War Angel: part sixty-four

2142- The Asteroid Belt

Gina leaned forward over the helm. Sweat dripped from her forehead to the console, blurring some of the numbers, but her head stayed steady. Timing was going to be everything, and this was a moment that required delicacy. A small droplet slid down her nose, tickling her gently, and she gave a quick jerk to fling it away. Her focus recovered, she began to speak; quietly at first, then growing louder. “Twenty seconds to shutdown, Captain… eighteen… fifteen seconds.” Her mouth felt dry. “Approaching shutdown point, Clover! Ten seconds… eight…”

“Steady…” Jack said, standing behind her.

“Five seconds… four… three… two… one… Disengage!”

Richard’s hands flew across his workstation, a flurry of commands input into the War Angel’s computer system. “Tachyon scoop disengaged!”

The ship jerked and shuddered as it slowed down, and the groaning sound of metal eased away. The sensation of speed actually became more acute for the crew, as the adjustments made after their maiden voyage had made the tachyon drive a far smoother ride this time. But a lag remained in how the shields dealt with dropping out of FTL, leaving normal space a bit bumpy for these first few moments.

“I ought to look into that,” Sarah thought as she gripped a railing while waiting for the ride to smooth out.

Jack turned to her. “Positioning?”

Sarah made her way to a nearby workstation and activated the main viewscreen. All eyes on the bridge saw it at the same time: they were moving at a blistering pace past on a parallel course with the asteroid belt. “We’re on a parallel heading, Speed is bleeding away slowly. But we have plenty of space to do it with. By the time we reach a Mars position, we’ll be where we need to be.”

The captain turned to his newest bridge crew member. “Sounder? What do you hear?”

Ben gently moved knobs and tapped in commands, doing his best to regain his focus. “Umm… chatter. All Omegan. No sign of Earth channels.”

“Have they spotted us?”

“If they have, they aren’t saying anything.” Ben stopped for a moment. “Hell of a ride, there, Jack. Hell of a ride.”

Jack smiled. “I’d tell you that you’re lucky you missed the first one, but…” Kate’s head snapped around to look at Jack. “But you aren’t. Staff meetings are mandatory from now on.”

Ben turned back to his station, looking away. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Standing up from his chair, Jack walked slowly to the front of the bridge. “The wonderful thing about space being so large is that, unless you know precisely where to look, it can be damn difficult to find what you’re looking for. Right now, they’re expecting us to arrive at Phobos under full tachyon drive in three hours. There’s no need for them to be looking at the asteroid belt, and even if they did, there are so many rocks with weird properties here that we’d be tough to pick out against the background noise. Sounder’s going to keep listening, but right now we proceed planned. We have our window, let’s make the most of it. Richard, Sarah, to the shuttle. Kate, Gina, you’re in the lab. I’ll be working on the cannon. Dismissed.”

Jack put down the soldering tool he was using and took a drink from his water bottle. What he was doing was tricky, a work of slight-of-hand that he wasn’t sure he could really pull off. The issue, he knew, was simple: too little, and the whole thing was blown before they ever left Martian orbit. They would be outgunned and unable to run. Victory would be possible, but, he conceded, not likely. On the flip side, too much and the entire ship could be wiped out instantly. Game over. He arched an eyebrow. “Then I’d better get this right,” he muttered to only himself.

Really, though, it was more than that. Jack had confidence in Sarah, which enhanced his confidence in Richard. He knew that Kate could pull off what he was asking of her, and that Gina would keep her focused in the lab. “No, Jack,” he thought, “this is about you. You’re betting everything on your little plan. Everyone.”

“What if you are the weak link?” he finally asked himself, giving voice to the fear that was haunting him. “Saturn was luck. It can’t be luck anymore.” He reached into the panel and began tightening every screw he could see, anger swelling in his chest. As he finished, he stepped away and dropped his tool belt to the ground. For a long minute he stared into the mass of wires and circuits, then he lifted the panel cover into place and listened to it click into locked position. Satisfied, he stepped to the side and leaned his head against the wall.

Suddenly, Jack’s anger took over and he delivered a savage punch to the wall in front of him. Not satisfied, he swung again. And again. And again. He heard a howling sound that carried throughout the corridor, the realization that it was his own screaming coming seconds later. Out of breath, his hands tender and raw he stopped. Jack panted and puffed for a moment, taking a quick inventory of himself, and as he wiped away blood from his knuckles, the comm. system chirped. “Captain, this is Sounder, come in.”

“Go ahead.”

Drake’s voice echoed off of the surrounding metal. “EVA activity reports complete and that they are returning now. Lab says they’re – and I quote – ‘as ready as they can be’.”

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before responding. “Very good. Send response for everyone to make their way to the bridge. We’ll convene there in fifteen minutes.”

The channel closed. Jack looked at his hands, and they trembled for a moment. He shook them vigorously for a few seconds, then began flexing his fists. Satisfied that he had himself back under control, he began making his way back to the bridge. “Enough of that,” he said, then quickly wondered if he was making a statement… or praying.