Regan's Reach 2: Orbital Envy

by Mark G Brewer

  "Shit no, but I am military, I'm naturally interested, what's wrong with that?"

  "Nothing I guess, but sometimes our interest seems less like a partner and more like a predator. We're in space Butch; it's really cold out there. It's not about who's in the lead here it's about who's prepared to work beside you." She paused, "Butch, think about it, we need them more than they need us. Be nice."

  A loud buzz sounded from somewhere and they looked around. Leah spoke first. "Halloo?"

  "Leah, it's Regan, something's come up and I thought you and hotshot might like to be involved. It's a real space rescue, what do you say?"

  Butch raised his eyebrows and nodded enthusiastically.

  "Do we want to be involved? Wow, has hotshot always been butch? Of course we would. What do we do?" She felt a sharp thump and rubbed her shoulder furiously.

  "Head down to the USD flight deck and I'll pick you up from there in fifteen minutes. I'll tell you about all the excitement then."

  "It's a date Regan." She turned back to Butch excitedly. He just looked at her. She spread her arms questioningly . . . "What?"

  He stood and headed for the door. "Come on, we don't want to miss your date now do we?"

  Although they'd seen an interceptor before on screen, to be walking up to one was intimidating. Sections of the top of The STEIN, the two interceptors, each a huge curved wing spanning twenty six meters tip to tip and twelve meters from nose to tail, had undeniable presence. The intimidating aspect of their look came partly from the shape, but mostly from the featureless, windowless surface. Matt black, looking like segments cut out of a sphere, which they were, the interceptors were unsettling. Not much more could be said. Adding to their unease was the view from a distance; it appeared to be floating above the surface of the deck. A section of the rear wall irised open as they approached and they stepped up nervously, like schoolchildren on their first school trip. Butch bounced on the floor, amazed there was no movement with their added weight. They stepped into a wide cockpit area seating four in a row. At eight meters side to side and around four meters front to back the space still seemed generous. They could see doors either side and out of one to the left stepped Regan, coffee in hand. Behind her they could see a small galley. Leah's eyes widened. Regan's suit was different. Still mostly black and skin tight but belted at the waste with attachments. The collar was higher and curving panels at the sides in silver grey seemed to accentuate her figure.

  "Girl I've got to have me one of those!" She blurted it out without thinking and Regan laughed.

  "Got to say, I like it too. You never know Leah, stick around long enough and I might find one for you."

  [Oh please, what was it you said to me? Get . . . a . . . room!]

  Butch stepped forward and extended his hand. "Thanks for having me on this trip, whatever it is. I wouldn't have blamed you for leaving me. I was a jackass and I know it."

  She took his hand and smiled. "Thanks, and in the interests of international friendship I'd like us to start off on a new foot. Don't take this the wrong way, but as a Kiwi, I'm sorry, I just can't call you Butch. If it's OK with you I'd like to make it Rod. I can live with that. Think of it as a term of endearment."

  He smiled. "That'll make you just like my mom."

  "Hmm, not quite the association I was looking for but until we find something better, Rod it is. Well, let's get going, I'll fill you in as we move, take a seat guys."

  Leah held back but Rod made straight for one of the centre seats.

  Regan pulled him up. "Ahhh, Rod, that's my seat."

  He stopped quickly and then moved for the other centre position.

  "And that's Leah's Rod, sorry, I should have said, perhaps take the one on the left, that's nearer the toilet. It can be handy."

  Leah couldn't help smiling as she took her seat and Regan joined her. Rod slipped chastened into his. Regan then shuffled her feet up under her and settled in.

  "Take it away Ham."

  The screen lit up in front of them, dazzling in its clarity and they smoothly, without any perceptible g force or sound slipped out of the flight deck, through the field bubble on the edge of the USD inner ring and out into space. Earth hung there, beautiful in the distance. The passengers both gasped at its suddenness and as Ham swung them in a curving arc away from the planet the path gave them for the second time a view of the pipe, Hillary Station, but this time in brilliant wall to wall clarity.

