elaine.
"Those are various other free trader settlements," said Guybrush. "I think the total population on Ganymede comes to about a thousand."
"Is there any kind of central governing body?"
Guybrush looked blank. "No. What would the fun be in that?"
Wally was handling the descent this time, so Guybrush and Elaine just sat back and watched the moon rise beneath them. It had grown sufficiently that they were now able to discern individual buildings in Exus-1.
"Say, there's quite a few people walking around out there," said Elaine. "Strange, it looks like they're not wearing spacesuits."
"They aren't," said Guybrush with a grin. "Exus-1 has an atmosphere."
"Huh? How?"
"Small artifical gravity field," explained Guybrush. "On a normal moon any air pumped out would just diffuse and drift away, but this keeps it gathered together in one place. Plus it manages to simulate pretty good Earth-strength gravity."
Elaine caught a glimpse of something fast-moving down below. She focused in. "Cars?"
"Well, buggies," said Guybrush. "But yeah, a few of the traders have moon-based transport. I hear they're even thinking of building a bus."
With a minimum of fuss, they landed. Elaine looked out. They were sitting on a flat rocky starship bay, surrounded on all four sides by the dwellings and buildings of Exus-1. These weren't built with the usual concessions to the rigors of space, but had recognizably earthlike doors, and windows, and even (and this was too much to credit) chimneys!
And some of the houses had gardens. Elaine could guess how these worked, at least: the ground on Ganymede was nutrient-free, and permafrost, but an enterprising trader could have brought a small amount of soil in, just enough to germinate some seeds. It couldn't be very much, and Elaine noted the non-existence of any large trees, but the effort somehow made all the difference. This didn't feel so much like a colony, as a planet-in-waiting.
Elaine felt elated: and a little afraid. The brightly lit town looked like a movie set under the black sky, the very openness of which seemed threatening. Space colonists lived their entire lives in a metallic, indoors world, occasionally lugging on a spacesuit and venturing out into the harsh open; not surprisingly, even the hardiest became a touch agoraphobic.
As if to quell these uneasy feelings, Elaine said, "Nobody challenged us on the way down."
"They know my ship," said Guybrush. "Believe me, if they hadn't, we'd know about it." He glanced at Wally. "Okay, navigator head. Let's secure this baby and then we can get on with our business."
"Where are we headed?" asked Wally.
"The local tavern is called the Hurling Dutchman," said Guybrush. "I've got some contacts in there, and they'll know where the guy I want to find is?"
"And who's he?" asked Elaine.
Guybrush held a finger to his nose. "Later." He glanced at Elaine again, and hesitated.
"You should stay here," he said.
Elaine flushed red. "What do you mean? I'll go wherever I want."
Guybrush winced. "Sorry, that came out a bit harsher than I meant. But I mean it. There are almost no women on Exus-1, and certainly none in the Hurler. Your arrival would cause quite a lot of comment, and we're trying to keep a low profile here. And it could get dangerous, Plus, we need someone to guard the ship."
Wally interjected, "I could-"
"No, it's fine, Wally," said Elaine. Actually, it wasn't fine at all: she knew she could handle herself in any situation, Guybrush's patronising reasons to the contrary. But he did have a point. Secrecy must come first. If Upchuck knew they were here... "You guys get going. Just... lay off the drinks, okay?"
To her bewilderment, they both beamed. "Yes ma'am!" said Guybrush.