Wanda

by carl smothers

  “Roger that, Doc.”

  Although he was getting better at controlling his movements, Harry still felt a bit foolish at his somewhat erratic approach to the communications satellite. He finally managed to come along side Ivan.

  “Not too bad, Harry. You did a lot better than I did on my first time. Don’t worry. By the time we finish today, you’ll be a pro. Lieutenant, see any damage?”

  “Not yet, sir.”

  “This is nothing like the AG facility. If anything goes wrong there’s no reset button to restart the exercise.”

  “Harry, your team members are the reset button. If we work together, we’ll be just fine. Now, let’s see what’s going on here.”

  They inspected the connections, and then opened the diagnostics panel. Ivan exercised the systems, and all tests indicated the onboard systems were functioning correctly.

  Harry pondered the dilemma and inspected the antenna pedestal. There appeared to be an icy compound around it. “Ivan, there’s ice around the antenna collar. That can’t be right.”

  “I see it, too,” the lieutenant remarked.

  Ivan closely inspected the material. “Someone greased the antenna collar assembly. No wonder this thing stopped working. You don’t use grease on space borne applications. It’ll freeze up in the extreme temperatures. We’re going to have to clear this, or it’ll never work. Pegasus, we’ve found the problem with Sentry. Someone greased the antenna collar. Please let Orion know.”

  Knuckles came back immediately. “Who the hell would do such a stupid thing? That’s Space Engineering 101. Our guys know better than to pull a stunt like that.”

  Harry responded. “Knuckles, it was a deliberate act of sabotage. I’ll take a sample for analysis. I suspect it was a clear grease material. You’d never notice it unless you were making a detailed inspection of the antenna collar assembly. Up to orbit insertion and about an hour afterwards, everything would have tested okay.”

  After two hours of laborious and detailed work, they finally managed to clear the icy grease from the antenna collar assembly. It had been hard work, especially in their stiff EVA suits. The men used most of their oxygen, leaving barely enough to get back to the Pegasus.

  “Ivan,” Harry commented, “these suits sure make simple jobs seem hard. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to work in these things.”

  “I know. It takes a lot of practice. I guess we’re done. Knuckles, the antenna collar should be free. Please have Orion command the antenna so we can check its movement.”

  “Roger that, Ivan. Orion, this is Pegasus. We’re ready to command Sentry’s antenna.”

  The antenna assembly moved in response to Tarnak’s command from the systems control console on the Orion. The lieutenant’s attention was diverted, and he didn’t notice how close he was to the antenna. Before he could react, it struck him, breaking his visor. Harry heard a brief scream then nothing. Sound can’t propagate in the cold empty vacuum of space. The lieutenant tumbled past Ivan, hitting him and spinning him in the way of the antenna.

  “Ivan, look out!” Harry yelled over the comm.

  Ivan looked up as the antenna swung around snagging his oxygen hose. As he spun from the impact, the antenna struck Ivan’s control package, hurling him off into space, away from the satellite.

  His life sustaining oxygen rapidly escaped into space. His thruster propellant spewed out causing him to tumble and accelerate away from the satellite. “Harry, I’m losing oxygen fast, and my control package isn’t working. Can you give me a hand?”

  The lieutenant was spinning out into space, too far to reach. His faceplate broken — he was dead.

  Harry was mortified. I can’t help him. Ready or not, I have to go get Ivan. It’s hard to believe I’ve got to do a rescue on my first EVA. Holy shit!

  “Hang in there, Ivan, I’m on my way. Knuckles, this is Harry. Ivan’s suit is damaged, and he’s tumbling off into space and losing air. I’m going to go get him. The lieutenant’s dead and out of reach. Please locate our position, and try to move Pegasus closer. We may not have much time left. My O2 and propellant are both running low. I don’t think I’ll have enough air for both of us. It’s going to be close.”

  “Roger, Harry, I see you. I’ll get as close as I can. What in the hell’s going on?”

  “The antenna hit both of ‘em.”

  “I can’t believe it. What a disaster,” Knuckles said.

