Unum Chapter Eight
E Pluribus Unum
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Year 8 Month 2 Week 2 Day 3 Hour 12 Minute 42 Second 14 - Earth Date: 08-02-02-03-12-42-14 - Chapter Eight
Year Eight
Year 8 Month 2 Week 2 Day 3 Hour 12 Minute 42 Second 14
Earth Date: 08-02-02-03-12-42-14
Chapter Eight
Captain Park Seo-yeon nudged the vector joystick a bit. The Mining Craft Bonghwang rotated along its center point and faced the asteroid. Park set the range finder to 10 kilometers and started a forward burn at 1%.
“Captain,” Commander Tenzin Kyi, the Bonghwang’s first Officer said, “Radar puts us at 1000 klicks.”
Park grunted. “Then, we’re in for a long slow descent. Any changes in Spectra Analysis?”
“Rich in Nickel, some other metals. There’s Gold and Platinum.” Tenzin tapped at his screen. “Water is confirmed. I think this is going to be a good haul.”
“’bout time we got a break. Any Uranium?”
“Nothing yet, ma’am, but there is a higher than ambient area of radiation in the lower quad. It’ll rotate into sensor and scope range in about 30 minutes. I’m hoping this rock has diamond, it --”
“Diamonds, hell yeah would be nice.” Chief Kirk Pascal floated into the command area and settled himself into the Engineer’s station.
“Engines at 102% ready, ma’am.”
Park nodded. “We’ll need those extra 2 percent.”
Kirk tapped out a command on his screen. “We got enough fuel to burn at max for 45 days.”
Park grabbed the control stick. “Gonna do a 5% burn for 30 seconds then coast us into 10 klicks. That should give us an additional 32 hours at max.”
Tenzin said “Kirk, 10 credits the Captain is within 8%.”
“That’s a sucker’s bet. Make it 3% and you’re on.”
“Alright 3% plus-minus or less.”
Kirk thought about it. “Alright, I’m in. You Cap?”
Park slowly said, “You sure? I hate taking advantage of crew. Especially you Chief?”
“20 credits, then!”
Park gave Tenzin a side glance and smiled. “I’m in. Run the numbers.”
“Ha!” Kirk tapped in the equations and started the simulation. “Damn! How do you do it?”
Tenzin asked, “What’s the margin?”
Kirk sighed heavily. “0.5%.”
“What?!” The first officer laughed. “Oh, man! That’s the closest the Captain’s come.” He looked at Park. “How do you do it?”
Park flipped a few switches and smiled. She toggled the inter-ship intercom on. “Attention Crew, attention crew. Command deck broadcast.
Engine burn aft in 20 seconds. Total burn time 30 seconds. Two beep announcement to 5 second start. Secure breakables on mark. Mark. Captain out.”
The Bonghwang’s main aft engine flared to life. Thousands of metric tons of thrust pushed the mining craft forward. After thirty seconds the main engine burn stopped and the nozzle glowed a dull orange a few seconds before it cooled enough to turn black.
Park said, “Run the numbers gentlemen? How are we doing?”
Tenzin replied, “Looking good. We should reach 10 klicks in 12 hours.”
“Engines good, Captain.” Kirk answered, then in a low voice, seemingly absent mindedly, “How does she do it?”
Park’s smile was slight but anyone not looking closely would miss it. A friend called it her Cheney face. “Log time and start watch – three hours on. Tenzin, your choice this time.”
“Kirk, you take first watch --”
“--Yes! He scores!” Kirk replied.
“I’ll do second, Captain.”
Park nodded and tapped at her screen. “Logged.”
Both unbuckled from their seats and floated to the entrance way. Kirk unsnapped himself from his station and moved over to the co-pilot station. He snapped in and tapped at the screen. “Captain, Uranium confirmed.” He selected soft Rock as background music and started up a FPS game.