  "Ho-ly fuck." Rod almost fell forward from his seat. Leah was spellbound, gripping the arms, tingling down her arms and back. It was spectacular and all the more as the moon came into view, their destination clear.

  "You're not flying this thing," Rod observed.

  "No, for that we have the best Pilot in the game, I'd like to introduce you to Ham. You know computers and software are my game; well when I started working on AI's to fly the ADF's I never envisaged meeting Ham. Ham flies the interceptors and sorts out most other things around Hillary. I'll say this once and hope you don't need to find out the hard way. Ham is my partner. He is not just an AI; he is a mind beyond your imagination, a great friend and a terrible enemy. From now on you can address him any time you like if you need anything and I encourage you to do so. Ham, It's my pleasure to formally introduce Leah and Rod. I know you will make them welcome."

  [Just one correction, I think I'm a great enemy] He took over smoothly. "Welcome to you both. This mission, should you decide to accept it haha, involves the rescue of two Russian Cosmonauts who have found themselves stuck in a high speed blender. We hope to get there while there are still chunky bits worth saving."

  Leah stole a glance at Rod. He was sitting wide eyed and disbelieving.

  Regan interrupted with a sigh. "To give you the Readers Digest version, we've been following the Russian moon expedition out of general interest and noticed a day ago they have problems with the shuttle. It seems to have developed faults with its thrusters, problems which put it into an irregular spin and have it currently sailing out happily toward Mars, but not really in a happy way. They didn't ask for help so we haven't mentioned we noticed. We quietly redirected a Sherpa to hold position off surface in case things deteriorated further. They did. Finally a call came through today for assistance. The Sherpa has already picked up the ground party and they're crammed in like sardines on the way back to Hillary as we speak. We're headed to intercept the shuttle. Nothing has been heard from them for thirty six hours and although the spin has stabilized, they're weightless, and I'm guessing you'd gag on the air in there. If whatever happened hasn't killed them I guess they could have drowned in vomit. That about sums it up . . . any questions?"

  "So, what's the plan?" Rod asked.

  "We catch the shuttle, somehow stabilize the spin and hopefully make contact with the spinnees. Failing that we stabilize them, and establish connection with their airlock. I'll go in and see what we're dealing with. If there are injured we bring them back on board and, this is where you come in Rod. I understand from your files you are fully qualified in emergency meds as part of your core training. You can stabilize the injured while we hightail it home, easy!"

  "Yeah Rod," Leah looked at him darkly, "you can stabilize them with your 'emergency med' training, it'll be easy!"

  Regan turned slowly to look across at them both. "I take it my cunning plan has a fatal flaw?"

  Rod looked sheepish. "What can I say . . . I cheated, that unit had nothing to do with flying, and how was I to know I'd end up here rescuing Russki's?"

  Leah reached across and thumped him. "Well it was made a lot more likely by you including it in your CV! She turned back to Regan, "Don't worry, I've got this one, at least I got my fifty yard swimming certificate! I've done enough to look after this, with Ham's help anyway. What do you say Ham?"

  "That you are clearly a woman of discernment . . . Regan, she's right. We've got this."

  Rod and Leah sat amazed and mostly silent as they took in the moon sliding by them. The view was crystal clear, almos
t wall to wall and revealed incredible detail. Their speed only became apparent as they passed. A trip that had for decades taken days was passing in time measured in hours and minutes. Coffee in hand it was a shock when they were joined by an ADF, conspicuously on the edge of the screen but holding point there.

  "Who's piloting that beauty?" Rod asked enviously.

  "It's Ham." Regan replied smugly.

  "So you multi task Ham? That's a useful trait in a guy." Leah couldn't hide her delight.

  "Ahh . . . many Ham's make light work." Ham gushed. "Look directly ahead and you will make out the shuttle coming into vision as it spins. You can occasionally pick up the suns reflection off its wings."

  Sure enough, regular flashes of brightness marked its position and at a steady rate they drew ever closer. Only thirty seven minutes later by Rod's watch they were clearly slowing, the shuttle now looming large in their viewer.

