“We need to talk about your plans. You’ve got an idea on how we might be able to deactivate the asteroids?”
Boris waited until Geralt had translated Blane’s last statement, and then he replied, “Deactivate isn’t the right word. We think they might be driven by a magnetic sail. The small but constant acceleration might be an indication. And we measured a magnetic field on the asteroid that we don’t think should be there.”
“Iron-nickel asteroids could have a weak, fixed magnetic field.”
“Well, if Koronis also has one, I think that’d clear things up. There’d just be too many coincidences to rule it out.”
“But the big acceleration when the asteroids started moving would be a strike against your theory,” Blane said.
“Big acceleration?” Boris looked at Sara. “We didn’t know about that. Sara didn’t tell us anything about it.”
“She probably thought it was an explosion,” Blane said.
“Yes, there was a big detonation, and then I lost consciousness until I woke up again,” Sara said.
“Okay. Maybe the explosion gave the asteroid a strong initial impulse,” Boris said, “and the magnetic sail has only been used after that.”
“But I did measure a magnetic field on our first landing on Santa,” Sara said.
“That still doesn’t rule out a magnetic sail,” Boris said. “Or do you have a better idea?”
“Unfortunately, no. I had hoped a little that solving the problem on Mars would help with the asteroids, too, but obviously that didn’t happen. So, I’m very curious whether you’ll be able to deflect Koronis. Sara, what do you think?”
“I feel the same way. Unfortunately, we still don’t know the big picture of what’s going on. Maybe Koronis will give a solution. I’m afraid we might be dealing with two different forces.”
“Should we start the swap, then? Jenna’s already in her spacesuit.”
“I need ten minutes,” Sara said.
The connection ended.
“And the second shuttle?” Boris asked. “It was part of the deal.” Most of all, he wanted to take Jenna into his arms right now, but he shouldn’t let his feelings rush them into the wrong decision. Why did he always have to be so sensible?
“I think we can trust Blane,” Anna said.
He sincerely hoped she was right! The Earthlings had an interest in the Titanians testing their theory, and they needed the shuttle to test it. Blane and Sara couldn’t afford too many failed attempts. (1288) Santa was already closer to the Earth than (158) Koronis was to Titan, so the time pressure was greater for the Earthlings than for them.
“Okay, I agree,” Boris said.
Finally! Jenna would be back with them in just ten minutes.
The reunion celebration was short. The very moment Jenna stepped out of the airlock, the ship’s computer issued a warning about the appearance of another spaceship. Boris hugged Jenna, but she quickly let go of him. He’d imagined it happening differently. He followed her to a monitor. The promised shuttle looked sleek and aerodynamic and had stub wings. It was probably also capable of making airplane-like landings on celestial bodies with atmospheres.
“May I introduce the ‘Shang Chariot,’” Blane said via radio, translated by Geralt.
“It doesn’t look like a chariot,” Anna said.
“The billionaire I stole it from had a thing for Chinese names. I hope you have fun with it. Just try not to wreck it. It’s rather expensive. It’d be a real shame to waste all that state-of-the-art technology inside it.”
“We’ll take good care of it, don’t worry. Oh, sorry Jenna, I’m sitting in your seat,” Anna said, rising out of the commander’s chair.
“It’s nice to be back with you,” Jenna said as she sat down.
“I looked for you everywhere,” Boris said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you.”
“You didn’t have a chance. Santa is crisscrossed by a huge tunnel system, and a malevolent AI seems to have taken over control of the place. That’s what Blane told me. It identified me as potentially dangerous, and thus took measures to isolate me.”
“But it didn’t kill you,” Geralt said. “Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“It still has to follow its core programming. If a person is not identified as an immediate threat, it tries to spare the person’s life.”
“And the guy on Mars,” Boris asked, “who you needed to teach a lesson to?”
“If I understood it all correctly, he was trying to make money off this whole ordeal.”