Park took lead and headed to Mess. She pushed off from the door jamb and sped down the long corridor to a ladder that led to the lower sections of the Bonghwang. She hadn’t had any real food in the last 8 hours and had just started getting hunger pains. When she entered Mess most of the crew were seated around the dozen round tables dotting the open area. Park and Tenzin made their way to an unoccupied table. It was her usual place in Mess and crew tended to always leave it free for her.
Cookie swooped in and stopped himself with a hand against the edge of the table. “What can I get you Captain, Commander?”
“Any lamb left?” Park asked.
“Oh, that sounds good. Yeah, Cookie, you got enough for two meals?”
Cookie smiled. “I figured you’d want some Cap. I got a few days’ worth for you.”
“Now Cookie, you aren’t cheating the crew are you? I don’t need any special favors.”
Cookie laughed out loud. “Cap, the crew would insist I take care of you. We’re all grateful for the second chance.”
“This is a good crew.”
Tenzin nodded, “Cookie’s right, Captain. Hey Cookie, does that gratefulness extend to me?”
Cookie turned and pushed himself away from table. His laugh was hardy and loud. “Hey, Guys!” He said as he entered the Galley area. “Tenzin wondered if gratefulness extended to him!”
Tenzin blushed as he heard more laughter before the door to the Galley closed shut. “Well,” he huffed, “I guess I know.” After a moment of thinking he chuckled. “I deserved that one.”
Park’s smile broadened. “After this haul you could retire.”
“And do what?” He shrugged. “This is all I know. My parents applied for one of the Underground units.”
“And, your sister?"
“Yesterday, she sent me email. She wrote that she’ll be on board the HS Mae C Jemison when its launches in a month. She is excited.”
“I’d be excited, too. How wonderful. Doctor?”
He nodded. “The youngest and assigned to Trauma Evac.”
“Good for her! Hopefully we’ll never see her.”
Tenzin thought for a moment, then laughed. “I see your point.”
Cookie drifted into the Mess area and stopped at the table. He held a half dozen thick tubes of food in his arms. Each tube had a Velcro strip that easily attached to the receiving strips on the table. The food could be pushed out using the plunger on one side or scooped out using a spork. Park and Tenzin decided to spork the meal. Cookie also placed two squeeze bottles of Grog. Park took a sip and softly moaned. “Oh, Cookie, you shouldn’t have.”
The Grog had been heated up and tasted all the more delicious as it made its way to her stomach.
Cookie smiled and pushed himself away from the table. Halfway to the Galley he spotted Bonghwang’s Doctor. “Dr. Grenier! Cap is at the usual table.”
Dr. Ocean Grenier, the ship’s Chief Medical Officer, drifted over to the table. Her deep red hair was short in a neat cut. She wore the standard mid blue jumpsuit like everyone else. “Captain, Tenzin.”
Both nodded and made room for Grenier.
Cookie came out of the Galley. He had a squeeze bottle of heated Grog.
“Cookie, you do know how to spoil a girl, don’t you?”
He blushed. “Doc, anything to eat?”
Grenier squeezed the bottle lightly and enjoyed the warmed Grog. “Maybe another round in a few. Thank you, Cookie.”
“I’ll be out in a few to check in on ya.” He pushed himself toward the Galley door.
Park positioned herself toward Grenier. “This haul should have us set for a while.”
“Really?”
“With Gold, Uranium, Platinum, and Water ice --”
“Water?” Grenier interrupted.
Park nodded. “-- we got the big four.”
“Nice! When do we celebrate?”
“The computer is running analysis now. I’m thinking we’ll have to go slow on this one. Like six months slow.”
Grenier drained her squeeze bottle. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Park shrugged and sporked a chunk of lamb into her mouth. “We got the fuel and the food. This rock is just heavy.”
“I see,” Grenier finally said.
Cookie placed the squeeze bottle into her hand.
She drank deeply. “Cookie, I think I will have something to eat. You have any Burgoo?”
Cookie beamed. “Always have Burgoo. What good Galley would I run if I hadn’t any?”
