Chapter Sixteen: Coming in hot!
Magnus E. Teach, is no braver than the average human being, but it irritates him to no end when a few jackasses try to ruin things for everyone else. And, this idiot or idiots that he’s closing with, is about to ruin what has taken more than 50-years to make happen. Not to mention the lives that are at risk. His rage builds exponentially, as he joins the unfolding conflict. He’s coming in hot, noticing he must start to slow, or overshoot the target.
On SPS Charlie, Conrad remains focused on smashing into the space station; and little else. He never turns on the ships radio, so he’s oblivious to any external forces that may be forming to stop him. The tiny amount of fuel for the main engines has run dry, so now it’s all up to the aft thrusters and his ability to keep the large spacecraft on track. He notices the station has doubled in size since he left the graveyard, so it won’t be long, he calculates.
In operations, Nyla fears for the life of Magnus Teach. She knows he’ll need assistance after he does whatever he has planned for stopping or minimizing Conrad’s insane actions. She gets the attention of Myles Nolan. “Yes Nyla? Any ideas?” He asks, desperately.
“Well, yes and no; But I need a ship Myles” She responds firmly. “Whatever you have available. I don’t know what Magnus has planned, but it’s going to happen quickly. If he survives he’ll need all the help he can get. He’s risking his life in exchange for a chance at saving ours, so we owe him the same favor in return.” She practically begs.... something she’s never before had to do. Her efforts, melt Myles’s frightened heart.
“Okay young lady. What’s one more breach of protocol on such a fine day as this?” He jokes shakily, calling Amy over. “Amy, these two need an expedited escort to the hanger bay. I can’t order you to help, but I’m asking you.... please help!” He also, practically begs, but it’s not necessary, because she’s more than happy to assist. Anything is better than standing around waiting for the icy touch of the Grim Reaper. They head off to the hanger bay at a full run. Leaving behind a group of androids and humans, that continue to search for a solution to the threat that comes out of the darkness. There’s little they can actually do, except hope Magnus has success.
Conrad fine-tunes the ships deadly trajectory. Not an easy task, because Charlie has a substantial amount of mass, locked onto its side, which disrupts the delicate balance. Having failed to remove the small ship that brought him from the station, it’s now causing instability issues. However, he’s not a novice when it comes to maneuvering in space, so with grim determination he keeps control over the path of his deadly attack.
Suddenly, a brilliant light illuminates the compartment from behind. Turning his bulky space suit, he notices a ruby-red beam of energy cutting a path of destruction just ten feet behind him. There’s little air in the compartment, but enough for the beam to become visible. Clouds of molecular debris reflects light, blindingly in all directions. Squinting, he looks to the monitor and sees that a security-satellite is shadowing his ship, trying to cut him to pieces. Ahead, the station grows large! Anxiety.... off the chart!
The attack on his plan, abruptly stops, as the limited energy-supply in the satellite, falls below the minimum required output. It’s a onetime shot, that cut a thin path of destruction through his ship, but failed to hit anything meaningful. The immediate difficulty for Conrad, is that 20 seats were cut loose, and are now floating about the place. Like giant metallic flies, they try to ruin his picnic! He swats maniacally at any who dare to float his way. One gets through his defenses, bumping hard into his injured head. The pain sends him into orbit! His mind seethes with dark anger, as he thinks only of those mechanical demons, who will soon pay!
Magnus, sees that his target is rapidly closing with the station, as the immensity of the red planet looms in the background. A chill goes down his spine as he calculates it will certainly impact the station, if it remains on its current path. Reaching up to a guarded-panel, he opens the cover, revealing controls for an ancient system that was used during decades past, for capturing and taming, unruly asteroids. When he first purchased the vessel, this harpoon-drilling system wasn’t operational, but he had it restored to showroom glory. He figured that to have a ship like this, and not have all the systems operational, was tantamount to nostalgic disrespect.
However, he had only used the system a few times for fun, and it had been a while since his last go with it. He flips a switch on the panel, a targeting-screen appears on the ships main monitor. Targeting lasers find their mark. Crosshairs appear over the vessel that’s encroaching rapidly on the space station. Magnus, gingerly tweaks the thruster joystick, assisting with keeping the now large target in the crosshairs.
The Cape Fear, closes rapidly with the renegade spacecraft.... Targeting system, working like a charm. However, Magnus notices that he’s closing with the other ship to rapidly. Activating the forward thrusters, he feels his body pressing into the restraint system. Slowing just enough, he’s still on track for a ramming-action if necessary, but that’s the last thing on his mind just then. As time is running out, he comes within striking distance. With his improvised weapon-system leading SPS Charlie just the right amount, he reaches to the firing button.