“So Blane talked with him and convinced him to lead a more charitable and fulfilling life?”
“Yes, Boris, something like that,” Jenna laughed that loveable laugh. “He’s not going to do anything stupid in any case.”
“Did you ever feel in danger?” Geralt asked.
“We had a well-prepared plan. I helped find the right approach. Blane did the main work, of course.”
“He talked to the man,” Anna said.
“Yes, exactly. He also spoke to the man.”
“Sara here.” Their former guest’s face appeared on the screen. “I got over here safely. Please keep us up to date on what you find out about the asteroid. And I’d like it if we could establish a connection between Earth and Titan.”
“We’ll have to discuss that with our people,” Geralt said. “We’ve learned quite a bit of new information that’s not going to be so easy for some to accept.”
“I understand,” Sara said. “And again, my warm thanks to dear Boris for rescuing me. Sara out.”
“Dear Boris?” Jenna looked at him curiously, and he immediately turned red.
“I pulled her out of this coffin-like box,” he explained. “She wasn’t very thankful at first, because she took me for some sort of monster.”
“Monster? She’s crazy. You’re an extremely handsome man, that’s exceedingly clear,” Jenna said, and the heat in his skin increased even more.
Sometimes he thought she might be teasing him just to make him uncomfortable. But maybe she was being serious.
“We shouldn’t wait much longer to transfer over to the shuttle,” Geralt said.
“We?”
“Aren’t we going to figure this out together, Anna?”
“I don’t think that’s too smart of a strategy,” his sister said. “Just two of us should be able to handle the experiments. The other two will then be able to hang back and wait in the big ship.”
“So, who’s going to fly the shuttle?” Boris asked.
“Me,” Jenna said. “Blane showed me the controls on the way here.”
“That settles it for me,” Geralt said.
“Okay. Then I suggest Boris should accompany her,” Anna said.
Little sister, you’re the best! He would have liked to embrace her right then.
“Or do you have another idea, big brother?”
No, no, there’s nothing I want more! he thought. “No. If you think that makes the most sense, then, of course, I’ll accept the task,” he said.
“You don’t see the problem with that plan, then?” Jenna asked.
Did she not want him on board? Boris swallowed.
“What do you mean?” Anna asked.
“The regeneration tank,” Jenna said.
That was true. He and Anna both needed the tank. The flight would be too long for them to be able to continue without it.
“Uh, there’s something you guys don’t know yet,” Geralt said. “Sara and I went through some of the old inventory lists we found on the computer. The founders had already started with their genetic experiments on board this ship. And there’s even a small prototype model of a regeneration tank in storage from that time. We’d simply need to fill it up and then move it onto the shuttle. I think it’d still be a little tight in there, though.”
“I can live with that,” Boris said.
“You’d completely tarnish the elegant shuttle’s style?” Jenna protested. “That’s out of the question. I
won’t hear of it.”
He looked at her, his eyes wide open. What had happened to her?
“That was a joke, Boris. Of course I want you and the tank to come with me,” Jenna said, and his heart skipped a beat.
Anna pressed the rail gun that she had used as a magnetic field sensor on (1288) Santa into Boris’s hands. The measurement instrument still had a handle and trigger. His first task would be to try to detect a magnetic field on (158) Koronis. If the asteroid didn’t have one, that would be the end of their beautiful theory. Nobody was sure what to do if that turned out to be the case. They hadn’t yet thought of any alternatives.
“I modified the rail gun. You can still use it as a weapon, but it’s got a special feature now, too,” Anna explained.
“That was fast.”
“It wasn’t complicated. If you switch to continuous fire with this lever and then hold down the trigger, that should cause the firing mechanism to overload. That should produce a strong magnetic field that should disrupt any other fields nearby,” Anna explained. “You’ve got to hold it down. That’s important, because it should prevent accidental firing. The superconducting coils will probably blow out, so you’ve only got one shot.”
