A Butterscotch Sky Ch. 05

Sol 19, Mission Time: 10:22

I awakened to an empty rack, and was surprised. I hadn't intended to sleep in, but I'd forgotten to set an alarm. And, since it wasn't like we had a particular work agenda, Central wasn't keeping us on a schedule.

I showered, dressed, and found Simi and Cedric in the lab, sorting through and reassembling the equipment they were trying to resuscitate.

Simi chuckled. "Sleep well?"

"Hell yeah. How long have you two been up?"

"A couple of hours," he answered. "I wanted to see if any of this equipment is salvageable."

"Also, there's still some minor alarms on the main control computer. I'll need your help determining which ones we care about," Cedric said.

I nodded. "Aly and Irenka?"

"Medical."

I found Irenka and Aly sorting through and storing the medical supplies that were sent, and they had almost completed the task. What followed was even better when a message appeared on my comm which read:

Imolet trajectory tracking from lunar radar is nominal. Arrival sol 81. Array also now tracking inbound ship with radar return consistent with Pleiades Alpha over terminator.

Advise status of base. Also advise disposition of other deceased.

"Oh, great," I groaned.

"What is wrong?"

"Some good news, and some bad news," I said. "The good news is that the rocket bringing our fuel module is on course, and CM is now observing what they believe to be the return trajectory of Pleiades Alpha. The bad is that they're ordering us, without actually saying it, to deal with the first two corpses we observed from orbit."

"Oh," Alyonka responded.

"Yeah."

"Our current task can be delayed," she said, "but the other should not."

The task would require almost four hours.

"Aly, I don't know how you do this," I confessed after we'd deposited the two remaining and solidly frozen bodies alongside their four companions whose suits had already begun to weep adipocere.

"It is because I cannot smell it."

Somehow, I managed to avoid retching in my suit.

"Let's get out of here."

"Da , my bonded," she said, climbing back into the CEV and beginning our return to the base.

I was her promised, and she was mine. My betrothed. My engaged. My fiancée. My future wife . The stirrings I felt in my soul were strengthened.

A number of minutes passed as the CEV maneuvered in silence.

"Unicast, please?" I requested.

After she tapped her wrist, she nodded, and I said, "I adore you, my love. Are you continuing the medical protocol required of commanders?"

"I am not in command now, but yes, I am still taking the suppressors. Why do you ask this?"

"Well … someth⁠—I don't know. Something strange is happening."

"Oh? Tell me," she whispered.

"You are the most incredibly strong, centered, beautiful⁠—yes, beautiful woman in the world to me right now."

Her suited body wracked with the laughter I heard through the comm.

"There are not many women in this world!"

I laughed, too.

"Aly, somehow, I perceive you now, even under the influence of these horrible drugs, as the best part of my life."

She tapped an icon on the CEV's panel, and the vehicle slowed to a stop.

Through her visor, I could see her eyes piercing me.

"My love," she said, "it happened to me at end of Pleiades. Even though I was taking medicine, I was and I am feeling the same. I do not know English words to explain how I feel when I look at you."

"Go on," I prompted.

"You are the man I choose to bond with because you are kind, patient, intelligent⁠—"

"But not handsome?" I interrupted.

"No, Sean," she answered after a few moments. "Not at these moments. I wish you to understand."

Her answer elated me. Her honesty was all I needed.

"Alyonka Yuliya Sabratova, you have echoed my thoughts."

"Sean Donooban Emerson, you are mine, da ?"

Her pronunciation of my middle name tickled me. "Da , my future wife."

"I will say vows when we return to Earth. I promise," she said, offering a hand which I grasped in mine.

"Let us return home as quickly as we can."

Sol 36, Mission Time: 6:30

Aly and I awakened to the alarm I'd set. I read dispatches from CM. Most of their communiques included research busywork to temper the ennui, but not that morning.

Political tension continues to build. N/K is realizing it is backed into a corner. China has levied an embargo.

Speculation as to fate of P6 crew has all but ceased with NK admission of culpability. Leading theory is that Shizuka Ayani was turned by NK intelligence to gather technical and operational details of craft, and lack of control of remaining crew was risk to failure of larger plan.