“Okay, you son of a bitch, let’s see how you like my little friend!” He yells gutturally, pushing the firing button. With an audible thud, and heavy vibration, a 1,000-pound, 30-foot-long drilling-projectile is magnetically ejected from a tube located on the forward part of the Cape Fear. A solid-fuel rocket motor within the device ignites, quickly accelerating the harpoon to an incredible velocity, as it speeds towards its intended target.
Trailing behind the harpoon, a 1,500-foot-long-tether is connected to the mining ship. With his psyche in the grip of animalistic emotion, Magnus bellows a guttural exclamation he didn’t know he had in him! Noticing that the harpoon is on track, his heart waits for the impact. With a massive amount of force, the device slams into and penetrates Charlie’s hull, right next to the tiny maintenance vessel attached to the side.
Inside Charlie, Conrad jumps from the shock that rattles his vessel to its very core. The harpoon enters the flight compartment just behind him, setting the chairs in motion once again. It deploys a set of wicked barbs, that prevents it from being easily extracted. As the harpoon hits home, Magnus activates the necessary thrusters that will push his ship into a hyperbolic arc around Charlie. The maneuver seems to be working, as the Cape Fear swings wide of impacting the other ship. When the slack is taken out of the tether, both men experience a change of inertia that rattles their bones like they have never been rattled before!
On the Cape Fear, Magnus’s medical chamber, which cost more than the entire ship, breaks loose from its mountings and smashes into a million pieces, as it bounces violently inside its tiny compartment. Reverberating its anger, as it releases the heavy inertia stored within its bulky mass. Onboard Charlie, Conrad is once again attacked by a swarm of metallic flies. He curses venomously at those mechanical bulldozers, before nearly being knocked unconscious by the edge of the navigation console during the violent intervention.
Both spacecraft are similar in mass, so when the Cape Fear pulls on the tether that’s connecting the ships, Charlie is violently jerked onto a slightly different trajectory. The now joined-at-the-hips spacecraft’s, enter into a dance of death, as they begin to circle the new center of gravity that’s developed between their masses. Magnus’s world spins, as he tries to judge just which thrusters are the best ones for pulling the other ship clear of the station. The effort is pointless, as the two vessels are now out of control, but still moving towards the space station. If he doesn’t do something quickly, both ships will impact the station and he’ll actually be aiding and abetting Conrad’s murderous plan. Inside both ships, each man makes a desperate decision, initiating thrusters on one side of their respective vessel in hopes of moving into a more favorable trajectory.
The ancient mining harpoon holds firm, as both ships dance
around each other on a path that still seems to be holding true towards Conrad’s helpless target. There’s now only 200-yards separating the station from the dancing duo, when Magnus notices his ship is starting to stabilize. Slowly, it pulls away from a direct impact. As the Cape Fear moves away, the harpoon tether pulls violently on the other vessel, causing it to veer away from the most populated part of the station. Conrad also notices, cursing like he’s never cursed before. Blasphemous words and phrases, flowing from his mouth, would make Satan blush, if he had to repeat them!
In operations, the view ports have rotated to a position where the humans and androids watch in horror, as the tangled spacecraft’s approach in a frenzied dance of impending doom. Amy has successfully escorted Nyla and Wil to the hanger deck, where they float towards the airlock leading to their transport vessel. Loud alarms, echo throughout the large compartment. There’s no time for donning space suits, but they each grab one anyway and move towards the airlock. On their way, they see a group of technicians in the distant part of the hanger bay that are busily securing everything down that might become a missile hazard in the event of the unthinkable. With events unfolding so rapidly, none of the station personnel outside of operations, knows the particulars of the emergency. They can only hunker-down, and hope for the best!
The monitor in front of Magnus, is completely full of oncoming space station, as the out of control duo streak past the edge of the gravity section. Terrified people gaze out from many tiny portals. They flinch hard, as the Grim Reaper desperately reaches for them, but narrowly misses their compartments. Nothing seems real to Magnus, as his equilibrium is turned inside out from the chaotic spinning, and heavy combination of forces working against him. He notices that one or even both of the ships are still going to make impact, but with everything happening so fast, he can’t get a grip on how serious it’s actually going to be.
As Amy and her android friends, reach the first of the double airlock systems, a terrible crash and vibration grips the hanger-deck. The hub of the space station is torn open at the opposite end of the hanger from where they’re located. Outside in space, Charlie has torn into the structure in a glancing blow. Inside both vessels, the pilots are violently knocked unconscious from such a vicious jolt. The impact causes a 10 by 20-foot-section of pressurized hull to tear loose from the surrounding structure.