“Only one chance to save Titan?”
“I know. That’s why I also prepared a second rail gun. If the first doesn’t go off, or the impulse isn’t enough, you’ve got a second chance.”
“That makes me feel a little better.”
“I thought maybe it’d be better if I went along,” Anna said. “Then I’d be able to solve any problems myself.”
“But Jenna knows the controls of the shuttle better.”
“I meant instead of you. But I also thought this might be a good chance for you, too.”
“Well, thank you.”
“I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but you should be aware that this might be the only chance to tell Jenna about your feelings.”
“But how? I’m no good putting that into words!”
“Well, that’s your job now. I’m sure you can figure it out somehow. You’ll be spending at least a week together. Nobody will disturb you.”
“Can’t you give me a few sentences or suggestions that might work?”
“You’re crazy. Those would be my words, and Jenna would immediately be able to tell that they weren’t from you. And that would be it for the two of you, I think.”
“Oh, well, great. Now I don’t feel any pressure at all. But I’m still looking forward to this time with Jenna. Are you sure you don’t want to switch places?”
“No question about it. You’ve got no more excuses. Either take advantage of your time or don’t. It’s up to you. And if you don’t, then it’s not meant to be. When we return to Titan as heroes, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of offers. And if we all die trying to save the world, then it’s not going to matter if you asked her or not.”
“I don’t know. What if I tell her now that I like her and she rejects me because she doesn’t want to lose me as a friend? Doesn’t that happen a lot?”
“Well, then it wasn’t meant to be,” Anna said.
“Then I would hope we all die a hero’s death. No, that’d be unfair to all of you. I hope I’d die a hero’s death.”
“Get a grip, little brother! If you risk your life unnecessarily, I’m going to come over there immediately and beat you up until you see the light! Promise me you’re not going to do anything stupid.”
“Okay, okay, I promise.”
4803.15
He had imagined the flight going a little differently—he rarely saw Jenna. The shuttle had a command center with a floor plan of a triangle tapering toward the front. Just before the tip, two recliner seats were mounted close to each other. They were so close that he could imagine easily touching Jenna’s hand by accident. The only problem was that she stayed at the base of the triangle whenever he sat up here near the tip.
The reason was that Jenna had reprogrammed the little spaceship’s life-support system. For 12 hours the temperature was higher than 280 degrees, while the second half of the day it was kept at a pleasant 230 degrees, cold enough that he didn’t overheat. It was very practical. It just minimized the chance for him to start a conversation with Jenna, let alone try to express his feelings for her.
Yet it was probably better this way. If they couldn’t make time to be with each other during a journey in such tight quarters, how could they possibly make a relationship work? Maybe Jenna had set the shift schedule so strictly to show him that they simply weren’t compatible. Or was he reading too much into it?
Boris sighed. Yes, he had every reason to be disappointed. He sighed again. It was a strange sound. Huuuuhhh. Where does the sound come from? He spelled it out. H-U-U-U. No, four Us. Then another two Hs. Or three? It was entirely silly. How could people make the sound only involuntarily? Boris didn’t like the circumstances at all. What if Jenna was just waiting for him to finally get out of her way, as Anna might say it? But how could he get out of the way? Boris almost sighed again, but this time he stopped himself.
“Shift change,” Jenna called out through the open door to her cabin. Her hair was hanging loosely in front of her face, which had a scrunched-up look to it.
The shuttle was equipped with the best of the best. Even the bathing area was fancier than anything on Titan. But it was apparent that it had been designed and built for an unmarried multimillionaire for his private use. The shower and toilet were separated only by two glass walls. A person showering or using the toilet could look out into space through a giant panoramic window—but was also visible to anyone else on board.
At the moment, the regeneration tank was sitting on one side of the command center, covering the panoramic window. Thus, the glass shower didn’t have any benefits right now, only disadvantages—like, for example, spelling out the fact that it’d probably be best for him to disappear into his tank.