Approaching craft confirmed Pleiades Alpha. Nearing point of trans-lunar boost. Public is not aware but becoming suspicious of tension due to press blackouts and changes to agendas of Partner Nation leadership.

Engineers have been unable to reestablish datalink with Pleiades. Efforts redoubled. If successful, plan is to modify TLB program and profile for landing at Midway Atoll. If unsuccessful, interceptor to launch and destroy before reaching L2 Legrange.

I couldn't believe what I was reading.

"Aly, does allowing the ship to land at Midway make any sense to you?"

"Midway is an island between Japan and Hawaii?" she asked, reaching for the tablet I held out to her.

"Da . It's actually a pair."

She read silently. She switched to a Russian translation, probably to ensure there was nothing, well, lost in her own translation.

"It must make sense somehow. Those making this choice have more information, and they are not without intelligence. All I can imagine is that it is remote in case of detonation, and it is completely under the jurisdiction of Partner Nations and easy to secure. I am supposing they have every intent of detaining the people aboard the ship after somehow disabling the nuclear device."

"How can they disable it if it is disconnected control systems?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Irenka does."

We met the crew in the common area.

"Irenka," I began, "please indulge a thought exercise."

She chuckled softly. "I haven't had much coffee yet, so do not be disappointed."

"I won't. You are tasked to disable a nuclear device from a safe distance. How could it be done?"

"I do not need coffee for this. I assume you are supposing a device aboard a triplet of our own craft?" she asked, pointing in the direction of Orion Alpha.

"Correct," I answered.

"I need to see schematics on a large display."

"Let's go to command, then," I said.

She followed me, as did the other three, then sat at one of the larger consoles and flipped through some diagrams until one depicting the ship appeared.

"I assume the individuals are prepared to die, but not before assuring their task is complete. This means they must keep primary shielding of device in place but may not care about the secondary. What does that do for its dimensions, Commander?"

"Assume it to be approximately fifty by fifty by one hundred forty centimeters."

"A little larger than a third of a cubic meter," Cedric quickly stated, his mind engaging as he nursed a triple espresso. "What about mass?"

"I don't know with any certainty," I answered. "Heavy, I imagine."

"It would be at least four hundred kilograms," Siemen suggested, "assuming no secondary shielding."

"Then large point-load mass," Irenka continued, "so could only be placed in a portion of the ship with support to manage inertial vectors of five to seven gees. But I do not know the structures."

"Allow me, please," Simi said. Thankfully, it seemed he realized the question was in his area of expertise.

Irenka quickly scuttled out of her seat and Simi took it. "No," he whispered, "No. No⁠—" he said repeatedly as he tabbed through several more schematics of the ship.

"This is going to take me some time. Please do not hover," he said, politely asking the four of us to give him distance.

We returned to the common area to have breakfast. We'd barely finished when we heard him shout, "I think I have an idea!" without the use of the comm. We all hustled back to command.

"This is purely speculation. I do not know the safety margins the aerospace and structural engineers used to design the ship. In constructing buildings, it is often three hundred percent due to uncontrollable variables. But for space vessels and aircraft where mass is much more tightly controlled, I am assuming a margin of one hundred seventy five percent. I color coded from green as most likely to red as possible but not wise."

"This is very good," Irenka said, leaning over Simi with her left hand on his right shoulder. "It is very unlikely the device is to be situated in the command ring where they will be seated for reentry if they are still alive. If I was making the choice, it would be secured to the landing leg gusset plate under crew rest floor."

She traced a line around her prediction on the diagram.

"Seems reasonable," I said. "Then what? How could it be disabled?"

"By firing six-centimeter crosshatch armor-piercing rods throughout the compartment from remotely operated PTR cannons. The purpose is severing conductors leading to initiators and detonators. Though impact shock detonation is possible, it is not likely," she answered confidently.

"What then?"

"A robot or android could deploy a water blade."

"What the hell is a water blade?" I asked.

"A one hundred micrometer jet of water at four hundred megapascals of pressure. It could slice through the hull of the ship and perhaps the core of the device. It would be a challenge to clean up the radioactive mess, but the device would be rendered inert if done successfully. They could also make use of a stun grenade in the command ring … if the shielding is still in place."