At the same time, the Cape Fear has swung violently on an arc, causing it to pull on the other ship in a fashion that takes them both away from the station. Now, it seems the next impact, will be on the red planet below. Magnus’s efforts have saved the station from what would have been a much worse disaster, but now his life is in imminent danger. Both ships continue their dance of death, as the space station vibrates like a tuning-fork throughout every molecule of its structure.
Inside of the hanger bay, air pressure drops precipitously, as the three would-be rescuers fight for their own lives. Amy frantically inputs commands into the airlock panel, as Nyla and Wil fight against the heavy volume of air, that the vacuum of space is claiming for its own. Wil, holds tightly to the edge of the airlock frame, as his feet are pulled off the deck and his body is pulled towards the rent in the structure. Two, of the three space suits they had with them, are let loose and pulled into the vortex of escaping air molecules.
Nyla, who’s already inside the first airlock with Amy, has protection from the onslaught of suction, but she quickly realizes that her shipmate is in dire straits. She reaches desperately, grabbing Wil by one of his arms holding for dear life. Pulling harder than she has ever pulled before, she’s able to slowly bring him into the compartment and close the spiral hatch.
Now inside the first airlock, the three astronauts try to gain composure as the station continues to vibrate from the impact. Amy’s breathing has become labored with such a thin oxygen level, but she soon has the hatch to the transports airlock open, and air pressure quickly returns to normal. However, she’s still gasping like a fish out of water, nearly unconscious as Nyla guides her into the transports airlock. After gaining entry into the small spacecraft, she helps Amy into a passenger seat and straps her in. Meanwhile, Wil closes the transports hatch and makes a beeline for the flight deck where he floats into the left seat, secures his harness and turns on electrical power.
In operations, people have been knocked off their feet .... As they regain balance and help each other up, Myles begins a frantic review of all the airtight compartments on the station. It doesn’t take him long to notice that there’s only one depressurization alarm going off, and its coming from the hanger bay. At the same time that he’s thanking his lucky stars that the station has avoided a much larger disaster, he fears for the safety of Amy and her two android companions. But he’s soon relieved of this anxiety, as he hears Wil’s voice over a speaker at Zyrian’s communications console.
“Operations, this is Wil calling from the transport docked at airlock 23; do you copy?”
“Wil, this is Zyrian! Thank God you’re okay!” She exclaims. “Whenever you’re ready for departure just let me know and I’ll release the clamps; over.” She instructs, tremblingly.
“Copy that Zyrian, thanks. Give me a moment to familiarize myself with this vessel.” He responds. Then, after quickly analyzing the different systems, he gets a feeling of familiarity. It helps that he had already been in the ship once before, but not as pilot in command. However, all spacecraft of the day are basically of the same layout, with just small variations in design and ergonomics. He soon becomes confident that he understands the operation of his new spaceship, and is ready to go find Magnus.
“Zyrian, I’m ready to go; please release the clamps.” He informs, and soon feels the transport shutter as it floats freely next to the docking hatch.
“That should do it.” Zyrian announces, adding. “Good luck out there! Please be careful!” She fights tears.
“Thanks, Zyrian. We’ll be as careful as technology allows.” Wil responds bravely, as he activates thrusters, backing the transport into open space. Once the transport faces away from the station, he powers up radar system, and goes after the tangled mess that has their friend within its grip. Nyla floats into the flight deck after making sure that Amy is safe and secured, with a portable oxygen bottle and mast. Nyla, buckles into the first officers seat, starting to familiarize herself with the many systems in front of her.
“Welcome to the party, Nyla. And thanks for saving my life back there!” Wil exclaims with a wide smile, adding. “Is our friend Amy going to survive?”
“She’s going to survive, provided we don’t kill her with this rescue attempt. Also, it was my extreme pleasure to assist you back there. Think nothing more of it.” She responds heroically.
“Well, let’s just hope for the best. We owe Magnus, big time. He just saved countless lives, and perhaps the entire mission.” Wil responds with optimism, as he maneuvers the transport around the end of the hub so as to line up with the dancing-duo that are slowly tumbling toward the Martian planet.
“Oh, of course we owe him, Wil. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m just worried for Amy.” Nyla responds, and clarifies. “I was hoping to leave her behind in the hanger, before all hell broke loose there.” It didn’t sit well with her that they are now endangering another life.
As the transport rounds the end of the hub, the pilots see about a dozen bodies floating away from the impact site on the station. Undoubtedly, they’re the maintenance technicians they saw when moving through the hanger bay, they both think silently. However, there’s nothing that can be done for them now. Their bodies will have to be retrieved at a later time, if they don’t burn up first....
