Unum Chapter Ten
E Pluribus Unum
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Year 8 Month 2 Week 3 Day 1 Hour 22 Minute 15 Second 43 - Earth Date: 08-02-03-01-22-15-43 - Chapter Ten
Year Eight
Year 8 Month 2 Week 3 Day 1 Hour 22 Minute 15 Second 43
Earth Date: 08-02-03-01-22-15-43
Chapter Ten
Pasini sat tense in her command seat. The Mayday beacon signal from the Bonghwang would ping strong for a few hours then fade to background noise for hours more, then strong again, then fade again. This pattern started almost immediately after the Vandu broke orbit and vectored for the Bonghwang’s last known position.
Bliff said, “Captain, asteroid coming up. Optics show rotation off center.”
“Any sign of the Bonghwang? Chatter?”
“Negative, ma’am.”
“How far out is comm?”
“One minute delay.”
Pasini punched up a comm link to the Bonghwang. She tapped out the command for a tight beam encoded transmission. “This is Captain Tecla Pasini of the Cargoship Vandu. Awaiting your response Captain Park.” She tapped in a command to repeat every five minutes until the system received a ping back.
“How far out are we, Bliff?”
Bliff adjusted his sit and tapped at his CRT. “32 hours flyby.”
Pasini nodded. “Okay, let’s start slow decelerate.” She checked the fuel gauge – one-third left. It would take them a third of that to return to Earth at a very slow burn. “We can do 1/32 g and make it there in 63 hours.”
“Running the numbers, ma’am.” Bliff said. A few seconds later. “First Officer concurs. Statement recorded.”
“Signal crew, please. Rotating and burning in five minutes. Gravity imminent.”
About 7 days ago
Kirk sounded apprehensive. “Captain, we’re ready.”
“Proceed.”
He tapped in a special code on his CRT. He clicked the Comm button. “Guys? Ready?”
He heard MacDonald snap, “Let’s get this done already. I got a bad feeling, and it needs to drift away.”
He entered the command that released the main bolts. “Done.”
Park watched as the remote cameras showed the Engine pod detach from the Bonghwang in a dozen puffs of smoke. It drifted about a hundred meters when the engine suddenly burst into action. It flared into ignition and burned for several seconds.
Kirk said, “What the hell? That’s not supposed to happen.”
Park tapped in the burn sequence for the remaining engines.
Tenzin shouted, “Captain. The engine is coming back at us!”
“Sound collision alert!” Park shouted as she ignited the remaining engines. “Starting 5% burn. How close?”
Tenzin read off the numbers. “90 meters, 85 . . . 70 . . . 65 . . .”
Park increased engine burn to 15%.
“45 . . . 30 . . .”
She pushed the engines to 25% and felt a firm push into her seat. ‘This burn is wasting our fuel,’ she thought.
“25 . . . 25 . . . 30 . . . 35 . . . 39 . . .”
Park watched as the image of Engine 2 started to recede. She dropped engine burn down to 15% and started the hull reaction engines. “Read me the numbers on distance from the asteroid.”
Tenzin tapped at his CRT. “Seven ought 2 meters . . . six nine five . . . six nine two . . . six eight seven . . .”
“Five second burn lateral to port at 50%.”
Tenzin repeated per protocol, “Five second burn lateral to port at 50%. Sounding alarm.”
Park cut forward burn down to 2% and increased power to the hull rockets. The asteroid was getting too close at a fast burn and she wanted to salvage the mission.
“Six seven two . . . six six nine . . . six six six . . .”
Kirk snapped, “OMG! Engine exploded!”
Tenzin sounded “Imminent Collision Alarm”, something no spacer ever wanted to hear.
Kirk yelled out over the alarm, “Engines 1 and 3 redlining. Fuel leak.”
Park shut off the engines and rolled the Bonghwang 45 degrees. Most of the bottom hull would take the remaining damage.
Tenzin exclaimed, “Multiple hull breaches. Safety System initiated.”
Kirk punched in his comm code to Engineering and Fire Control. “Report!” He waited several seconds and snapped “Report!” He looked Park in the eye. “Captain, I gotta go and handle this firsthand.” He handed her his code list that had been taped to his station. “Line five. We’ll be secured.”
Park nodded and watched as her Chief Engineer head into danger.
The Bonghwang shook violently. Two in-ship explosions. Main lights blinked out. Darkness was replaced with an amber glow.
“Three ought two meters to surface.”
Park tapped out the override codes for the Engines. She used the reaction engines to angle the Bonghwang’s aft toward the asteroid and ignited Engine 4. “100% burn!”
“Two five one meters . . . Two two three meters . . . one nine five meters . . . one seven two meters . . .”
“Burn at 102%”
“One six three . . . one five nine . . . one five seven . . . one five five . . . one five four . . .”
Park throttled the Engine thrust down. “Burn at 10%.”
“One five three . . . one five two point five . . .”
She let out the breath she had been holding and nudged the reaction engines to get the Bonghwang parallel with the asteroid’s surface. Tenzin started counting down in increments of twenty meters. Once the craft was within 20 meters did Park increase the reaction engines to 50% to further slow the crafts descent.
Thirty minutes later the Bonghwang was firmly on the surface.
“Tenzin,” Park started, “Have everyone in full emergency suit with soft mask at the side.”
“Will do, ma’am. Shift cycle?”
Park thought for a moment. “Ration shift. Four on, eight off. Ship Midnight mark zero. No gym, main lights at three-eights, one bottle of Grog per shift.”
He nodded.
“You and I will do four on four off.”