“Where are you going?” Jenna asked as he turned around and started walking toward the tank.
“I thought I’d give you some privacy,” he explained, turning back to face her.
“That’s nice. I thought I’d hop in for a quick shower and then we could have breakfast together? Otherwise we won’t see each other at all the rest of the day.”
“But...” He pointed at the shower’s glass wall.
“Well, can’t you just turn around? I’m not worried. It’s not like you’re some random stranger,” Jenna said.
She wants to spend time with me! He could’ve grinned so wide that she would have thought he was crazy. So instead he turned around again and managed to stifle his manic smile. “As you wish,” he said. “I’ll just go wait in the seats up at the front.”
Stars speckled in the blackness of space. The view hadn’t yet become any more interesting. The shuttle was currently accelerating at 1 g. Boris barely noticed the force of gravity, which was significantly higher, at least compared to Titan. Jenna also hadn’t made any complaints yet. If he listened carefully, he could hear the splattering of water drops from the shower in addition to the rustle of the life-support system. The window in the bow of the ship reflected the interior. He craned his neck, but he couldn’t see what was happening behind him in the rest of the ship.
“Trying to steal a glimpse of me?” Jenna asked.
Boris almost jumped out of his skin. She was standing right behind him. He felt like he’d been caught red-handed and was afraid to turn around. He muttered something unintelligible.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “I already got dressed. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stand the cold in here.”
He turned around. Jenna was wearing a tracksuit with a thick wool sweater. Slowly the cabin was getting too hot for him. The life-support system was currently heating the interior to a temperature suitable for Jenna. It was almost time for him to disappear into his tank.
“Breakfast?” Jenna asked.
“I’d love to.”
“Ready for a little torture
?” Jenna asked after they had put their cleaned dishes back in the cabinet, anchored to the recessed magnets.
“Do what you have to.”
“Ready?”
He checked his belt and reclined his seatback. “Let ‘er rip,” he said.
“Starting main engine.”
A low vibration rumbled through his back. Then an invisible force pressed him deeper into his seat. At first it felt like gentle pressure. He involuntarily tried to resist the force, but it didn’t let up and slowly began to increase. ‘Don’t fight back,’ it seemed to be saying to him, ‘resistance is futile.’ The force was now pressing decisively, demanding that he give in. Breathing was growing difficult, forcing him to take labored breaths. The life-support system enriched the air with additional oxygen.
He wanted to maintain composure, but the force didn’t allow him. It compressed his chest, his abdomen, and his limbs. Only his hard skull seemed capable of withstanding it, but not his eyes, which he closed when the images they transmitted became grainy and unfocused.
How was Jenna? He managed to turn his head and saw her silhouette, but he didn’t have enough breath to say anything. She had reassured him that 6 g wouldn’t be too much for her, but he’d forgotten to ask how she knew.
The force increased again. The main engine was now running at full power. But it wasn’t designed to accelerate this powerfully for very long, which was lucky for them. Soon the force would begin to subside. But it still felt relentless at the moment. It was pressing against his abdomen so strongly that his reinforced muscle fibers could no longer stop himself from emptying his bowels. He resisted as best he could, but the acceleration demanded absolute obedience. Nothing was visible from the outside, but he would have to return to his tank after the acceleration phase was done. Otherwise the fungus that formed his outer skin might be damaged.
“Maximum acceleration reached,” the computer reported.
Boris felt like he should acknowledge the announcement somehow, but he wasn’t even able to nod. At the moment they would have to rely on the shuttle’s computer system to protect them. Neither he nor Jenna could react to any threats. They were at the mercy of the ship and its computer, which felt all the more menacing knowing that it had belonged to a shady, wealthy businessman. What if the ship had a secret function to kill anybody attempting to steal it by squashing them to a pulp under excessive g-forces? No, now he was letting his imagination get the better of him.
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