Wil sees the tangled duet up ahead, reflecting sunlight as they tumble in the distance. He checks the fuel load, noticing there’s a full complement. The distance between them and Magnus is too great for them to catch up by use of thrusters alone, so he lines up as best he can, yelling. “Hold on ladies, I’m lighting this roman-candle!” Activating the mai
n engine, all three are pushed into their seats with authority, as they quickly catch up to the dire situation. Nyla gets on the radio, calling Magnus. It takes several calls, before he regains consciousness.
“Nyla? .... Is that you?” He asks, bewilderingly. “Where are you?” His head still spinning from the rough and tumble.
“Hello Magnus! You sure have good timing my friend!” Nyla exclaims. “Wil and I are behind you in a transport. We’re closing with you fast. Do you have enough juice left in the thrusters to stabilize? Your ship is still tangled with the other one, and it’s rotating chaotically.” As Nyla gets a better picture of what’s happening up ahead, she notices that Conrad’s ship is one of those that had brought them to Mars. And after more moments, she and Wil can see registration markings on the side of the offending craft. They quickly realize, that it’s none other than SPS Charlie. The very spacecraft that had brought them from Earth.
“I don’t have much left in any system, young lady!” Magnus exclaims with a laugh. “But I’ll try to try!” He quips.... keeping his chin up.
Onboard the Fear, Magnus attempts to get a feel of how she’s moving. Being tangled with Charlie, creates unpredictable jerky movements. It’s nearly impossible to calculate the best time to use the thrusters, so he simply discharges them chaotically, in hopes to shake loose. After several desperate discharges, the thrusters are dead.
“Did that help, Nyla?” He inquires, with hope. He notices, even though his equilibrium is messed up, that the planet is not moving past his monitor as fast as before.
“Yes, that did help, but is that all you’ve got?” She knows, that with the Cape Fear tangled with Charlie, even a healthy thruster system might be too taxed for any real usefulness. As Wil closes the distance, the red planet threateningly grows larger. Surface details becoming more pronounced, as they descend into the abyss.
“That’s all she has left, Nyla. Now, don’t you go and do anything stupid just for me! I knew the action I took would probably end badly, so please, just let it play out. I only hope that I made a difference back there.” He says, in selfless heroic fashion.
Wil, breaks into the conversation. “Hi Magnus! This is Wilber Sohn! Thanks for showing up when you did! You made a HUGE difference my friend! Thanks to you, hundreds of lives have been saved! But, we aren’t about to give up on you, so just relax and take some deep breaths.” He tries to calm Magnus, while forming a solution in his mind. He notices the planet is getting larger, and will soon swallow them up. Time is running out. Estimating the tangled ships are rotating at the edge of his transports maneuvering capability, he worries more about becoming tangled with them. But, without fear, he moves in closer using some expertly executed thruster discharges. Slowly, the transport begins a corkscrew maneuver that will eventually match the relative motion of the Cape Fear.
Soon, Magnus notices that the transport is no longer spinning past on his monitor like the planet below. But has instead stabilized next to his own ship. He can’t believe his eye’s, knowing in his heart that only a highly skilled computer, could possible make such fine-tuned calculations and movements. He gains a modicum of hope, as his time seems to be running out.
Even Nyla’s impressed with the way that Wil closed with the Cape Fear in such an exacting fashion. “You are definitely going to have to teach me that maneuver, Wil! But, will you be able to dock with him?” She asks, hopefully.
“I will if you help me, eagle eye. Now, I need you to read out the numbers, while I keep an eye on the docking alignments. This has to be a completely manual attempt, so let’s stay focused and get our friend out of that spinning tin-can, before Mars has us all for a hot-lunch.” He jokes in the face of death, as he constantly tweaks the thruster controls, this way and that.
Nyla keeps her captain informed, as he deftly closes the gap with the Cape Fear. “Four-feet .... three .... easy now Wil .... two .... one.” A loud clank and vibration speak of the joining. Now, the Cape Fear and transport are joined at the hip, in what could be a final embrace for both!
As the group of tangled ships slowly tumble, sinking ever closer to the thin Martian atmosphere, another voice is heard coming from the void. The jolt of docking brought the monster back to consciousness, and he has a question. “Hey, are you guys going to rescue me too?” Conrad asks desperately, his feeble voice trembling wildly.... Wil, was hoping to not hear anyone from the other ship, but now that he did, his circuits glow red, anger making a rare appearance. “We would, if you were worth saving!” He yells, causing others on the frequency to cringe from the scathing tone. For an android to raise voice in such fashion, speaks volumes about the boiling emotions flowing from hot circuits. “Enjoy what remains of your miserable life, you piece of shit!” He throws in for good measure, even surprising himself. He had never used such language before. Times are a changing, he thinks dreadfully, trying to calm his circuits. As for Dylan Conrad, saving him is quite impossible anyway, as the pathetic fool had blocked his only exit from Charlie, with the maintenance vessel.
