by Eric Flint
“We’re still floating!” Francisco said, restraining panic in his voice. Laura couldn’t blame him. “Shouldn’t we wait? Emerald Maui is tough, maybe she can keep going long enough?”
Laura and the others all looked at Campbell, who shook his head. “The captain’s got it right. See, I’m keeping us above water now. Maybe for a while. But if and when we pass the point of no return, Emerald Maui is going down fast. We won’t have time to move, then, ’cause it ain’t gonna be a picnic getting everyone safely off this ship.”
Hitomi pointed a shaking finger at the screen. “We can’t go into that!”
“It sure looks real bad,” Campbell said, “But Hitomi, when this ship starts to go down, it’ll take us all with it for damn sure.”
Abandon ship…into hurricane winds and waves. Laura couldn’t believe it…but on the other hand, she could. Lincoln just didn’t want to let them go. This was its last, most vicious shot, to send them all out into the cataclysm without the armored steel of a shuttle to protect them.
Damn you, Lincoln. You’re not getting any of us. “Then we abandon ship. What’s the procedure?”
“I go first,” Whips said, unstrapping even as he said it.
“No, Whips, you’re—”
“—a hundred times better off than any of you out there,” Whips said flatly. “I can dive a kilometer down without a problem, I can swim much faster than any human ever did, I don’t have to worry about keeping my head and eyes out of water. I go out first, I can steady the boats, catch anyone who falls.” He looked into Laura’s eyes and she could see the determination. “With me, I promise we won’t lose anyone. Mom, trust me.”
She blinked hard against the sting in her eyes, but smiled. “Harratrer…I trust you. Just…be careful.”
“I will.”
Sakura looked at him as he slid past, somehow staying stable as the ship once more tilted violently. Laura saw her catch one of Whips’ arms; it wrapped around her, and she saw Sakura kiss the base of the arm quickly.
Then Harratrer of Tallenal Pod reached up, hoisted himself up the ladder, and slid into the airlock, closing the door behind him.
Chapter 54
The green and white water boiled in front of Whips, through the small window in Emerald Maui’s airlock, alternating with views of the turbulent gray, black, and sometimes bruised green sky. Weather’s not going to work for us either.
He knew he’d been telling nothing but the honest truth about his chances. A human doing what he was about to do probably wouldn’t survive more than a few minutes—but that didn’t mean he’d survive, necessarily.
The worst part was going to be getting into the water. The airlock came out on top of Emerald Maui, a design that made sense for its usual operations but not so much for this. There were the emergency doors over each wing that could be opened, but that wasn’t something to do until they were all actually ready to bail out; it didn’t have an airlock to keep water out as people were processed through.
Just have to keep a tight hold when I get out. He remembered exactly where the handholds were on top…and let the outer door swing open.
The wind screamed at him, the ocean roared, with gusts of hot air like an oven door opening making his eyes water. He damped down his sound sensitivity and stretched out, grasping all the handholds he could reach, the gale tearing at even his narrow fingers and making it difficult to find and reach his targets. But he managed it, and—taking a breath of the now salt-spray filled air—yanked himself up, triggering the door to close behind him.
Even prepared as he was, the wind struck him with such force that he was nearly torn from Emerald Maui and hurled into space. He didn’t dare let that happen; yes, he might be flung clear, or he might just strike the tail and drop down to be caught in the rear jet.
Despite the heat, coldness welled up within as he really saw the ocean, the heaving, titanic masses of gray-green that reared up before him. Emerald Maui finished plummeting into one trench and the next mighty comber was before them, lifting the ship into the sky. I have to get off safely.
The only halfway-sane direction to go was down—to the side of the ship and the stubby fins remaining to her. If he could dive into the water, or let himself be carried off into the water, from one of them, he should be able to avoid being battered or sucked into a jet intake. The water itself would be no threat.
Meter by meter he dragged his way down the side of Emerald Maui. Halfway down, he realized the wind had gone from tearing at him to merely pulling hard. The airblast was passing.