  "Ok Ham, what's the plan?"

  "As you said earlier, first we need to stabilize that spin."

  "The ADF?"

  "It's a risk," Ham replied. "It might be damaged, or damage the shuttle." [Regan, We could always just pop them on board with the IVD?]

  [No way, I don't want them knowing about that technology just yet]

  Rod and Leah were looking at her. "Any ideas?" she asked.

  Rod spoke first. "Sitting here experiencing Ham's control, I get the feeling he can manage anything, right? What about sliding the ADF in there and matching the spin. Are the thrusts regular?"

  "I can see where you're going." Ham replied. Calculate the time of the shuttle bursts and match it with a burst from the ADF."

  "You'll need to start slow and build up, slow down the spin then bring it to a stop. Otherwise inside there, well, it doesn't bear thinking about." Rod leant back, arms crossed, quietly pleased with himself.

  Regan smiled and shook her head. "Well Ham, sounds good to me. I love the ADF's but we can build more, as long as the ghost is all right."

  "Ghost?" Leah asked.

  "That's Ham," Regan replied, in concentrated business mode, "I'll tell you about it one day."

  "Good enough for me." So I'll still be around one day! Leah settled back into her chair.

  Already, from their dizzying vantage point they could see the ADF gently approaching the tumbling vessel.

  It was a dance. The ADF smoothly approached the Russian shuttle adjusting its own spin so exactly; frankly there was nothing to see. This didn't stop Ham describing in painful detail every action until Regan intervened.

  "For god's sake Ham just do it will you!"

  This seemed to speed up the proceedings leaving both Rod and Leah wondering whether Ham could have completed it in half the time without an audience. Regan certainly thought so.

  Soon the ADF was exactly synchronized and gently touched the Shuttle wing. For a moment they spun together in close embrace. Then they could see with each burst of the shuttle maneuvering thruster, the spin seemed less and less. What the ADF was doing they didn't know and didn't ask. Their eyes were fixed on the shuttle, wondering.

  When finally the two were suspended, locked as if magnetized together, there was a collective intake of breathe in the control room. Suspension of belief had sustained them to this point. Now reality set in.

  Regan spoke first. "What are we going to find."

  "My moneys on chunky bits." Ham wasted no time with his opinion.

  Regan ignored him. "Well, let's get this show on the road. I guess we drift in there now, what, rearward? And see if we can link up with their airlock. How exactly are we going to do that Ham?" For the first time she sounded doubtful.

  "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve oh you of little faith. We'll be on our way just as soon as I have the cameras in place."

  "Camera's!" All three spoke at once.

  "Well of course, this is fantastic PR. I've been live feeding everything from the beginning, with an expert commentary. Get with the program people; we're rescuing Russians, in space!"

  "I'm not sure that was a good idea Ham. They wanted to keep this under wraps."

  "Under wraps? What bullshit. This is great viewing, and there may be chunky bits! This is going live around the world. Numbers are picking up even as we speak. There are over seven million in Russia alone watching. Hold on, I've got the drone in place, have a look at this!"

  Suddenly their view was of the opposite side of the shuttle with only the wide starscape visible beyond. The little ADF could be seen propping up the near wing, and then suddenly the shape of the interceptor appeared from the other side rising majestically, serenely, THE STEIN TRAVELLER emblazoned on the side. The interceptor began a slow turn to face the camera and Regan laughed out loud. It had a front screen through which could be clearly seen, herself and Major's Harmon and Morgan.

  She dropped her face into her hands and muttered, "Oh . . . my . . . god!"

  "Don't worry," said Ham, "I can edit that bit."

  The shuttle drew nearer in the viewer and Regan realized their guests would have little idea of what was happening. "Guy's, it's not obvious from here because the view hasn't changed for you but we're actually coming in backwards, am I right Ham?"

  "Correct." He subbed again [I'm going to extend a field bubble between us. It won't be quite as stable in a tube form but it should hold up fine . . . almost certainly. Regan, do you want them to know about this?]