Nyla reports a good lock with the Cape Fear. She releases her restraints, floating off on the arduous ordeal of making her way to the airlock. With the ship rotating through space, there are many forces working against her having a smooth journey. Wil calls out after her. “Now don’t dilly-dally young lady, the hull temperature is rising.”
“Aye Aye, Captain Sohn!” She acknowledges with a salute. Moving through the cabin area, she notices that Amy is looking much better, now that she has plenty of air. Although, the rough and tumble chase through space, and the locking up with the Cape Fear, has left her looking a little green behind the gills.
Outside, the jumble of spacecraft rotates around each other, as their shallow rate of descent takes them ever closer to the point of no return. The harpoon cable is constantly trying to tangle with Wil’s machine, and tiny streamers of hot ionized plasma have begun forming along the more exposed portions of the ships delicate metal. None of these vessels were designed for atmospheric entry, and they are rapidly approaching a ravenous gravitational event-horizon.
Inside the Cape Fear, Magnus is also on his way to the airlock. He’s having the same difficulties as Nyla, as he claws his way with great determination. On the way through the cabin, he somberly says goodbye to an old friend. He had been flying ‘The Fear’ as he often referred to her, for almost 10-years, and had some fond memories. She was a good ship, and he’ll miss her immensely. Upon reaching the airlock, he quickly enters the codes needed for operating the system. The inner hatch opens, he floats inside, closing the hatch. Now, the wait for instructions.
Nyla mirror’s Magnus’s actions, except for when she enters her airlock, she immediately activates the chambers air-pumps and evacuates the air as if she is going on EVA. She hopes that Magnus does not do the same.
“Magnus, use an override code if you have one. We don’t have much time.” She instructs over the radio, as she enters her own override code that she witnessed Amy use earlier. The inner hatch of the transport, spirals open invitingly wide.
She floats at the side of the Fears outer hatch, using the door frame for support against the heavy energies of the rotating ships. She doesn’t have to wait more than a few seconds. With a rush of air, the outer hatch of the Fear opens rapidly, launching Magnus past, as the differential pressure pushes him in. He sails past Nyla, flailing comically, hitting the opposite wall with bruising force. Nyla, quickly closes the hatch, radios Wil. “Okay big boy; I’ve got Magnus; let’s get the hell out of here! It’s starting to get hot!” She transmits excitedly, as the airlock temperature is rising rapidly, and a weird burnt-metal smell, oozes from the bulkheads.
“Copy that, Nyla. Good job.” He answers, while trying to estimate the right time to disengage the magnetic docking-clamps in a way that will assist their exit trajectory. After a few moments of watching Mars go past the monitor, he achieves a rhythmic cadence of where the red planet is in relationship to the transport. He uses his best-guess technol
ogy for releasing at just the right moment, so as to throw them away from danger instead of into it. He disengages the locking clamps. There’s an ugly grinding of tearing metal, as their transport rips away from the Cape Fear at an angle that scrapes both ships together, before true separation.
The Grim Reaper, clings to the wad of tangled ships, tasting the victims he seeks. Using the harpoon cable as a weapon, he reaches out one final time for the transport. Barely missing the catch. Desperate now, the disappointed entity reaches into the heart of the one victim that can’t get away. Conrad feels the dreaded grip of death in his chest, as he spins towards a fiery impact.
Inside the airlock, Nyla and Magnus are tossed about like rag dolls. She tries desperately to not crush poor Magnus after all the work of rescuing him. Although, he is a big man, and must weigh about 250-pounds. So, in a way, they’re almost evenly matched. At one point during the rough and tumble, Magnus gets a solid grip around Nyla’s mid-section and found that he still couldn’t control her impressive weight.
On the flight deck, Wil allows the computers to synchronize the firing of the thrusters. The only real problem now, is that mars has them in her voracious gravitational grip. She isn’t going to let go easily. In fact, she’s now in the process of scorching the other two ships into molten slag, as their orbit decays rapidly into the thin upper atmosphere at nearly 20,000-mph.
