* * *
“A slivership?” Exclaimed Boron.
“It appears so,” Brinks replied. “The computer spotted it as it came through the jumpgate.”
They were seated at the meeting table in the Control Center along with Ristana. Rice was listening, but was busy, hunched over a console on the outer ring.
Boron’s eyes were wide. “We need to tell Celix and Selarr.” He started to get up.
“No need, Boron. When the comm began working, I called Selarr and told her everything. She and her crew are getting the engine back up.” He stopped. “Where’s Celix? You both left to find Selarr together.”
“We separated, but he went on to find her.”
The captain pushed a button on the table console. “Celix.”
After a moment, Celix answered, “Go ...-head.”
“Celix, there’s a slivership in the system, I need you in the control center, now.”
“I’m...” Static flared up and drowned out his words. “...way.”
He pressed the button again. “Selarr, status.”
“Doc here, Selarr...” Static made the next part indecipherable. “...head-” The connection cut off.
The three at the table exchanged questioning glances. He pressed the button again, “Engineering, status update.”
Static flared up. Smith’s voice could be heard. “...n Brinks.... fire.... engine.... ready.”
“Engineering, please repeat.” Silence.
“Alright, either he said that I can fire up the engine, or there’s a fire preventing them from being ready.” Brinks stood and began walking to the pilot chair.
“Captain,” Rice said, “I have it. The bubble forms every seven hours.”
“Since the analysis of the minefield failed, this might be our only shot. How soon until the next one?”
Rice glanced her screen. “The next one will be in five minutes.”
“Plan B, it is, then.”
Not wasting a moment, Captain Brinks dashed to the pilot’s chair, flipped the start-up switches and hit full acceleration without giving the engine-ready indicators a glance.
The ship shuddered then began moving, gaining speed quickly. Everyone was keenly aware that they were accelerating far beyond the normal rate. Dampened though they were, the G-Forces pressed against them and turned their swivel chairs; Ristana buckled her seatbelt and signaled Boron to do the same.
Using the gravity of the asteroid, Captain Brinks skimmed its surface, orbiting it and arcing the craft around toward the minefield. The ship groaned, stressed beyond a safe amount. Ristana’s eyes darted around the room; she was becoming increasingly uneasy every second. From the first time she’d seen the ship, it had made her uneasy--this was not helping.
The minefield peeked over the horizon and he pulled back on the maneuvering stick. “Rice,” Brinks said, “change the forward display to overlay a marker where the bubble will be.” Gradually the ship rose away from the surface of the asteroid, breaking free from its gravity.
The front display of the upper cupola changed, showing the same view as the glass pane below it, with a red circle overlaid where the bubble would form. A line, like Rice had added to the simulation earlier, showed the trajectory that the bubble would follow. “Match the trajectory’s angle before we enter the bubble.” Rice said.
Mentally, Brinks divided the maneuver into three phases. The ship was pointed directly at the minefield but was too far away from the line marking the trajectory. Beginning phase one, he angled the ship’s trajectory toward the target. He applied the upper bow emitters, rotating the craft down until the aft emitters lined up with the angle of the line. Brinks’ Edge momentum still carried it up toward the target, but it was now ready for phase two.
Everyone was tense, waiting as the ship glided toward the target, silently watching.
Judging the correct moment, when the ship was close enough to the target, Captain Brinks began phase two. Applying the upper aft emitters and the top emitters, the ship slowed and its trajectory altered, closer to matching the line.
Celix burst through the door to the control center and ran down the catwalk. “What’s going on?” The Captain juked to the side slightly to adjust the angle and Celix lost his balance, slamming into the meeting table.
“What happened to Selarr?” Boron asked.
Gasping for air, Celix replied as he crawled into a chair, “She’s...in the...Medical Center.”
“Why is she there?” Ristana asked, concerned.
“I was heading to meet her in the east vallu compartment and she ran into me, literally bounced off of me, banging her head on the metal floor grating.” He took a deep breath, “She was bleeding a lot, so I ran her to Doc, then got the call and ran here.”
“How is she?” Boron asked.
“Doc wasn’t sure yet.”
Captain Brinks began phase three by punching out a quick burst from the top, stopping their lateral momentum and at the same time started one last precise emission from the aft emitters, increasing their parallel momentum, moving them along the line’s trajectory. From there, making final tweaks and matching their speed to the bubble’s speed would be comparatively easy.
“Sorry to break in,” Captain Brinks said, “but we’re in a tight place right now. If the bubble doesn’t form, we won’t be able to turn the ship away in time; our inertia will carry us right into the minefield.” He leaned around the chair to look at them. “We’ll only have one, last-ditch, recourse if that happens; Celix, warm up the heat lasers.”
The Bookkeeper
Anna Karakas