  [Shit Ham, even I didn't know about this. I guess we could almost certainly disguise it . . . knowing your incredible ability!]

  [Good idea . . . I'll make it black so they can't see the stars. But remember, you'll still have to float across. No Grav plates, sorry]

  [Float! I've never floated before; can't you just guide me or something?]

  [What, with a poke on the bum? Look, just push off and float over there. Worst case scenario you'll just bounce off the field and look like a right doofus]

  Not for the first time Regan realized her 'glazed' look drew attention.

  "Are you Ok Regan?" Leah shook her arm.

  "You took the words right out of my mouth, are you sure you don't want me to do this?" Rod stepped toward the door.

  "No!" Regan stepped in front of him. "I was just planning my approach."

  "Now this is interesting." Ham interrupted, "I now have wireless contact. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with their systems, and I register one life form. It's not moving. I can open their hatch from here."

  "If the . . ." she hesitated.

  [Connection tube!]

  ". . . Connection tube is up, open the doors Ham." Regan positioned herself.

  A woosh and the doors opened to reveal a black pipe stretching out to the hatch of the shuttle. The only light came from the Interceptor so the path across looked eerily dim.

  [Just stand at the doorway and with arms on either side push off for the shuttle. Try to do it evenly. I'll open the door of the shuttle before you get there]

  [Oh joy!]

  Regan reached outside the Interceptor and gripped the sides of the door opening she could feel. Trying to make as smooth an action as possible she pulled herself through into weightlessness, continuing the push to propel herself toward the shuttle. It worked next to perfectly with only a slight spin taking her off vertical. In front of her the door ratcheted open. Standing there in full space suit they could see a figure, with a weapon, pointing her way.

  [Oh shit] Regan was still sailing forward, now in a star shape and out of control. Whether or not it was the man's original intention to shoot the sight site of a body flying toward him clearly decided the matter and he did fire, wildly, three times. Two of the shots proved superfluous as the first proved enough to break up the field which snapped back to the interceptor door. Both Regan and the Cosmonaut were sucked instantly into the void.

  Rod and Leah both stood at the door, now looking into vacuum only half a meter away. "Fuck Ham . . . what happened?" Rod pressed up close to the field, trying to look either side. There was no sign of
either Regan or the attacker.

  "Well, clearly I need to work on the integrity of the . . . Ahem! Tube. What sort of an idiot brings a gun into space!" Ham sounded offended more than anything. The doors slid shut.

  "Ham . . . Regan! Is she ok?" Leah was frantic. "Shit . . . shit!"

  "I'm onto it, give me a moment." He shut the doors.

  [Babe . . . don't try to breathe] Ham calmly subbed to Regan.

  [Don't breathe! Are you kidding . . . I'm blind, I can't see anything . . . and I can't breathe!]

  [That's because you're trying too hard. Relax, take a slow breath and you'll be able to take it out of the fabric. It'll cover you for about fifteen minutes. You can't see at the moment because there's nothing to see inside your head cover. I'd pop you right back in here but you said not to so I'm drawing up to you and the doors should be there right . . . about . . . now]

  Behind them the doors opened with Rod and Leah turning just in time to catch the black masked ninja falling through the opening.

  "Fuck me!" Rod muttered as they lowered her to the floor, the top of the suit shrinking back into the Chinese collar it was before.

  "Maybe later," Regan replied gasping, "Where is that plonker?"

  "He's there." said Ham.

  They turned to the screen, the Cosmonaut suspended there in space looking at the Interceptor. Incredibly, he still held the gun. He pointed it at what he perceived to be the screen.

  "What a git! He's not going to fire it surely?" Regan still sitting on the floor couldn't believe it.

  Then he lifted the barrel to his helmet and fired.

  The atmosphere in the Interceptor was subdued as they headed for home.

  "Do we count that as a success?" Regan asked no one in particular.

  "We're alive." Rod was quick to point out.

  "What about that moon team?" Leah asked.

  "That's a damn good point Leah . . . Ham? Where are they?"