Unum Chapter Fourteen
E Pluribus Unum
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Year Eight - Year 8 Month 2 Week 4 Day 4 Hour 12 Minute 13 Second 11 - Earth Date: 08-02-05-04-12-13-11 - Chapter Fourteen
Year Eight
Year 8 Month 2 Week 4 Day 4 Hour 12 Minute 13 Second 11
Earth Date: 08-02-05-04-12-13-11
Chapter Fourteen
Park sat at the controls with Tenzin and Kirk at their stations. Pasini and Bliff were back on board the Vandu. “Vandu? how are you on your end? Bonghwang is set.”
The Bonghwang was bolted far aft the asteroid along its longest axis. With the help of Ga Ka and his team, Kirk was able to get Bonghwang’s engines three and one 80% effective with better than expected directional control. The Vandu was bolted far stern, perpendicular into the asteroid. The Vandu would act as steering, rolling the asteroid when needed. Both ships, working together, allowed for pitching and yawing.
Pasini checked her controls. “Bliff? Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pasini pressed the comm button. “Bonghwang, the Vandu is ready. Set to sync. Now.”
Park confirmed. The Vandu was set and ready. “Kirk? Ready?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Okay, Tenzin, sync.”
The center monitor blinked on. It showed a wireframe outline of the asteroid, Bonghwang, and the Vandu. Park placed her headset on. She looked around and saw the multiple floating monitors over each station. She looked at the center monitor and saw a flow of Vandu info readouts.
Pasini placed a similar-looking headset on and the same augmented reality on the Vandu was nigh the Bonghwang. “Sync is confirmed,” Pasini said. Park’s reply over the headset was, “Confirmed. Testing engines.” Pasini watched the wired image of the Bonghwang’s lines glow a pale green. Fake looking flames appeared and disappeared aft her engines. Then, the wired frame image of the Vandu glowed. Its engines flared and died. “Bonghwang, engine sync checked.”
Park smiled. She said through the headset, “Acknowledged. Powering down until 0400. Over.” She heard Pasini’s reply. “Confirmed. 0400. Out.” Park took off her headset and set it on top of the control panel. She unsnapped her harness and gave a light push. She floated above her seat. Grabbing a top ceiling hold she slid away from the command area to the door. “Tenzin, place crew on mission shifts. Set timer to 0330 for thirty-minute alarm.” Tenzin nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Timer set, shift status sent, and message sent to department heads and leads.” “Kirk?” “Yes, ma’am?” “Any leads?” Kirk smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Down to two.”
Pasini settled in for a short nap. Ten hours they were going to move a 500-billion-ton asteroid to transfer orbit. The Vandu was only rated at 250 million tons, and that was when the Vandu was new. There was something about Park that excited her. She was a hauler, that was for sure, but she could have been one of the Segment designers too. Pasini decided Park was exactly where she wanted to be. Pushing stones across gravity waves.
As Pasini started to drift off her personal comm channel beeped. She yawned, lifted herself out of bed, and drifted to her desk. She pressed the ‘Answer-Audio Only’ button. “Pasini here.” She heard Park’s voice and immediately pressed the ‘Video-Audio Mode’ button.
Park said, “Hey you.” Her face filled the screen with long wisps of hair slowly floating about her shoulders. “I was hoping to catch you before lights out.”
Pasini smiled. “Seo-yeon, you did. Glad you did. I was just thinking about you.”
“And I you.” Park brought her hand to her face and let several fingers touch her lips. She moved her hand to the screen and lightly brushed the fingers across the screen where she saw Pasini’s lips.
Pasini did the same thing.
“Tomorrow, O-Dark hundred, Bonghwang over.”
“Tomorrow, O-Dark hundred, Vandu out.”
The screen went blank.
Pasini floated back to bed and drifted to a wonderful handful of hours filled with orgastic dreams.