Wil, hopes Nyla will be there with him on the flight deck, when and if the Reaper makes another appearance. He’s never been so close to death as he is right now, and he doesn’t like the feeling one bit. The outer hull temperature is beyond what the indication is calibrated to register. It’s certainly beyond structural design limitations. The ships warranty, voided to the max.
Suddenly, a call from Nyla. “I’m on my way, Wil!” She yells frantically, floating through the cabin as fast as she can. However, she didn’t make it on the first attempt....
With no time to waste after the computers have stabilized their flight, Wil fires the main engine, hoping for the best. He hears Nyla’s frantic scream in the passenger cabin, as the force of heavy acceleration causes the aft cabin bulkhead to catch up to her with punishing speed. She now has to start her journey all over again. Desperately crawling from seat assembly to seat assembly, she claws her way, tooth and nail, against the heavy force of acceleration.
Magnus, makes it as far as the seat next to Amy and decides that he had died and gone to heaven. So, he settles in next to the pretty lady, buckling-up for the hot bumpy ride. Amy reaches, takes his hand and holds on tight, thanking him for his brave rescue of the station.
Nyla gains entry to the flight deck, strapping herself back into the first officers seat. The monitors show thick streamers of hot plasma, flowing from the melting hull. Smoke is starting to become more than just an odor, and she begins to fear that the worst is near. She looks to the instrumentation, noticing their trajectory is slowly changing to a more favorable angle, but they’re still approaching the point of no return. She knows they’re not out of the woods yet. Looking to Wil, she sees an expression of concern and concentration, that she’s never before witnessed.
After moments of studying the flight data, he looks over sadly. “I am so sorry that I got you into this mess, Nyla. We’re in real trouble here, and it’s now up to the ship to pull us out .... or not.” He reaches across the center console, taking her hand. The next thirty seconds will tell if they’re going to make it, or join the mass of molten metal, that’s well on its way to creating a black smoking hole in the desolate Martian landscape.
“Now don’t you go and blame yourself, Wil.” She scolds. “You know very well, that I would have tried the rescue too, if I were captain. In fact, I suggested the rescue attempt in the first place. It’s me that should be apologizing. So, let’s never bring that up again.” Squeezing his hand, she offers a smile that speaks volumes.
On the flight displays, they see that the main engine is drinking fuel at a prodigious rate, and pushing their transport as hard as it can. G-forces, push hard on their bodies. Outside, the leading edges of the hull, are glowing white hot. Pieces of the ship begin separating, as the vessel’s angle-of-attack skims along, just above the event horizon. Similar to a skipping stone on surface of a pond, their transport skims the atmosphere on the very edge of destruction. However, after another 10-seconds, it’s becoming noticeable that their flaming transport is making headway against the Martian gravity, as the main engine pushes them ever closer to escape velocity.
With agonizing slowness, hope builds within the two astronauts. They just might cheat death on this one. “Nyla, our angle of attack is improving!” Wil points energetically. “We’re gaining altitude! And the outer-hull temp seems to be dropping!” He was just guessing on that last statement, because the temperature sensors had already melted from the outer hull. However, the feeling inside the flight deck, told him that they’re entering back into the frozen embrace of space, once again.
Flying on partial instrumentation only, they can’t see outside the ship. Along with the temperature sensors, the video system was also melted into useless slag on the outer hull. The pressure vessel that protected them, has maintained sufficient integrity during the violent event; but just barely.
Like an expertly thrown stone that’s skipped off the surface of a pond, the crispy transport makes its way into the frozen void; it’s fuel nearly depleted. However, now it’s flying blind. Without any guidance, it shoots out of the thin Martian atmosphere like a missile, and into space on the far side of the planet from where their harrowing journey began. They were able to save themselves from a fiery death, but any further action will depend on help from external sources. The transport is now just an unguided derelict, with enough air pressure to keep the human occupants alive for several more hours only. The androids.... will simply freeze to death!
Far below them on the Martian surface, an ugly black trail of smoke and fire, emerges from the heavens, as a huge ball of flaming metal streaks towards its final destination. Inside the molten blob, Conrad gives up the ghost, and the Grim Reaper delivers his hate-filled soul into the deepest recesses of hell. With an extremely violent impact, the ball of melted wreckage slams into the lonely Martian surface. The force of impact is so incredible, it can be seen from space. Mars rings like a bell, registering the violence on all planetary seismographs. But nobody notices the collision into some of the loneliest and most desolate real estate in the solar system. The impact covers its own grave, as a nearby crater wall collapses and buries the entire mess at Martian coordinates: 11°06’19.35” S 136°19’11.30” E. It will remain Dylan Conrad’s final resting spot, for the remainder of all eternity .... and a day.