Of course, that meant the reverse would be coming. How long, he didn’t know, but he suspected it would not be that long. And the waves would last much longer; the sea, once driven mad, did not calm swiftly.
But the reduction in wind did make it a bit easier. He was at the base of the wing now, the dive plane extending maybe three meters. He stretched his arms as widely as possible, curling tendrils across the entire width of the wing, and inched his way forward until he could feel the end of the wing in front of him, only a few centimeters away from his body.
One eye swiveled, watching ahead, while the other watched behind. When that wave comes, the sergeant will have to adjust…the ship will turn and tilt just enough…
Wait…wait…wait…NOW!
The dive-plane bit into the water and Whips released his grip in the same moment, letting the sheeting water slide him off and into the sea. Instantly he jetted away from Emerald Maui and then came about, pacing the ship.
“This is Whips—I’m in the sea, near you. I’m okay! The wind’s dying down. If you’re getting out, now’s the time.”
“Thank god you’re okay,” Laura said. “It must be terrible out there.”
“It’s not as bad as it was, but…it’s bad. You’ll see, I guess. My big question is how we can keep the rafts from blowing away when the reverse airblast hits.”
“Each will deploy a smart sea-anchor that can react to sudden movements,” Campbell answered. “Think of an underwater parachute; if the wind tries to blow you somewhere, it opens and the drag under the water keeps you right there. It can tell the difference between that kind of thing and the up-and-down with the waves, even big ones.”
“Hope you’re right. Not like we have a choice.”
“Emerald Maui, this is Sherlock. Do we understand correctly that you are abandoning ship?” Sue Fisher’s voice was tense.
“Sherlock, that is an affirmative,” Xander said. “The aft cargo hold is leaking and despite our best attempts it appears it will fill up. We can stay above water with the jet for a while, but eventually that will exceed operating tolerances. We are evacuating into the two liferaft shelters. Beacons have been tested and should be easily detectable.”
“We’ll be down as soon as we can. Just try to hold on until then.”
“We will. Next contact when we have completed the operation.”
“Understood. Sherlock out.”
Whips heard a shaky intake of breath, then Xander spoke again. “Then let’s do this. In orderly fashion, all hands, abandon ship. Whips, stand by on the starboard side. We will use that side for the evacuation. Can you keep the raft in position?”
“I hope so. You can’t deploy the sea anchor until everyone’s on board, though, or it’s going to try to stay in one place while Emerald Maui keeps moving.”
“Understood. Wind speed has dropped to only a hundred fifteen kilometers per hour, so that should be okay for now.”
The emergency door popped open a moment later, and Whips saw the bright orange package drop over the wing and inflate to its full dimensions. Whips immediately dove and caught one of the holdfasts on its side with one arm, and anchored himself to Emerald Maui with the other two.
Ouch! It’s a strain! The shelter-raft was relatively lightweight, but “relative” still meant it was almost as heavy as Whips, and inflated it was vastly larger—and catching a lot of wind.
Fortunately, there were also holdfast lines, and he
could snap one of those onto the remaining secure ring at the base of the nearby wing. Now he just had to help steady it and watch for any mishaps. “Raft is secured. Board fast, please!”
“Dr. Kimei,” Xander said, “You and your family will board the first raft.”
“Understood, Captain,” Whips heard Laura reply. “Akira, you first, then Hitomi, Mel, Sakura, and Caroline. I will board last.”
A flickering in the light from the door told him Akira Kimei had exited; a moment later, he felt a thump through the fabric of the raft. “I am on board,” Akira reported. “It is not easy, Laura. The motion of the ship and the shelter are not identical, and if the sergeant maneuvers at the wrong moment…”
“I have faith in your reflexes, Akira. Hitomi—”
“I can do it!”
Whips tensed, ready to lunge forward if the littlest Kimei missed her step, but in a moment he heard her say “It’s kind of pretty in here, and bigger than I thought!”
