Far Space (7 page)

“Well, this is certainly going to make things interesting,” Jennifer said, struggling to pull on the suit while floating above the floor. Instead of getting her leg into the suit, she sent herself into a spin.

Ian zipped up his suit and stretched out from his handhold. “Kick off in my direction!”

Jennifer, all flailing arms and legs, grunted in response. She made contact with a ceiling panel but was thrown off as her toe caught in the tangle of the suit hanging from her left leg. She muttered a few choice curses as she spun in Ian’s general direction.

“Beautiful,” Ian said, reaching as far as possible with his free hand. He snagged a handful of Jennifer’s shirt and pulled her close.

“Thanks,” Jennifer breathed, wrapping an arm around Ian’s shoulder.

They were thrown against the wall as the elevator car pitched suddenly. Ian tightened his grip.

“Don’t mention it,” Ian said when the shuddering stopped. He leaned back to take in Jennifer’s incomplete state of dress. “Let’s get you suited up.”

“Yes, sir,” Jennifer said.

Halfway through zipping up the front of Jennifer’s suit, Ian stopped and cocked his head toward the upper decks.

“I will need that closed you know,” Jennifer said, grinning.

“You hear that?” Ian whispered.

Jennifer’s smile faltered. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. After a moment, she whispered, “Yeah, it’s…I don’t know how to describe it…wonderful…”

Ian nodded dumbly in agreement. The sound was unlike anything he had ever heard before.

A voiceless song filled the cabin, rising from a weak strain until it became a mighty symphony. The beautiful, soaring rhapsody grew stronger and more complex, an indescribable mix building to an impossible climax.

All around Ian and Jennifer equipment and wall panels began to rattle violently.

“High resonance vibrations,” Jennifer shouted to be heard over the rising cacophony.

“What’s causing it?” Ian shouted, straining to maintain his grip on the wall-mounted handhold and Jennifer. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the truth hit him.

“The cable’s gonna snap!” Ian shouted.

The room became a blur as the vibrations built to nearly intolerable levels.

“The tether shouldn’t transmit at these frequencies!” Jennifer shouted back, her voice shaking uncontrollably as she clutched the rung beside Ian.

With a final shudder and sideways lurch of the elevator car, the vibrations mercifully ceased.

Ian and Jennifer were left hanging in the silence staring at each other.

“Crap,” Ian muttered. He finished zipping up Jennifer’s suit and quickly sealed his suit. As he checked Jennifer’s seals again, he said, “Get your helmet on.”

“How long?” Jennifer asked, her eyes wide.

“Not sure,” Ian said. “We aren’t very high up the tether though. Where’s your helmet.”

“Reentry,” Jennifer mumbled, smoothing her braid absently. “I just figured we’d suit up, be set if something really went wrong, maybe do a little space walk…I don’t want to burn up…” She met Ian’s gaze, her dark eyes wide.

Ian grabbed Jennifer’s shoulders and pulled her close so he was staring into her eyes. He put on a winning grin and said, “Hey, don’t worry. You’ve got me, right?”

Jennifer bit her lip and nodded.

“But you will need a helmet.”

“Oh,” Jennifer said, her cheeks reddening. “It was here...” She patted the clasp at her waist where the helmet would normally hang.

Ian spotted the wayward helmet spinning slowly in place on the far side of the room. “Stay put.” He kicked off and sailed across the airlock compartment, making it look effortless thanks to his zero-gee training from the US Space Corps.

“You may not be very high up the elevator,” Ian muttered under his breath as he considered their situation. “But it’s still a heck of a long way down.” Glancing back at Jennifer who was staring after him, Ian added, “Lord, it’s time for one of those miracles of yours.”

USS Bernard Schriever

Earth Space

“One of the enemy ships has broken off and is engaging the LeMay,” Maytree reported.

“Go get ‘em, Hale,” Yates replied, thinking of his fellow commander. The USS LeMay was the first Block 40 Century-Class Orbital Patrol Spacecraft. Basically a stretch version of the Block 20 Centuries, like the Schriever, the 40’s incorporated the 30’s improved offensive weapons including more powerful rail guns, upgraded lasers and additional armor. LeMay also packed a surprise punch with three space fighters housed in berths new to the patrol class design. If anyone had a chance of successfully engaging the new threat, it was the crew of this latest ship off the line.