As Wil tries to figure out a way to communicate with orbital authorities, Magnus and Amy approach the flight deck, hovering just behind the two androids. “Hey you two make a pretty good rescue team.” Magnus, announces his presence behind the two pilots. “For a while there, I wouldn’t have bet a buffalo nickel on my chances. Thank you!” He says genuinely, before noticing that Nyla is unresponsively floating in her harness with her eyes closed, as if peacefully sleeping. “Uh .... hey Wil,” Magnus points at the lovely android, “what’s up with Nyla?”
Wil had been so busy flying the ship, he hadn’t noticed that his partner had become quiet. And for her, that’s something he should have noticed. He looks, seeing her floating listlessly in her harness with a peaceful and serene look on her lovely, dark face. “Oh yes, well .... she seems to have gotten a little over stimulated. Sometimes that causes her to disconnect for a while.” He admits sadly, as he reaches across the center console and lovingly brushes her face.
Not long after that contact, she opens her eyes and looks at her friends as if nothing in the world is wrong. She didn’t remember passing out. It just happened; and then, as if in a time-warp, Magnus and Amy are hovering there looking at her. “Hello everyone.” She says, with a curious look on her freshly animated face. “Did I miss anything?” She
jokes, as it sinks into her circuits that she had just had another event.
Wil gives her his best wink. “No my dear, you didn’t miss anything, but I’m sure glad you could join us once again.” He says, concernedly. He didn’t feel it necessary to divulge any more information about her lapses in consciousness. Instead he quickly introduces himself and Nyla to Magnus, as they had never formally met.
“Hello Magnus! I’m Wil, and this is Nyla.” He introduces. “I only wish we could have met under more enjoyable circumstances.” He says, with a hearty laugh, reaching back to shake Magnus’s hand. “But the ‘thank you’ goes both ways, my friend. Both ways indeed!”
“Why, thanks Wil, and it’s nice to meet you too.” Magnus responds. Turning to Nyla, he continues. “And it’s nice to finally meet you too, Miss Nyla.” Then, he rubs his rib cage and a bump on his head, adding. “I’ve already been introduced to your forehead, elbows, knees, and feet.” The four of them have a great laugh, before getting back to the emergency at hand.
Amy brings them back on track. “Wil, I thought I heard you say that the communication system isn’t working?”
“Yes, Amy. I’m afraid I may have voided the warranties on a lot more equipment than just that, but we sure could use a radio about now.”
“Well, these transports have emergency locator transmitters.” She informs, pointing to a small side panel. “See that sliding panel right there? Just open it and push the button inside. If they lost track of us during that roller coaster ride, they’ll surely re-acquire us after you push that.” She offers hope.
Unbeknownst to the four people in the roasted transport, they’ve entered a no-fly zone, and six autonomous security-platforms are shadowing, trying to communicate before unleashing lethal force. Time is running out, the platforms have little patience, and still no identification is forthcoming from the violator of their territory! They synchronize the data that each had acquired about the violator, arming their lasers. The weaponized platforms are within moments of slicing the unidentified craft to pieces, when Amy’s suggestion to Wil, unwittingly saves their lives. The ELT signal is recognized by the security platforms logic-software, and weapons are powered down. Two of the platforms follow the crippled ship, while the other four, break back to their previous patrol duties.
After what seems like an eternity, the four trapped heroes feel a strong bump, and hear a loud clank, as if another ship has latched onto their vessel. They float towards the airlock, surprised to hear metallic knocks on the outer hatch. Amy enters a code into the control panel. The inner hatch spirals open. She floats into the airlock, knocking on the outer hatch with a hand-tool. To her surprise, someone on the other side knocks back. It seems logical to her that there must be another ship docked with them, so she inputs the code for opening the hatch, and looks to her friends.
Magnus speaks first. “Go ahead, young lady. Our lucky stars have shined on us this far.” He encourages with a hardy laugh. Taking a lungful of air, he hopes it’s not the Reaper on the other side of the hatch, luring with false hope....
After seeing unspoken approval in her other shipmates, Amy also holds her breath, closes her eyes and pushes the button. When she’s not pushed into the vacuum of space, she quickly opens her eyes and sees two men looking back at her with great concern.
The younger of the two men speaks first, with more than a little surprise in his voice. “Hey, aren’t you Amy Herschel? I see you sometimes at the station.” He inquires excitedly. He didn’t expect to see such a pretty woman, and is taken aback.
“Yes, I’m she! .... And, am I ever glad to see you!” She exclaims, motioning for her friends to follow. They enter into a twin of the transport they had just toasted.