Melody stumbled but caught herself as she exited, and made the transition. Sakura managed it in a single dive from the exit; Caroline was a bit more sedate.
“All the family’s safe on board except you, Laura,” Whips said.
“And you, but I know you’re not coming on board until everyone else is set. Catch me, Akira!”
“And we are all on board.” Bright flashing white, red, and blue lights were now showing on the top of the shelter raft. “Visible and radio beacons active. Sherlock, can you confirm beacon?”
A moment later, they heard Sue Fisher’s voice. “Dr. Kimei, we confirm we have a strong emergency beacon signal from LS-88 Raft One.”
“Good. Raft One now releasing from Emerald Maui.”
Whips had to struggle to release the safety line; the water and constant shifting in tension made it difficult, but after a few moments the hook finally let go. Immediately he dove underneath and dragged hard on the raft, making sure it cleared the tail of Emerald Maui safely, and then swam back to the wallowing shuttle. “Whips back in position, ready for second raft,” he said.
“Damn, I can feel that breeze inside. Like stepping into a hothouse. Captain, hate to say it, but you can’t be the last man off. I gotta hold the controls until everyone else is ready.”
“Can’t argue, Sergeant,” Xander said. “Lieutenant Haley, deploy the raft. You’ll be first on, then Francisco, Maddox, Tavana, and me. Sergeant Campbell will be last—how do we work that, Sergeant?”
“We all got our suits on, and mine’s better’n all yours. Just get the raft clear, an’ I’ll take a dive and let Whips get me home. Can do?”
“Can do, Sergeant,” Whips answered, warmed by the casual trust.
“Make it so, as they say.”
Having done it once before, Whips found it easier to catch the raft’s line and secure it, and Pearce Haley made the transfer with no trouble, as did Francisco, Maddox, and Tavana.
But just as Xander began his move, one of the surging crests broke over Emerald Maui. A torrent of foaming white momentarily erased the shuttle and strained the mooring rope, almost tearing the ring from the raft. Whips suddenly sensed another form, whirling down the side of Emerald Maui.
No!
He pushed water through him, jetting at maximum towards Xander, who caught at one of the tiedown rings on the ship’s side and almost held on.
But that did slow him down, kept him from continuing towards the half-sunken tail and the furiously churning water around the nuclear jet. Whips stretched out one arm before him, driving his own organic jet so hard he could feel the ache in every muscle of his mantle.
Xander saw him coming and kicked out, away from the side of Emerald Maui, arm outstretched.
Whips’ multiple fingers twined around the hand and he jetted down, dragging Xander with him, pulling as hard as he could. A moment later a blast of near-scalding water washed over them both, and Whips felt his whole body trembling with the nearness of death. They’d missed being either sucked in or boiled by the jet by meters at most.
He broke the surface sixty meters astern of Emerald Maui and began towing Xander towards the raft.
“Thanks…thanks a lot, Whips,” Xander said, his voice as shaky as Whips felt. “That was close. I don’t think we could have even tried this without you.”
“Almost got both of us killed even as it is,” Whips admitted. “But almost only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes, as Grandpa Harding once said. Always wondered what horseshoes had to do with it, but…”
“I didn’t know you remembered Grandpa Harding!” Laura said with astonishment in her voice. “He died when you and Saki were very little.”
“Not much, but that saying stuck in my head.” He reached the raft and Xander got a good hold, hauled himself inside. “Okay, everyone but you and me are on board, Sergeant.”
“And you got an impromptu practice at dragging someone to safety, so I know it’ll work.”
“Try to jump way clear, Sergeant—I don’t want to come anywhere near the jet again.”
“You and me both, son. Hold on, I’m setting our jury-rigged automatics. Get the raft safely off, now.”
He repeated the prior maneuver and soon Raft Two was on its way. “All clear, Sergeant.”