"If it is detonated before it can be disarmed?" Alyonka asked.

"Six more humans perish. The island will be unusable for decades if the surface isn't sent below the waterline."

"It will not happen," Simi added. "They will incinerate themselves in transit the moment they realize their mission has failed."

I sighed. "Yeah. I suspect you are correct."

Sol 69, Mission Time: 6:30

What followed was news that Simi was simultaneously correct and incorrect. Technicians determined within hours after the surviving crewmen had been removed from Pleiades Alpha that they had tried to detonate the device's primary explosives. Since the intelligence they'd been provided about how to do so was flawed, they obviously failed to do so.

Two of the six men had committed suicide. Their bodies were well into decomposition. The forensic examiner had little experience in determining when they had taken their own lives due to the significantly different atmosphere aboard the ship versus that on Earth, but posited that it couldn't possibly have been longer than two weeks before the craft landed, or about the time the landing program was immutably altered to land the craft on Eastern Island in the Midway Atoll.

The engineers were able to gain access through a system known to none of us five. It made sense that it'd be kept confidential, since a foe having knowledge of such a system could have proven to be the Achilles heel to any peaceful mission.

The health of the remaining four was questionable. Problems involving malnutrition and dehydration, compounded by the fact they were cooped up with two decaying bodies, undoubtedly led to psychological problems. It was assumed it would be months or longer before they could be made to stand trial.

"How did you come to know such information?" Alyonka asked after I summarized the contents of the private dispatch I'd read.

"It's strange. It was in a private communiqué sent overnight. It wasn't signed."

"Unsigned? That is unusual, da ?"

I nodded. "I can't explain how it was sent without a reply address, unless it was sent by someone pretty high up in the food chain. The news articles, though, came through normal channels."

I assumed she was reading one herself when I observed tears as she focused on her tablet's screen. The corners of her eyes were glinting with moisture.

"Hey," I whispered, nudging her knee. "What's wrong?"

She stood to her feet and embraced me.

"Sean, it is so wrong for everyone to be treated this way. Before we were recalled, I sent a message to my family that I was beginning a relationship with you. I need them to know we are alive."

I held Aly to me, stroking her back.

"They all should have such relief," I said.

"I am wondering if Ayani-san's family has been notified of her death," Aly said as she turned to depart for some scheduled duties.

"That's a great question, and we deserve an answer."

I began typing a priority message to General Gantry asking him specifically that.

In the shortest amount of time allowed by speed-of-light transmission, I received an answer while working in the lab by myself. A chronometer began counting down from thirty as soon as I opened it.

[THIS MESSAGE IS STRICTLY CLASSIFIED] Commander Emerson, that information shall remain compartmentalized for the present time. It is not the decision of Central Mission administration. General Gantry himself is unaware.

"What the⁠—" I muttered because the message, again, wasn't signed.

Fuck the classification , I thought to myself and ran to find Aly in the communications center.

I couldn't show her the message because it had automatically deleted when the timer expired, but I told her the gist of it in whispers directly into her ear. I wasn't convinced we weren't being surveilled by the hab's communication systems.

"Da . Also unusual," she whispered with a puzzled expression.

I wordlessly nodded, then we both resumed our work.

Sol 79, Mission Time: 14:42

Having been at the station, Irenka was the one to first read the priority message from Central.

"Imolet Alpha is ahead of schedule," she advised over the comm. "CNSA's Flight Dynamics division was able to shorten some time."

"Did they advise when and where it is going to touch down?"

"Near node one," she replied. "In approximately twenty standard hours."

"Near ?" I questioned. "Orion Alpha is near node one."

"One moment," she answered.

A minute later, she and Cedric entered the commons where Aly, Simi and I were reviewing experimental data.

"Sir, I am anticipating they will try to land it as safely close as they can to Orion. It would be very difficult to transfer fuel all the distance from node one. In fact, it would probably require utilizing makeshift vessels and transport it to Orion by cargo EV which would be very hazardous."

"Talk about an insane plan," Simi scoffed. Cedric nodded vigorously at his comment.

