Chapter 24-30 Summary

James Pak, a junior officer on board Endeavour, requests a private meeting with Commander Bill Norton. The officer's main interests are sex and sports and he is known for his participation in the Lunar Olympics a year earlier. He suggests that he could use his ability to fly a sports device called a sky-bike to cross over to the southern side of Rama. He reveals to the ship's skipper that he brought "Dragonfly," his own sky-bike on board and that he's ready to take the risk of flying it across the Cylindrical Sea. Norton agrees, but warns him that should he survive the ordeal, his adventure could earn him either a much-anticipated promotion or a court-martial appearance.

The sky-bike is an ultra light device that uses wind power combined with human energy transmitted through foot pedals. Dragonfly is made of a...