Last Flight For Craggy (22 page)

Freighter
Captain Cragg is alongside them. If anyone can get them down
safely, Craggy can. It will be daylight when Rocky and Dillow get
here, so that's a blessing. The landing strip is ready for his
ship. Morgan will be here in another three days, as will Craggy. I
want Morgan first on the cradle. I want him unloaded in record time
so we can get Craggy down. All fire and rescue teams need to be
flexible. Twelve and a half hours, people. Make us proud.'

* * *

'Don't be
ridiculous, Captain Moore,' said an exasperated Moon Commander
Forbes. 'I have no intention of accepting your resignation. Why
should I shoot myself in the foot? You are one of the best
department leaders on Moon. You are amazing at what you do.'

'Sir. With
respect. We could have lost the ship. We could have lost Fawn
Dillow. All because I wasn't doing my job right.'

'You had no way
of knowing those buckles were faulty.'

Moore said, 'I
never thought to have them tested. How stupid is that?'

'You were never
required to. We can write that into the procedures to stop it
happening again.'

'But...'

Forbes waved
his hand at her. 'Go get some sleep. Sleep knowing you have my full
support and backing. I want you back doing what you were born to
do. Go. Sleep.'

* * *

'You wanted to
see me, Anton?'

'Lance. What's
the latest on Fawn?'

'No blood.
Rocky doesn't think she's punctured her lungs. She just took a
hammer blow to her ribs. She has painkillers and Rocky's doing all
he can to take care of her. Fawn will be okay.'

'I'm sure she
will be. Lance. You don't hold Jay Moore responsible do you?'

Surprised at
the question, Dillow shrugged. 'Jay? Some buckles broke, didn't
they? Supposed to take three times the maximum load. No way was Jay
to blame. Those buckles were made on Earth, many years ago. I blame
those idiots if anyone.'

'Jay seems to
think she is to blame. I tried to put her straight. Lance. If it
came from you, maybe she'd believe it. I don't have to tell you how
brilliant she is at what she does. With everything going to Mars,
she is a key to that being a safe and successful enterprise.'

Lance agreed.
'We need her more than ever before. I'll go talk to her. We need
her doing what she does best. This relocation will take all the
expertise we have, and that includes Jay.'

* * *

Jay Moore threw
her arms around Armour Dillow. 'I am so sorry. I should have come
to see you. I was too scared.'

'Oh, Jay. The
rumour I eat people whole is a malicious lie. Fawn will be fine.
She's a Dillow. She's tough.'

'It was my
fault. I could have...'

'Jay. Nobody
blames you. I don't, Fawn doesn't. It was an accident, pure and
simple. Do you think we can do this move to Mars without you? No
way.'

Moore wiped her
tears away. 'Thank you. I think I can live with myself again.'

'Sleep.
Tomorrow is a new day for all of us. Goodnight, Jay.'

'Thanks,
Lance.'

* * *

'How are you
doing,' Rocky asked.

'Better for
that.'

It was hard
work in the cramped single cot room, tagged onto a minuscule
wash-room, but when nature calls, she has to be obeyed. Rocky
assisted Dillow onto her cot.

'Need another
capsule?'

'Not just yet.
I'm a little easier. Are you okay with the ship?'

'I'm fine.
Stella will help us down.'

'Good. Has my
father been told what's happened?'

'Of course.
Everyone knows. Mars is all geared up for our arrival. Thank God I
can get a beer there. I'll need one.'

Rocky poked his
head into the bunk room. 'Fawn? Are you awake?'

'Hmm. I am
now.'

'Sorry. I just
wanted you to know we're just one hour from landing.'

Dillow tried to
sit up but the pain in her back hit her like a bayonet being rammed
into her. She fell back on the cot. 'I'm going nowhere.'

'Just relax.
I'll land like a butterfly.'

He took the one
and only seat by the controls. Ahead was the red planet. He slowed
to one quarter power. He imagined the activity down below as he
remembered the words of wisdom from Craggy. 'There's no hurry,
Rocky. Land when you're good and ready.'

The marsillium
coated hull was barely affected by the atmospheric entry. As he
passed lower and levelled out, he could make out the Bases and the
mines. Another orbit at one tenth power and he could see the cradle
ready for the freighters. This time he was looking for a purpose
built landing strip. At two miles long and a quarter mile wide, it
would be hard to miss.