“So what exactly is our plan?” Pearl shouted, flung to the side by the Schriever’s continued defensive maneuvers.

“Evasion,” Mitchell replied. Without waiting for further comment from the engineer, Mitchell reported, “LeMay has fired all four forward rail guns.”

“Broadside!” Pearl shouted. “When do we get our chance?”

The Schriever shuddered from a fresh hit. “Soon or we won’t get a chance at all,” Yates muttered. Louder, he ordered, “Maytree, get us in line to bring rails to bear.”

“Trying, sir!” the pilot said through gritted teeth.

“OLS just scored a hit,” Mitchell reported as the offensive lasers discharged.

“Effect?” Yates grunted.

“Nothing conclusive, OCS is firing lasers again,” Mitchell said, “Three firing. Number two firing. Defensive solutions locked, engaging. Offensive lock. Three firing. One and two firing…”

Yates took in the ship-wide status displayed before him. More of his ship was yellow than green. He grabbed both sides of the console to steady himself. Several icons starting blinking red near the starboard bow.

“Just lost OLS number three,” Mitchell reported.

“I can see that,” Yates said. “Maytree, the U.S. Space Corps did not give us those big guns for nothing!”

“Yes, sir,” Maytree shouted, “OCS is giving priority to defensive assets and maneuvers. I’m trying to reprioritize…all set!”

Yates was knocked sideways in his chair as a deep rumbling surged through the ship shaking each and every piece of the spacecraft. “Direct hit,” Mitchell said.

“No kidding,” Pearl growled, scowling at his screens. “This is not good.”

“Reactor 2 has gone off line!” Lieutenant Reeves reported.

“Looks like we lost a coolant line; pressures’ bottoming out,” Pearl grumbled. “I’m attempting a bypass and restart.”

“Do it,” Yates ordered, trying to focus on the status board despite the renewed vigor of Schriever’s evasive actions. A reactor restart was dangerous under any conditions, but he needed the power to ensure the offensive laser system could be utilized at full effectiveness.

“LeMay is engaging again,” Mitchell said. “They’re taking hits.”

“Aren’t we all,” Pearl said with a nervous laugh. He hunched lower of his console, furiously dragging and tapping icons on his control board. “Come on baby, we can do this.”

“Can we assist?” Yates asked.

The Schriever yawed hard and changed spin rates.

“Not until we shake our friend,” Mitchell managed to grunt under the new gee stress.

Yates met several of his crew’s eyes. Each was hoping he had some grand plan to save their collective butts.

“Then I suggest we lose them.” Not much of a plan, but it was all Yates had at the moment. He hoped it was enough.

Bullard Space Elevator

Earth Space

Ian reached out to snag Jennifer’s helmet when he was struck in the back by someone barreling out of the ladder way. He grabbed the helmet’s locking collar as he tumbled to the floor with the man clinging to his egress suit. Ian tried to push him away as he spun to face the new arrival.

“What are you doing in the way?!” The man shouted as he untangled himself from Ian. He spotted the emergency lockers and pushed off Ian to get to the nearest one. He began frantically clawing for the clearly marked release mechanism. Belatedly, the man realized Ian was already suited up. Locking eyes on Ian, he screamed “I need that suit!”

It took Ian a moment to realize the man was serious. “We’re not on the Titanic, get your own,” he said, pointing at the emergency locker the man had ripped the protective cover from.

“There’s no time!” the man said, his eyes wide with fear.

Ian tightened his grip on a nearby ladder rung as the man clumsily launched himself off the wall.

Just as he was within the man’s reach, Ian yanked his entire body out of the way while simultaneously bringing the helmet in his hand around in a tight arc. Following through, Ian was rewarded with a grimly satisfying, wet smacking noise as the helmet solidly connected with the man’s nose.

“Aaaggh!” the man bawled. He clawed at Ian fruitlessly with one hand as he spun away. His other hand was busy attempting to staunch the blood flow from his broken nose. Blobs of red were flung away in every direction as he shouted, “Whazat far?”

Ian did not wait for the man to recover. He pushed off and quickly rejoined Jennifer. A quick check of the helmet verified using it as a bludgeoning tool had not compromised its integrity.