Grenier took another sip of Grog. “It’s not like I have someplace to go, is it?”
Park answered, “Exactly. Tenzin, pretty much said the same thing. Me? I got the Bonghwang here and even though it’s been through a lot I don’t see me selling anytime soon.”
“That’s good,” a voice at the entrance said. Jamie Jackman, the ship’s Boatswain, drifted to the table. “Room for a fourth?”
Park said, “Of course. Cookie will be out in a bit.”
Jackman nodded, “Everything is ready Captain. I read the report Mr. Pascal posted. She’s a beauty all right. Is this the one? I got kids on Earth to feed.”
Grenier said, “You’d be able to make them fat.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Jackman exclaimed. “Fat happy kids.”
Cookie floated into Mess. “I thought I heard Jackie’s voice. Grog or a Pint?"
“Cookie is always one to take care of us. A Pint, mate. Thanks.”
Then, over the Ship’s Intercom, “Captain, to Front deck. Captain, to Front deck.”
Park scooped the last bit of Lamb into her mouth and sucked in the remaining Grog. “Be back.” She said as she pushed herself toward the Mess entry way. A moment later she darted up through the ladder way and with a powerful push launched at high-speeds to the Front Deck door. At the last second she pivoted and came to an abrupt stop using her legs as springs. The door hissed opened and she entered.
“Captain“, Kirk started, “tank pressure in engine pod two is down.”
“How much?”
“Two points in ten minutes.”
Park shot him a disbelieving look.
“I had to be sure if it was a sensor malfunction.”
“Meteorite?”
“I’ll have to check.”
“Understood.” Park then flipped the Ship Intercom switch to on. “Mr. Kyi. Front Deck, please. Mr. Kyi, front Deck please.”
Tenzin was about to start his second bottle of Grog when he heard the broadcast.
Grenier said, “Something’s wrong.”
Jackman raised an eyebrow and gave the First Officer an inquisitive look.
Tenzin shrugged and slightly shook his head. His laugh was nervous. “Of course not, you - - “
“There is something wrong.” Grenier stated, her voice not too loud.
Tenzin tried to comfort her. “I’m sure I forgot to close the bathroom door or something. Probably nothing. I’m sure there is nothing wrong. Gotta go.” He launched himself toward the Mess entry way and hurried to Front Deck.
The remaining personnel in Mess watched the First Officer as he sped through the door way. Several got up from their tables and rapidly moved out. A familiar old fear creeped into their minds. Most had one thought, “Not again. Not again.”
Tenzin entered Front Deck. Kirk had reached for the inter-ship comm unit and entered the code for Engineering.
“Liam”, Kirk said, “We need a crew ASAP topside and Mid-drift Aft. Engine Pod 2. Pressure leak.”
“Roger. Pressure Leak. Acknowledged.” Liam replied.
“Captain, request early release from station watch.”
“Request granted.”
Kirk nodded and sped through the opened doorway. Seconds later he disappeared up the ladder way to a corridor that would take him directly to Engineering.
Tenzin belted into his seat and defaulted all readouts, displays, and icons back to his previous settings. Kirk customized everything and that irked him often. As protocol dictated he placed his headset on and checked that his Spare Air was in the ready.
Park counted the minutes it took for Kirk to transmit he and Fire Drill team were outside moving aft toward the engines. Old warnings told to her by fellow Captains that her Crew had been cursed. Death and destruction would follow them and there would be no redemption. She waved the naysays off and chalked it up to superstition. Her lot was prone to do that often and she knew this was one of them. Most of the Crew had exceptional records, a few commendations and awards for heroism. Cookie was one of them. This was a fine crew she told herself, through and through. Nothing to worry about. We’ll get through this.
Kirk slowly made his way to Engine 2. It was aft port when facing bow. MacDonald, Liam, Gupta, and Kyun, his first shift staff, formed a line as they followed Kirk. Each man barely breathed as the Engine grew larger and larger within their sights. “Not again,” each hoped.