"In your opinion, Irenka, what would be a safe standoff distance?"

"I would think no closer than three hundred meters."

We sat quietly for several moments.

"Well," I said with a clap of my knees with my palms. "There we have it. This is as black or white as a situation can be. The landing must be completely successful, or we will be in dire circumstances if there's an explosion. It would take at least two years to build and send a replacement ship for our return."

"Let us try to remain hopeful," Aly offered, stroking my shoulder. "I suggest we spend the rest of what daylight we have to ensure everything is as secure at Orion as we can make it before the landing."

"Agreed," I responded. "Let's go."

Sol 80, Mission Time: 09:30

"Touchdown in eleven minutes," Aly advised, watching a display.

Most of us were outside the habitat wondering if we were going to observe a miracle or be witness to a horrific fireball.

"Altitude twenty-four, downrange distance eight kilometers," Aly radioed, monitoring from the command module.

"I see an infrared target," I responded when my HUD camera highlighted the heat signature of the descending spacecraft. I didn't know what to expect or what was considered "normal" for that craft, as I'd never seen one approach first-hand. It only was visible as a small flashing red square on my visor when I looked upward at about sixty degrees above the horizon.

"That is positive contact," Aly replied because she could read the angles measured by the accelerometers and digital gyros in my helmet.

She tracked the craft via radar as I tracked it optically.

"Touchdown in two hundred fifty seconds … mark!" Aly said.

I could hear the absolute anticipation in her voice as I continued to center the red square on my visor. I tapped a control on my wrist to activate normal wavelength and telescopic visual via the camera. I saw it. I saw it!

"Jesus, she's beautiful !" Simi said.

"I hope she stays that way," Cedric agreed.

"Imolet is a masculine noun," Irenka corrected us remotely. She was in the module with Aly.

Cedric chuckled. "Hush, love. We don't care. It is beautiful."

I switched back to infrared tracking, and not a half-minute later, my entire visor washed out.

"What th⁠—" I gasped.

"Oh, wow !" Cedric shouted as we both felt the ground shake subtly.

I switched back to normal visual mode just as the pinprick-appearing craft descended, perfectly vertical, below the visible horizon.

I gritted my teeth in a mix of fear and anticipation. About ten seconds later, the Imolet, or at least a part of it, shot back into view and flew quickly distant and out of sight.

"Status!" I ordered.

"Successful landing and de-stage!" Irenka answered as the three of us entered the airlock and began its pressurization cycle.

As soon as we opened the inner door, we saw Aly and Irenka standing in the anteroom. They both wore unmistakable smiles.

"Well?" I asked as soon as I'd removed my helmet.

"Success," Aly said. "The Imolet has successfully deployed the fuel synthesizer. It is very close. Less than two hundred fifty meters."

"Status of Orion?"

She smiled. "Orion diagnostics are all nominal, as are the initial readings from the synthesizer. The descent stage of Imolet impacted the surface approximately two hundred kilometers away in the southern highlands."

"Outstanding!" Cedric shouted. "So what do we do now?"

"I'm going to take the EV out there to take a look," Irenka said. "Not that I do not trust the data, but⁠—"

"I'll go with you," Cedric said.

"Give me a minute to suit up," Irenka said over her shoulder as she trotted into the anteroom to don her EV suit. Simi trailed to assist them both.

I stood there watching and chuckled.

"What is it?" Aly asked.

"I'm still in command, aren't I?"

Aly simply smiled at me and nodded.

I didn't interfere with Irenka or Cedric because, of course, they were the best-trained to do such an evaluation. I was just a bit humored by the fact they didn't ask me first.

"Yeah, okay ," I said with an elevated voice where they could hear me from the anteroom. "You two should do a visual inspection of the new arrival and make sure⁠—well, make sure it looks like it's supposed to look."

Irenka laughed. "Yes, sir!"

Forty minutes later, she called in.

"We are on our way back to the hab, sir," she advised when I responded to her hail.

"How does it appear?" I asked when they returned.

"It appears to be in perfect shape. But we won't know until we energize its main power supplies."

"Understood. It will take all five of us an entire sol to deploy the solar arrays."

"That is correct, sir," she replied.