NOW
Kirk and what was left of his staff finished strengthening the core spine. They started repairing the more extensive hull damage 24 hours ago.
Park sat at the head of the ready room table. The minute gravity allowed her to place a cup of coffee on the table without having to use any of the various Velcro strips littering the table top. With practiced ease she was able to lift the cup toward her lips and sip at the warm liquid without it getting splashed in her face.
Kirk glided into the room and took a seat. He was still in his EVA suit holding his helmet.
The micro-gravity allowed everyone to move effortlessly in a slide and glide sort of walk. A nice push off and one could travel pretty far before touching the floor. With a light tap and push one could travel several more meters before the Asteroid’s gravity pulled one gently to the floor.
Dr. Grenier entered next. She preferred “Flying” as opposed to sliding. She took a seat off Park’s left. Cookie entered with a low height bounce and skip. He sat and waited. The Head of Security, Tira Alton, flew in and expertly stopped with a series on hand grabs at floor bolts. She summersaulted across the table and took her place next to Kirk.
Alton said, “Tada.”
Park shook her head and chuckled. Alton had always been one for theatrics. “You first Cookie.”
“Supplies are in good shape. We have enough, under normal rations, for another two years. Water is at 80%, which is good. As long as we can recycle we’re good well past two years. All crew members are eating.”
Park nodded. “Doc?”
“We have five crew down, still. They’re patched up but I won’t be able to replace any of the limbs until we get back to CSone. Only one will have to be put on permanent light duty. Physical therapy will probably take a year. Check-ups are going well. Only several crew left --”
“Good --”
“Including you.” Grenier said.
Park blinked several times. “Me? But I -- “
“-- haven’t had a checkup in two years.”
Park opened her mouth for a moment, then shut it. She did this several times.
Kirk giggled and Grenier said, “You, too. And not just “Ima listening to your heart and let me hear you breathe.”
Kirk’s cheeks flushed a deep red. “Can we talk about this later, Doc?”
Grenier smiled. “Certainly, while you look to the left and cough.”
Cookie’s laugh was infectious. “Doc, I need another check-up.”
Grenier shook her head. “You had yours yesterday.”
“I know, but you missed a spot.”
Park paused when she heard crackling over the main broadcast speakers. A barely discernible female voice said, “This is Captain Tecla Pasini of the Cargoship Vandu. Awaiting your response Captain Park.”
Cookie said, “By the Goddess that voice sounds like sweet heaven.”
Park finished her coffee and handed the cup to Cookie as she darted to the door. She stopped and faced everyone. “Meeting adjourned.”
Pasini waited. Time ticked by and she guiltily wondered about the Bonghwang’s asteroid. “Bliff?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Run a spectral on –”
Bliff soberly said, “I did.”
Pasini cleared her throat. “And?”
Bliff took a deep breath. “3 maybe 4 trillion credits worth . . .”
Pasini whispered, “My Goddess.” And, after a few seconds, “My Goddess.”
Silence uneasily hung between them.
Bliff said, “Captain . . . ?”
Pasini slowly shook her head. “I’m almost ashamed I thought it.”
Bliff blushed. He nodded.
Then –
The main command monitor beeped. Pasini had it set to broadcast on signals from the Bonghwang.
“Captain Pasini, this is Captain Park. Acknowledging last broadcast. Ship is intact, structural damages are being repaired, one operational engine, crew is safe, with four loss of limb injuries. No imminent emergencies. Supplies are in good shape. What is your ETA, over.”
Pasini and Bliff exhaled audibly.
“Well, Captain. It was a nice dream.” Bliff said.
Pasini nodded, she clicked on the mic and transmit icons. “Captain Park, we read you 5x5 and send an OK. ETA 60+ hours, over.”
Park sat at the command station and brought up the Vandu’s schematics. She specifically noted engine specs and fuel capacity. She was able to triangulate the Vandu position by using the asteroid’s rotation and simple geometry – angle-side-angle.
Tenzin maneuvered to the Nav station. “Captain, orders?”
Park nodded. “Get the velocity of the Vandu, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” After several seconds he said, “298,990 kilometers per hour.”
Park brought up a calculator on the monitor.
Tenzin leaned in and said, “Cheating, Captain?”
Park laughed. “No, just double checking.”
“I’ll keep your secret if you convince Cookie to show some gratefulness to me in the form of lamb.” His smile was wide.
Park replied, “You’ll have to do better than that.” Her smile was just as wide.
Pasini checked her watch. Several minutes had past, then she heard Park over the speaker.
“Captain Pasini, I’d like you to entertain a thought, please. Data is being sent now. Please record. Thanks. Over.”
“Got that Bliff?”
“Yes, ma’am. Recorder is on. Data coming in.”
After a few minutes, Pasini replied. “Captain Park. data received, and checksum reads ok. We’ll get back to you in a few. Out.”
Pasini and Bliff studied the data. Park had laid out a plan that would get the Vandu to the asteroid in 36 hours. It required several hard burns, but at very short durations that would bring the Vandu just short of behind the asteroid, while saving fuel by 15%. With one medium hard stop the asteroid’s gravity would capture the Vandu and drift her to the surface. From there, the Vandu would maneuver a landing next to the Bonghwang.
Pasini said, “what does the computer say?”
“Error is within 3%. Even at 10% we’d still be able to do it and save fuel. Who is their Nav?”
Pasini pressed the comm button. “Captain Park, our Nav and computer concur. Question – who did the calculations? Over.”
After two minutes the reply was short. “I did.”
Pasini smiled.