  Harry composed himself and remembered what Ivan told him … stop, think then act. He activated his thrusters and slowly moved towards Ivan who tumbled and translated slowly away. His travel vector still not right, Harry fired his thrusters again.

  That’s a little better.

  Low propellant warnings displayed on his visor. To his chagrin, anxiety caused him to operate his thrusters erratically. If I overshoot, we’ll never get back. I’ll be out of O2 before Knuckles can get here.

  He reached the critical point. I had better be right. Only one shot left. If I miss, I screw us all.

  He gulped then made one last small correction. It was not the best and it looked like he would be too far out. Oh, shit. Please let this be right.

  As they closed, the tip of Harry’s gloved hand scraped lightly across Ivan’s suit pack. One inch further, and he would have missed him with no way to recover. Harry’s fingertips slid across Ivan, and he frantically grabbed for an air hose.

  Got it!

  He desperately wrapped his fingers around the air hose and they swung together.

  “I’ve got you. I’m going to latch you to my suit.” Thank, God! I made it.

  “Harry, I need air. I can barely breathe … my heads getting foggy. Losing control.”

  Harry connected his auxiliary air hose to Ivan’s secondary airport and opened the valve. Ivan’s eyes fluttered opened as the fresh oxygen filled his helmet. After several breaths, he smiled weakly.

  “Thanks. You just saved my life.”

  “Well, we ain’t home yet. Hold on, pal, and I’ll try to get us back to the shuttle. Knuckles, I have Ivan. Can you move the Pegasus closer? We’re sharing air, and my propellant pack is reading empty.”

  “I can close to about fifty meters from you. I don’t want to risk getting any closer. I could accidently hit you.”

  “I hope we can make it.” Harry’s suit computer flashed a message in red across his visor.

  ‘Oxygen nearly depleted. Propellant tank is empty. Please replace suit pack immediately.’

  Sure be nice if I had one, Harry thought.

  The range on his visor showed the Pegasus to be fifty meters away. His thrusters sputtered threatening to shut down. His breathing grew difficult as the O2 thinned. He was having difficulty focusing and controlling their trajectory. Ivan dropped in-and-out of consciousness, his body jerking due to a lack of air. Harry started to experience tunnel vision and tried to fight the delirium setting in due to oxygen deprivation.

  Have to get us back. Focus, focus. My head’s getting screwy. I don’t think we’re going to make it.

  Without warning, the suit pack thrusters quit working. He could tell space dementia hovered near. Harry gulped for air capturing only a few stray molecules. On the verge of passing out, he began to hallucinate. Monsters flew around him and he drifted into a state of delirium. Somehow, he realized that their current travel vector would miss the Pegasus and they would drift off into space. He hit the thruster control three times and nothing happened.

  Oh shit! Come on, baby. I know you can do it. Just a little bit more! Please.

  He pulled the thruster control and held it. The thrusters gave one last feeble blast. It wasn’t much, but it stopped their motion. They were still too far out, and the O2 was getting so thin he didn’t understand what he was breathing. Harry mentally pleaded, just a few stray molecules. He fought the urge to open his visor — to get a breath. He was losing control.

  “Knuckles … I can’t make it. Out of air, and my thrusters just quit. I can’t get any closer.”
>
  “Harry, hold on! I’m in the egress compartment. I have my hull repair suit on. I’ll try to reach you.”

  “Hurry! Not much time left. I’ll try to give Ivan some more air. I’m not sure there is any though. Having trouble here. My mind isn’t working well.”

  “Orion, this is Pegasus. The away team has depleted their suit pack resources. I estimate they’re stranded about fifty meters from the ship. I’m going EVA to get them.”

  “Knuckles, this is the Captain. Do you need us to come to you? We have your coordinates.”

  “There isn’t enough time. They’re out of O2. I have to go get them now!”

  “We’re on our way. Keep your beacon on so we can locate you.”

  “Roger, sir. Pegasus out.”