Amy introduces her friends to the two men, and they in turn introduce themselves. “I’m Tommy Anderson, and this young fellow is Johnny Phillips. My, you folks sure beat up that old transport pretty good. It looks like a charcoal briquette that just had a bad day at the office! And, you’re very lucky to be alive, after that run-in with our security-platforms.” The group of survivors hadn’t even known they were in trouble with security, and the thought of being under the gun, didn’t sit well with any of them.
Johnny cuts in naïvely with his own assessment of the situation. “Yeah, they usually shoot first and ask questions later.” He jokes, but his guests didn’t see the humor, so he moves on seamlessly. “You must be the group we just heard about over the emergency channel. Now, which one of you is responsible for saving the space station?” He inquires expectantly.
Magnus admits his implication in the matter. “That would be me, young man. And if you think OUR SHIP looks toasty, you should see the other guy!” He jokes seriously.
Nyla joins in. “Thanks for the rescue Tommy. You have no idea how I hate being lost in space!” She offers her widest smile, turning her glance and adding extra friendlily. “And thank you too, Johnny ..... We’re lucky you were in the area. May I ask how you found us so soon?”
Tommy replies before the smitten Johnny can put his foot in his mouth again. “Well young lady, you just happened to travel into one of Doctor Sohn’s secret little projects. At least it used to be secret, but it had to come out eventually I guess.” He informs, scratching his head bewilderingly.
Johnny clarifies. “Well, it’s not really so much a secret, as it’s a low-profile project of immense proportions. You see, we’re part of a crew that’s building two support vessels for the missions to Oberon and Titania. If you folks will strap into some seats, we’ll be happy to give you a tour of our little kingdom.”
Nyla and Wil had heard Max talk about these new vessels that are just being started, but they didn’t feel it necessary to announce that they carry his last name. Instead, Myles Nolan does that for them. After Tommy and Johnny enter the flight deck and contact their own operations concerning the derelict they’re about to jettison, a communication comes in from the station.
“Transport 42; this is Myles Nolan; supervisor of operations at the space station; do you copy?”
“Station operations, this is transport 42; we copy; go ahead.”
“I understand that you’ve located our missing people. Are they okay?”
“Oh yes sir, there better than okay Mr. Nolan.” Johnny gladly reports, as he just can’t seem to get Amy or Nyla off his mind. “We just picked them up, and we’re taking them to our own operations out here on the frontier.” He adds, indicating that the missing astronauts, are now located on the opposite side of the planet.
“Oh, thank God their okay!” Myles gushes before getting a grip. “Thanks guys. Don’t be surprised if you see a little extra something in your paychecks this month. Doctor Sohn will hear about how you were the ones who found his kids! .... Oh, wait! We just received a video for two of your passengers .... I’m ready to send, if you’re ready to receive.”
“We’re ready operations, send away.” Johnny says as he adjusts a dial, trying to figure out what Myles meant by his last statement about pay and kids .... After receipt of the video, Johnny transfers it to the large monitor in the passenger cabin, turning up the volume.
“Hello Nyla. Hello Wil.” Max begins the video with a worried expression, and both androids recognize the interior of Bessie, where he’s seated in his recliner. “I’m guessing that if you’re watching this, then you have survived the emergency brought on by that dastardly coward, Dylan Conrad. I’ve just had a meeting with Jenna at the White House, and am halfway back to Belize when a dreadful message comes in from Martian authorities, about an attack happening on the station.” He informs, while wishing he could tell them more about that meeting. “Mr. Nolan informed me that you two had left the station, and went to rescue Mr. Teach.” He relates with distress, pointing to his head. “More white hairs! ..... More white hairs! ..... But somehow, I wasn’t surprised. Besides, Magnus deserves the best, especially after saving the station from disaster. And Magnus, if you’re watching this, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart f
or your brave actions today ..... I’ll keep this short, so please send a video soon.... Chow!”
Onboard the transport, the quad of freshly-rescued astronauts, create a reply video, sending it on its nearly 14-minute journey back to Earth. A very relieved doctor and Shirley watch it over and over again, with tears of joy flowing like rivers....
Tommy and Johnny, can’t believe their ears, as they couldn’t help but listen in on the conversations taking place in the videos. The doctor has been a source of inspiration to almost everyone involved with the Martian industrial complex. And to think they are actually transporting two of his most special androids, comes as a very pleasant shock to them. Up until that point, they didn’t even suspect that Nyla and Wil were machines. The doctor’s robotic engineers had pulled a golden rabbit out of their hats, when they created these works of art that proved yet once again, that android lives matter, in this vast and unforgiving universe.
Breaking Interstellar: Android Lives Matter Page 17