'Coming in,
people. Coming in.'

A final slow
pass and he powered up the landing thrusters.

The time delay
on the radio signal had Stella several minutes late in contacting
the ship when she'd said. 'Rocky? Need anything?'

Realising they
would have landed before she got the reply, he told her anyway. 'I
can handle it, thanks Stella. Landing now.'

Back on Moon,
Fawn's anxious father asked, 'Is everything okay, Stella?'

'I was a little
out on my time calling them. But it's going perfectly, Lance. Nice
and gentle, Rocky.'

Lance Dillow
bit his lower lip as the ship landed. With just radio to
communicate with, he had to close his eyes to imagine Rocky
Ramshorn at the controls of the ship, landing in the iron oxide
sand. Then he heard the delayed words over the radio.

'We're safe and
sound, safe and sound. Medics. Injured captain in here. Come get
her.'

'Rocky did it,'
said Stella.

'Never doubted
it for a minute,' said Armour Dillow, a man whose prayers had been
answered.

Rocky got out
of the airlock to let a single medic in. With the airlock sealed
back up behind him, the medic injected Dillow with a powerful
relaxant and painkiller. He was then able to suit her up and attach
her helmet. He opened the airlock and half carried her to it.
Strong gloved hands outside the hatch took her, strapped her to a
stretcher and onto a buggy in which Rocky was waiting, which
hurried away to the medical centre, leaving clouds of red dust in
its wake.

Max Morgan,
relieved at the big birds safe landing, hugged Amethyst Bouquet.
'See? Rocky's a natural.'

'I'm never
leaving his side again.'

'Then he's the
luckiest man on Mars. I'd better get you over there.'

* * *

'One down, two
to go,' said Cragg to himself. 'Two days to go.'

'Craggy?'

'Is that you,
Misty?'

'The one and
only. God, I've missed you.'

Cragg said,
'Well, you'll be pleased to know I'm done being a freighter pilot.
I'm a land lubber from now on.'

'Yeah,
right.'

'I mean it. I'm
keeping both feet firmly on the ground from now on. Time to make an
honest woman out of you.'

'Dixon Cragg.
Was that a proposal?'

Cragg had to
think about that. 'I guess it is.' He turned the radio to the open
frequency so anyone could hear his declaration of love. 'Some might
think Old Craggy isn't romantic. But for the record, I am hurtling
along in a tin can, across the heavens, to be with the woman I
love. And if she'll have me, we will do the old fashioned thing and
get married.'

'Craggy...'

'Don't say
anything yet. That was just us getting engaged. I haven't asked you
properly yet. Tell me your answer when I do.'

'Okay. I'll be
waiting. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight.'

He sat and
smiled. Now the whole of Mars new his intentions. It wasn't the way
he had anticipated broaching the big question, and he knew why he
had said it when he had. If his landing went wrong, he might not
survive. He wanted to leave Misty knowing how proud he was of their
love, proud enough to want for everyone to know about it. If he
didn't survive, he would die knowing Misty knew how much he loved
her. Little consolation, but at least it was something.

Two days flew
by as did the freighters. It was time for Max Morgan to land a
freighter with ten pods on the cradle for the first time in his
life. It helped to have Craggy riding shotgun.

Morgan said,
'Mars is coming at us pretty damned fast, Captain Cragg. I'm not
sure the heat shield is opening.'

Anything was
possible, thought Cragg, but he couldn't let that concern creep
into the rookie's mind. There was no room for doubt when landing a
freighter for the first time.

Cragg
whispered, hardly aware he was vocalising his thoughts. 'Bloody
heat shield. Come on, damn it. Open for God's sake.'

'Craggy...'

Cragg kept the
tension out of his voice, trying desperately to add a smile to his
tone. 'It'll happen. Relax.'

All across
Mars, the others could feel the drama being played out above them.
They all watched the heavens, willing the freighter to open its
shield and glow a cheery, cherry red. That much mental projection
couldn't be denied.

'Shields open,'
said Morgan.

Cragg
remembered to breathe. 'No big deal. It was supposed to. One more
time round the block,' Cragg told him.

'Block? What
the hell is he talking about?' asked Morgan.