  Knuckles opened the egress hatch. The hull repair suit had a short tether so he grabbed a cable reel, and then gently pushed himself outside of the ship. He could see Harry and Ivan virtually suspended in space. He ranged on them and his readout indicated forty-five meters.

  Good thing Harry stopped their translation. Just didn’t get close enough. The cable reel only had a reach of twenty meters and the tether another ten.

  Fifteen meters short. Shit, might as well be a kilometer. What in the hell am I going to do?

  “Harry, do you see me?” I think he’s passed out. I have to go get ‘em. Got to find another way. They don’t have much time left.

  Knuckles pulled himself back inside and saw a small fire extinguisher. Have to do, he thought.

  He removed the extinguisher from the bulkhead retainer. As he stepped back into the black void, he knew he was taking one hell of a risk — with all of their lives.

  Well, if I fail there’s no way back. It’s ironic we would all die just forty–five meters from the ship. Orion will never get here in time to save us. Here goes nothing.

  With short bursts, he directed his motion towards the two men stranded and desperate for air. Upon reaching the end of the tether, he disconnected himself and free floated.

  The umbilical cord is gone. We’re on our own. God help us if I screw up. Orion will never get here in time.

  With short bursts, he vectored himself towards them.

  Who would’ve thought I’d be using a fire extinguisher for a rescue operation four and a half light-years from Earth.

  Ivan’s suit pack thrusters sputtered, changing their position. Knuckles checked the fill volume. Only 60 percent left. Shit! Wish they would just stay still. Harry’s too far gone for me to ask him to disconnect Ivan’s thruster pack.

  He continued toward them using short, precise bursts from the extinguisher. Slowly he closed, and just as he was within reach, Ivan’s suit thruster sputtered again and moved them further apart.

  Shit! What else can go wrong?

  With a few careful adjustments to his thrust vectors, Knuckles finally grabbed Harry’s O2 line. “Gotcha,” he said.

  The fire extinguisher was almost out of propellant, and his air was also running low. He connected his auxiliary line to Harry’s suit first. Harry slowly opened his eyes.

  “Harry, we’re all going to have to share air, so I’ll be moving the line around. Keep still.”

  Harry nodded.

  Knuckles gave Ivan air, and then connected the line to his own suit. He took a small breath and checked the propellant in the extinguisher. Only 5.0 percent left! The tether line had drifted away, and they were still forty meters out.

  He lined them up as carefully as he could with the first blast. As they moved towards the ship, he corrected the vector to align them with the hatch. Fifteen meters out, he fired the last of the propellant. If he misaimed, they would float out into space and Harry and Ivan would be dead before the Orion could reach them.

  “Oxygen depleted. Propellant tank at 0.1 percent. Replace suit pack immediately.”

  No shit! We might just make it if Ivan’s suit pack doesn’t misfire.

  Finally, the ingress port of Pegasus was almost within his reach. Suddenly, Ivan’s thrusters spat out their last gasp throwing them off vector.

  Oh my God, he thought. We’re going to overshoot.

  They only had one chance. As they floated by the hatch, he pushed the extinguisher away from them; the reaction changed their direction ever so slightly … just enough to allow his fingertips to grab the edge of the hatch.

  He held on with all his might as the momentum tried to pull his fingertips from the lip of the hatch and send them out into the black void. He grunted, and with every ounce of his determination, made one final desperate attempt to pull them in. He struggled, fumbled and finally latched himself to a coupling ring. He would have taken a deep breath to calm his nerves, but there wasn’t enough air.

  That was just too damn close.

  “Knuckles, this is the Captain. We’ve located you. I have an away team suited up and ready to go EVA to assist. Do you need help?”

  “No, we’re getting into the ingress hatch now.”

  “Very well. We’ll stand by just in case.”

  He pulled the three of them into the ingress hatch.

  Having trouble seeing and thinking, Harry managed to push the ingress hatch “close” command button. The door slowly shut. Though strongly tempted to open his visor to get some badly needed air, even with dementia, he somehow knew it would kill him if the pressure hadn’t equalized.