The man continued to grumble but kept to his side of the compartment.

Nevertheless, Ian kept a wary eye on him as he twisted Jennifer’s helmet into place.

If the stranger was planning another attack, he was interrupted by a sudden influx of people through the ladder way. The room began filling up with
wild-eyed passengers moving clumsily in zero-gee, grasping for hand-holds. The ninth person through was a crew member.

“If everyone could calmly move to one of the emergency lockers, please,” the crew member announced, his voice trembling. “There is no need to panic. If you would please break the seal on the nearest E-E-R-S locker and carefully remove one of the emergency suits, as we went over in the safety briefing just a few hours ago, I or another crew member will be with you shortly to help you don the egress suits.”

Ian realized most of the other passengers were staring at him and Jennifer.

The crew member, Newton by his name tag, followed the passengers’ gaze. A look of relief passed over his face. “As you can see, getting into the EERS suits is a simple procedure. Your fellow passengers are all ready to go…in the unlikely event we shall be required to exit the elevator car.”

Ian smiled back at the crowd and gave a little wave. “Hey.”

After fumbling with a locker, Newton finally got a suit package in hand. He said, “Please begin suiting up. If an evacuation is necessary, follow the white lights on the floor or ceiling to the red lights marking one of the four egress hatches. There, a crew member will assist you in exiting through one of the clearly marked emergency exits.” As he spoke, Newton included a smooth, well-practiced wave of his free hand which took in the small lights set in the floor and ceiling and the exits bordered by thick red hash marks.

Ian pulled Jennifer toward the nearest hatch. It was basically a one-way airlock, allowing quick egress without cycling through pressurization sequences. He looked around at the growing crowd. Some were fumbling with the unfamiliar suit packs. Others were simply hanging onto hand-holds set in the wall or ceiling, staring at nothing, waiting for someone to give more direction.

Three crew members were rushing from person-to-person, attempting to prod each of the passengers into action and helping those who had managed to at least break the EERS pack seals. They were having limited success – either their audience was stunned or simply did not grasp the urgency the situation warranted.

“We’ve got to help,” Jennifer said.

Ian looked from the hatch to Jennifer to the nearest other passenger. The older woman was holding her EERS pack like it might bite her.

Ian exhaled, reached out, took the egress pack from the woman and ripped it open. With one snap of his wrist, he unfurled the tightly packed suit. Moving swiftly and wordlessly, he forced her legs and arms into the suit and was soon zipping up the front. Ian finished by snapping the woman’s helmet in place. He made eye contact for the first time after ensuring the air flow meter on her wrist display was set properly.

The woman stared back at him, her mouth hanging open.

“You’re welcome.” Ian said dryly. He gave a half salute and moved on to the next passenger, a man fumbling with a suit while spinning slowly in the middle of the room. Ian managed to stop the man from spinning and began suiting him up one limb at a time. He looked over and was impressed to see Jennifer was doing quite well herself, having quickly adapted to movement in zero-gee. She moved from one of her self-appointed charges, now fully suited, to the next, always managing to keep one point of contact and carefully planning each of her moves. She smiled sweetly at an older woman, and tried to convince her it was okay at times like this to leave her handbag behind. The woman seemed unwilling to relinquishing the massive bag slung over her shoulder and clutched in a death squeeze under her arm. Jennifer tried to a new tact; explaining how the suit would not fit over the bag.

Convinced if anyone could get the woman into a suit today, it was Jennifer, he moved on to the next passenger.

A few minutes later, everyone had managed to get a suit on. The only exception was a pair of businessmen who reacted violently anytime they were told to don to their suits. One crewman was still trying to persuade them this was indeed a real emergency.

“You’re not getting me into one of those things just so you can throw me out an airlock!” a man with styled salt-and-pepper hair shouted. Ian noticed he was wearing enough mousse to keep his locks in place despite the absence of gravity.

Another man, younger than the first, dressed in a very nice dark suit agreed, “Exactly! I demand to speak to the Captain!”

Another crew member brought over two extra EERS packs to Newton. The unsuited Newton ignored him, focusing his attention on the passengers. “I’m the Head Steward, there is no Captain on this mission,” he said. “We
may be about to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. These,” Newton snagged the packs from his partner, “are proven safe. Now, as I have said before, it is essential you…”