'I think he
means do another orbit,' said Amethyst.

Morgan said,
'It must be an old person thing. He's got like a whole strange
language of his own.'

'Hello,' said
Cragg. 'I am still here, you know?'

'Nice to have
your company,' said Morgan. 'Okay. Once more round the block.'

Cragg kept a
safe distance out of Mars' atmosphere, keeping a lid on his nerves.
'Power down to one tenth, Morgan.'

'Powering
down.'

'As you
approach the cradle, ease back and increase landing thrusters.'

'Coming in,
people. Powering down, increasing landing thrusters.'

Cragg was
holding right back, beads of sweat on his brow. Yet, like he had
done it a thousand times, Max Morgan set the pods on the cradle,
and the freighter kissed the ground with the tenderness of a long
lost lover.

'Morgan,' Cragg
said, 'Unlock all pods. Work with the pod lifter until they're all
off, then take the freighter away to its pad.'

'Is it okay if
Amethyst gets away to see Rocky?'

'Of course.
Just make sure you're suited up well, Amethyst.'

The next
moment, a suited figure left the freighter airlock, a buggy ready
to whisk her away to the medical centre to join Rocky and
Dillow.

Morgan said,
'Amethyst's on her way to Rocky.'

'Ah. Loves
young dream,' said Cragg with a chuckle.

'Don't forget
loves old dream,' said Misty.

'Hi. A bit of a
log jamb here. I just have to go round the block.'

He chatted to
Misty as he circumnavigated the planet. Two orbits later, the
cradle had been cleared and Morgan had taken the freighter to its
pad. It was Craggy's turn. How many times had he done this? A kid,
never flying solo before in his life had landed his pods like a
pro.

'Calm down,
Craggy. The sooner you get down, the sooner you can have a beer.'
He engaged the computers auto entry mode and hoped he didn't have
the same paranoid insecurities about leaving his fate in the
control of a bunch of chips and circuitry. Cragg's natural
suspicions about computers in general only exacerbated the
situation. He needn't have worried. To the millisecond, the
freighter's shield opened up like a huge, insane metal umbrella.
'Thank you, Lord.'

Cragg could do
nothing but trust his life to the imponderables of something put
together by fellow humans, millions of miles away; people he
couldn't shout at if it went horribly wrong, especially as he would
be horribly dead.

'Think warm and
fuzzy thoughts, Craggy.'

Flying blind
behind the big glowing shield with a temperature off the scale, he
felt the freighter respond to further commands from the computer,
as it relinquished controls to a human. The shield started to
retract and the thrusters were in perfect balance. Slowly he worked
the museum piece controls with a delicate touch. He was so close,
but a Martian storm, whipping up two hundred miles per hour winds,
got there first.

It was a pile
driver of a storm, a Martian monster that came out of nowhere and
hammered anything in its path. It slammed into the freighter and
pods and Cragg found himself in a maelstrom. The partially open
shield caught the storm perfectly, and all bets were off.

Cragg didn't
think, he just reacted. He was still flying blind through a thick
cloud of iron oxide, and any attempts at course correction were
negated by the storm so powerful, it was preventing complete shield
retraction. Any and all thrusters were maxed and the freighter did
a complete barrel roll as the storm became hell bent on destroying
everything.

Cragg cursed
and fought the controls. The thrusters were no longer in harmony
but fighting each other. Up Cragg flew, feeling sick from the
spinning, dizzy from g forces. He could no longer see. Strange
words floated through his mind. He could hear Max Morgan asking,
'Is that how you learnt? Blindfold?'

It was trying
to see what he was doing that made him feel sick. So he closed his
eyes, trusted his hands, trusted his instincts. He blasted out of
the blinding cloud and things were steady enough to open his eyes
again, only to see Olympus Mons directly ahead, which wasn't so
good. The ship stopped spinning. The thrusters were balanced again,
but the freighter was on collision course with the biggest mountain
in the solar system.

'Oops.'

Cragg forced
the freighter into manoeuvres it was never designed to stand. But
crashing into the huge mountain was averted and so was disaster,
but it was just a temporary fix and the voice filling his helmet
told him so. The nausea returned and he closed his eyes again.
Throwing up in a sealed space-suit was not to be recommended.