  Harry struggled for a breath. There was nothing left to breathe. Fear worsened the dread of suffocation, and his lungs convulsed searching for a few stray oxygen molecules. Finally, the green light flickered on and Knuckles quickly opened Harry’s visor. Harry took a very welcome breath of fresh oxygen. His head swirled with dizziness as the O2 took effect. He gulped its invigorating effects into his body.

  Knuckles opened Ivan’s visor and watched Ivan intently, prepared to administer CPR. Finally, Ivan took a shallow breath and opened his eyes.

  “You don’t look like Saint Peter,” Ivan joked.

  “I sincerely hope not,” Knuckles said, laughing.

  “Thank you for saving our asses,” Harry whispered. “That was a very brave thing you did.”

  He then put his arm around Harry’s shoulder. “We’re all shipmates, and when one of us gets into trouble, we’re all in trouble. Hey, Ivan wouldn’t have made it if not for you. Let’s get back to the flight deck and go home. It’s almost happy hour. I could use a drink, or two.”

  “Roger that,” Harry said. “Maybe three. What a boring first EVA,” he cracked. They all laughed. It felt so good to laugh.

  Starship Orion

  The trip back to Orion was a welcome relief. Knuckles flew into the hanger deck and the cargo doors shut. The big pressure pumps cut in.

  “Hanger deck oxygen level stabilized. It is safe to enter the cargo bay.”

  After equalization, Harry helped Ivan. He was still too weak to navigate on his own. As they left the Pegasus, the ship’s doctor came forward and took Ivan to sickbay for evaluation.

  The captain walked up to Knuckles and Harry and shook their hands. “I am so sorry about Lieutenant Jones. He was a fine officer, and we'll miss him.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t have saved him,” Harry said. “The antenna broke his faceplate. I’ve never seen a man’s face blown out before. It was gruesome. He was really a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to die like that.”

  As they headed back to the bridge, Harry thought about the next event. Who would have imagined this phase of the mission would be so hard. I knew things were going too smooth. Well, the slingshot’s next, and it’s a lot more risky. I’d call this whole thing off, if I could.

  Chapter 34

  Starship Orion

  Oxygen depleted, Harry felt like an insignificant speck, alone in the ominous black emptiness of space. The ship loomed one hundred meters away. Might as well be a kilometer. I’ll never make it. The EVA suit pack had failed, and he slowly drifted away from the ship — out into the void. He gasped for air to soothe the burning pain in his lungs, but not a sing
le molecule remained.

  Finally, out of desperation and plagued with dementia, Harry opened his visor, fighting for air. His blood began to boil. His eyes hurt, burned, threatened to explode from his skull, the pain beyond tolerance. He tried to scream. There was no sound.

  Harry awoke with a start. Wet with perspiration, he abruptly sat up. Terrified for a moment, he didn’t know where he was.

  It was only a dream.

  He swung his legs over the bunk and rubbed his face trying to calm down. The grotesque image of Lieutenant Jones still haunted him. He struggled to his feet and staggered over to the washbasin to splash water on his face. The image that stared at him from the mirror appeared worn and tired. He had never looked this bad, and it upset him immensely.

  He pulled his clothes on and fought to stop the trembling in his hands.

  I think I’m going to throw up. Hope I can find something to settle this nausea in the galley.

  Harry forced some food down, still upset over that dream. He made his way down to the Astro Lab. Ivan was at the systems console exercising Outpost.

  Tarnak came over to Harry with his hand outstretched. “How are you doing, Harry? That turned out to be one rough EVA, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Harry nodded. “I’m all right, but I’m still shook up about Jones. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do to help him. I felt so helpless.”

  “He was a nice guy. I’m just grateful we got the two of you back,” Tarnak said. “If you’re ready, it’s time to survey Beluse and complete the Outpost checkout.”

  “I think some work would do me good.”

  Harry sat down at the science console and leaned back. “Computer, bring up the holographic display and activate the sensor fusion processors. Adjust the mix ratio to the optimum view of the nebula. Use standard colors for the elements. Also, give me the same view on the main 3D astronomical screen.”