Being evacuated from a doomed planet, is supposed to be one of the perks of being rich and influential. But Captain Steinberg says, "The poor and the down-and-outs have as much right to life as those who think they can buy it."
Because there were communications problems, and he couldn't receive the coordinates for the pickup, he lands the ship at the first town he sees, Motown, a town with a reputation. Instead of interstellar bankers and the gods and goddesses of galactic media, he fills the ship with people below the poverty line, slum dwellers, street kids.
They fill the ship to over capacity, and even then many are left behind. Among those who make it on board are:
- an orphaned street kid who stowed away before even knowing about the comet;
- a young autistic savant who can read hexadecimal;
- an old disgraced scientist who had predicted this comet strike a long time ago when no one believed him;
- the mayor and his staff who try to make sure only those on the tax register are allowed on board;
- a group of Nazis who try to make it a whites-only trip;
- a gangster/slum-lord who thinks he's owed back rent even after the planet has been destroyed; and his sidekick, a drug dealer;
- a paedophile who runs a children's home, along with his children, including two of his victims who make it on board in spite of his attempts to leave them behind;
- and a priest who had a gut feeling that the scientist was right, but also that they would survive.
The ship is filled, but neither the mayor's staff nor the Nazis are pleased.
The priest is Father Enrico Pancho Villa, and, like his namesake, he is a rebel. The old scientist is Walter Bunta, who is the great uncle of Linda, and adopts Alex after the planet is destroyed. The street kid who stowed away is named Rocky Bojangles. The Nazis killed his dad a year before in another town, and one of them recognises him from those days. Alex, the autistic savant has more going for him than people realise.
Things happen on the way that would make one consider that perhaps there was wisdom in rescuing only the upper class, as originally planned, but the captain has no regrets. In spite of the drug dealers, gangsters, Nazis, incidents of violence, of coercion, kidnapping, he gets to know people with hearts of gold.
Arriving at the new planet, there are other issues to be dealt with - big issues.
If you like a space opera that shows that humanity won't escape their problems, even in space, but that the small unlikely heroes still make a difference, get this book!
Where to click ... it's just right up there