“Not again.”
“Do you think . . . ?” Gupta started. He didn’t want to be the one to put the jinx on.
“Shhhh!” Kyun and MacDonald said simultaneously.
Kyun continued, “It can’t be.”
“Captain,” Kirk asked through his helmet comm, “what’s the pressure?”
“34% loss.” Her voice crackled.
Kirk figured 60% loss would be enough to hamper the mission. 80% or more would mean they’d have to probably get help from another ship, which meant splitting profit. A few more minutes Kirk stopped and looked around. “Guys, spread out and look for surface spray.”
The group fanned out and meticulously checked external piping and bulk plates. Ten minutes later MacDonald swore.
“Chief, Damn. I found the leak. And, something else.”
Kirk, like the rest, cautiously made his way over to MacDonald. He knelt close to what MacDonald was pointing to and saw a pipe had been damaged. An oversized bolt-like device was attached to a section of the pipe. There was an acid corroded hole on top. Fluid was leaking out and evaporating millimeters from the opening. MacDonald said he found the leak by sheer luck and some intuition. Next to the leak was a device not meant to be there.
“No, no, no.” Kirk repeated, “This is not fair.”
“Mr. Pascal, report,” came the crackling voice.
“Captain . . .”
“. . . yes?”
“Please switch to secure channel delta. The ‘crypt code is at my station. Use the third row down.”
A minute later Park said, “Switching.”
Kirk tapped at the small CRT on his wristComm. “Can you hear me, Captain?”
“Five by five.”
“We have a saboteur onboard. An auxiliary pipe had been tampered with and I think we . . .” His voice trailed off. It was unthinkable . . . and unfair.
“Chief, what?”
Kirk took a deep breath. He let it out slowly and said in a rush, “I think we have a bomb.”
Silence.
“Captain?” Kirk said. “Did you hear me?”
After a moment, “Timed, rigged?”
“I don’t know. I just know we aren’t supposed to physically repair this leak.”
“Thoughts?”
“We detach the entire Engine 2 pod and cast it adrift.” And with that he realized his words doomed the mission. They probably wouldn’t have enough thrust and power to maneuver this rock to the Construction Site.
“Kirk.”
He heard a softness to the Captain’s voice he never imagined before. Despite the crackle and feedback spikes it had a genuine tenderness. This Captain he would follow to hell and back. “Yes, Ma’am?”
“Please proceed with detaching Engine 2. I’ll place the crew on Emergency Alert. How much time?”
“There are dozens of external bolts we have to cut, the final part of the process is automatic and can be done from Front Deck or Engineering. I recommend not telling crew just yet.”
“Anything else?”
“No. Yeah. It should take us about ten hours to finish.”
“Pretty tight. Between that and transferring the asteroid.” Park took a deep breath. She ran the numbers in her head. It was still possible she thought. With one less engine the Bonghwang could max burn longer. Though speed and thrust would be reduced. “Understood.”
Kirk tapped at his wristComm and piped into the intersuit communications. “Guys, switch over to ‘crypt Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo. Use append Echo Delta and enter your id code.” Now they would be able to communicate amongst themselves securely. “We are going to detach Engine 2. The crew will not be alerted . . . yet. Understood?”
The acknowledgements came in one by one.
“Good.”
“Chief?” Gupta started, “Ten hours?”
Kirk nodded still knowing that no one would see it. “I’m bringing in several Drones. The cuts don’t have to be pretty.”
“Understood.”
Kirk tapped out the command code to activate several Drones. He entered the commands needed for them the start cutting the major bolts. “Tic-toc, tic-toc.”
Park watched, on several monitors, Kirk, his staff, and the drones work. The tedious task of not being able to do anything weighted heavily on her. She drummed her fingers the entire time.
“Captain,” Kirk’s voice broke the silence. “We’re done here. Coming aboard.”
“Acknowledged.” She said as she unstrapped from her command chair. It took her less than a minute to reach the main port side airlock.
