Short Fiction Review: "Because It's There" by Susan Shwartz

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"Because It's There" by Susan Shwartz combines two story types, one of which I like and the other that I loathe. The one I like is the account of mountaineering, which I ate up in nonfiction when my age was still in the single digits. The other is the crashed colony ship story which has been the source of far too much lazy science fiction.

Shwartz makes them both work.

Mountaineering first. The author has clearly done her homework, and that includes knowledge about the Sherpas and their culture. The story shows them respect without romanticizing them. The first ascent of a mountain far higher than Olympus Mons or Rheasilvia in our own stellar system is not as visceral as it could be. But there is suffering enough, and anyway that's not what the story is about. No complaints, serious admiration.

The crashed colony ship is dealt with by showing the remnant society that has arisen from the disaster. It is essentially a prestige culture where an individual earns one or two or even three names by worthy behavior. The protagonist, who has three names, is as admired as one can be. But she is willing to risk losing a name if that's the right thing to do. As old tech fails and individuals are killed by their harsh surroundings, she can see the coming death of the colony.

The story begins partway up the mountain. Two outsiders, the first to arrive on the world since the original disaster, want to recover the body of someone who has stolen something infinitely dangerous. Our protagonist leads a crew, all of whom understand the dangers of the never-climbed mountain far more than the outsiders do. They also quietly, without comment, are scandalized when these strangers disrespect a three-named hero like Sir Edmund Hillary by calling him Hillary. But they are also hoping these people can evacuate their colony before they dwindle and die. A request they dare not make until they have earned it through virtuous action.

That's the setup. And its resolution?

I, for one, was completely satisfied.

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