The large lock cycled through the many safety protocols and slowly opened. Kirk removed his helmet as he stepped back onto the port side bay area. “Captain, a few internal disconnects and we can jettison Engine 2.”
Park nodded. “How long?”
“Another hour, maybe two.”
“Two hours would get us uncomfortably close to the asteroid. Like, kilometers too close.”
Kirk nodded. “We had to find another way to cut a bolt that was too close to the leak. Our last Emergency Drill had focused on . . .” His voice fell silent.
“Chief, what?”
“Our last drill. We specifically focused on an engine detachment. Several Reserve Engineers were involved.”
Park raised an eyebrow. “Meaning, we may be able to find out who did this?”
He nodded. “Possibly. The bastid!” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, when we get past this I can personally kick his or her ass for this grief.”
Park responded. “After I’ve had my turn, of course.”
Kirk smiled. He thought Park pretty coolheaded. She was a thinker, but she was also a fighter. She wasn’t half bad in Z-g brawl. Beat him a few times with some awesome moves. He turned to his staff. “Guys, you know what’s needed. Please, keep this between us and let’s get this over with. Gupta and Liam, you work the internal bolts. Kyun and MacDonald work wiring.
With a nod from each they were off. Words were not needed. What does one say when faced with approaching doom having an unknown time schedule? Tic-toc . . . tic-toc?
Linda had been monitoring the S band per normal shift watch protocol. The Command Crew had transferred to the Command Segment One, CSone, about 5 months ago, and the routine for monitoring radio traffic and answering calls almost seemed normal. The first month was without major problems. It was the second month and beyond that things started to breakdown. Strange, odd, and nearly impossible wire and pipe disconnects happened more and more often. Then the symbols and slogan started to show up - “Ab uno moriendum”, from one die many. The fourth month of mishaps was annoying, until the Cargoship Palin lit the sky up in a blue flash. All forty hands lost. The last transmission was a rogue broadcast from the Palin. The individual yelled, “Ab uno moriendum!” A minute later the Captain broadcasted a request for help. His Mayday went on for five minutes, then the surrounding sky lit up. The Palin had managed to push a 350,000 ton asteroid into transfer orbit to the build site before the explosion, unfortunately, the resulting blast nudged the rock out of its aligned orbit and sent it into a slow spiral back into the asteroid field. There were no available miners or hauler to immediately correct the orbit. The project was put behind schedule by two months. It had been a week without mishaps and Linda hoped tonight would be totally, absolutely, dead boring. She was entering the third hour of her shift when she heard the message. It was coded with a level two crypt code. It was from the Bonghwang, Captain Park commanding. The message was short. “Sabotage. Mission in jeopardy. Saboteur still onboard. Send available for duo purpose. Assist with mission or pick up survivors. Nothing follows.”
Linda looked up the nearest vessel. It was the Vandu. She sent a coded message with coordinates to the captain but knew it would probably be a disaster observer site instead of a rescue mission. She then typed out a coded message to the ISS per protocol. From there the message would be transmitted to every observatory. And, of course, Linda thought, the news agencies would pick it up and the world would know.
The Vandu captain acknowledged her message 35 minutes later and sent the response that ship and crew are on the way. Fast burn to last known location.
Captain Tecla Pasini was in her cabin reading progress reports when the 2nd shift Comm Officer broke the silence.
“Captain. Message from CSone. Rescue mission.”
The Vandu was set to snag a small asteroid within five days. The haul was estimated at a quarter trillion that would finally pay off her debts and give the crew a tidy bonus. It had a deposit of iron and molybdenum and the Fikuliton Corporation wanted it badly.
Pasini sighed and tapped out a command on the desk Command Response Terminal pad to check the Vandu’s insurance. Damn! She thought. It only covered 50 million. Fukuliton would get 40 million. After fuel, food, and crew pay she’d have 100,000 credits left. This would be the third mission in a row that netted practically zero for her bank account. She clicked the Comm button to Forward Deck. “Bliff?”
A few seconds later, “Yes, ma’am?”
“You heard?”
His voice was even. “Sucks big rocks.”
“Send the acknowledgement and prepare a spike beacon, in fact, prepare two. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Aye, ma’am. Sending an acknowledgement and two spike beacons.”
Pasini made a quick entry into her personal log and pushed herself to the cabin door. She looked around the room and realized they would have to fast burn to reach the rescue site. She turned her main lights out. She’d have to remember to instruct the crew to go on power discipline and rations.
Once in the main corridor Pasini found a foot stop and pushed off toward a ladder. From the ladder she launched herself toward Forward Deck and kicked out a foot against the bulk wall to stop her ascent.
“You figured out a fast route there?”
Bliff Radcliffe nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Two week fast burn, three day coast, one week hard burn to stop. That’ll give us six months slow coast to CSone. I hear one of the hospital ships should be online by then.”
Pasini nodded. “Same. Let’s hope so. Scale the chart up on view, please.”
Bliff tapped out the command on main station CRT. A large translucent image of a star chart appeared in the middle of Forward Deck. Pasini walked up and traced a finger from their current position to where the Bonghwang may eventually end up.
“Bliff, what if we go vertical to their orbit, then fast burn to rendezvous?”
“I calculated that, Captain. We’d get there in two day transfer orbit, one week hard burn, two day red line to stop.”
Pasini punched out engineering room on the CommUnit. “Ga Ka?”
“Yes, ma’am?” Said the male voice.
“Engine status? Can we red line at one-zero-five for two days?”
As she heard the laughter her heart sank.
“Sorry, Captain. I thought you asked if we can red line period.”
“I did ask.”
“Ma’am, point nine seven is redlining for us.”
“I see. Can we sustain that for four days?”
“Better at point nine two. And that’ll be pushing it.”
“Thanks, Ga Ka. Captain out.” She turned to Bliff. “Run the numbers at point nine zero for hard stop and what we can do at hard burn. Anything massive enough for a slingshot?”
Bliff took about five minutes making adjustments and inputting data.
Pasini drummed her fingers lightly against the top of her work station. When minute five came and went she cleared her throat.
Bliff smiled. “Almost done Captain. We got several different teraton asteroids. Computer says we could make the total trip in one week.”
“Please send a coded message to CSone and Bonghwang. Also, send her captain my complements and request a moment of Grog and Skilly.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sending coded message to CSone and Bonghwang along with a pointed message to Bonghwang’s captain – complements and request for Grog and Skilly at earliest convenience.”
Pasini nodded. “Proceed. You still have the conn, Bliff. I’ll relieve you in four hours. Place crew in emergency rescue and broadcast. We are now in Ration Mode and shifts are now two for three. Have second mate as floater at 24-7.”
Bliff thought Renee was going to soil his pants. 24-7 floater was a nightmare shift. “On it captain.”
Park had been reading one of her favorite novels, “GRID Traveler: Rabbit Hole”. The author passed away only a few years ago – he was well into his 90s. She had just finished chapter 5 when she got a coded message from the Vandu. It was their help or their savior. She heard of Captain Pasini and thought she looked very pretty from her official bio pic. The message read that they would be in the area in a week. Park ran the numbers in her head and realized that the Vandu might be redlining her engines. It was a first generation cargo ship and the engines, she was sure, needed a major overhaul. Looking up the Vandu’s mission plan submission and progress she noticed it set “sail” two weeks before the Bonghwang for about 2/3 the distance, with the Bonghwang reaching their asteroid a week sooner.
With the eventual loss of Engine 2 the Bonghwang would need the Vandu to help push the asteroid into the proper transfer orbit. A 50-50 split of profit was starting to look better. At the very least, Pasini could either retrofit the entire Vandu or buy a newer ship. The payout would be that good.
She keyed in her reply, returning the courtesy complement, and added the Grog was warm and the Skilly hot, with both waiting for her upon arrival.