“Then get ready.” A moment later, a dark silhouette showed in the brightly-lit doorway, and took a long, flat dive into the tumultuous ocean.
The emergency door closed on its own as Whips located the sergeant and quickly caught onto him. “You signaled it to close?”
“Set it to close a few seconds after I left the board, yeah.”
Whips towed the sergeant to the raft; he clambered smoothly aboard. Then he seated himself in the opening and raised his arm and hand in a salute; Whips could just make out at least two of the others following suit, and looked back.
Emerald Maui, lights still shining brightly, charged up the slope of another wave. There was no one aboard her, no hand to guide her, but still she fought, still she kept herself above the water, her jet driving to deny the depths below. Her former crew sat watching, ignoring the hot spray driving into their faces, salutes held as rigidly as at a funeral, as she soared from the crest of the wave into space, momentarily free of the sea, before she vanished into the deep trough below, and then reappeared, carving her way indomitably up the next wave, and then the next, until her lights faded, still undefeated, into the mist.
Chapter 55
“Welcome back, Whips,” Laura said, hearing the others echo her as she, Akira, and Sakura helped drag the Bemmie all the way onto the raft. “Mel, seal the door now.”
“Got it, Mom.” Melody’s voice was still shaky from their latest fright, but she efficiently triggered the seal and followed its progress to make sure it did its job, while hanging tight to a handhold as the boat rolled up and then over another huge wave. “Ugh, I hate that!”
“Good to be back, Mom,” Whips said. “Not that it’s so bad out there for me, but I don’t have a lifeboat beacon on me.”
“What has this lifeboat got to offer us, besides just floating?” Laura asked, watching to make sure that Whips secured himself as well as possible. “Not that that isn’t a lot, right now.”
“And the sea anchor, which we should deploy right away,” Whips pointed out.
“Deployed,” Caroline said; she was sitting near the small control console built into the lifeboat.
“I looked over the specifications while we prepared them for launch,” Akira said. He paused as a blast of water inundated the shelter with white foam and rumbling noise. “They’re actually well-equipped compared to what one might think. You’ll notice that it isn’t as hot in here as it is outside—there are environmental controls to moderate things like temperature and humidity. Runs off superconductor storage batteries which can be recharged by solar harvesters in the exterior fabric.”
He glanced out the nearby window in the shelter, where the sky seemed to be getting even darker. “That may not be a consideration now. Still, the batterie
s are rated for seventy-two hours, so I don’t imagine we’ll need to worry about it.”
“The beacons, of course,” Whips said. “That’s the other big feature for us. Lights and radio signals so our rescuers can find us.”
“Built-in desalinator so that fresh water isn’t a problem,” Mel pointed to the squat device off to one side of the shelter. “Don’t think any of us brought food, but there’s a small case of emergency rations next to the desalinator if we get hungry.” She grimaced. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but as long as the sea keeps doing that up and down thing I’m not hungry.”
“Raft toilet,” Hitomi indicated a small booth opposite the main door. “Manual says it works in even pretty heavy seas.”
“Probably not this heavy, though,” Caroline added. “Survival kit,” she went on, pointing to another small case.
Laura shook her head. “Pray to all that is that we don’t need that. It’d mean we’re here far too long.”
“Amen to that,” Campbell’s voice said. “Whips, when you’ve rested, I was thinking that we might want to find a way to link the lifeboats, so we don’t get too far separated.”
Whips made a self-flagellating gesture that Laura knew was the equivalent of a facepalm. “Oh, vents, I didn’t think of that. How far apart are we now?”
“Looks like about two hundred meters and change.”
Laura didn’t like the idea of Whips going back out…but the suggestion was a very good idea. “How long a line do we have?”
“I think we’ve got one a hundred meters long.”
“How long should it be?” She looked over to Sakura, Whips and Melody in turn.
“Probably…longer than that,” Whips said after a moment. “We don’t want any chance that interactions between us and the waves would get dangerous. Period of the waves might change…probably does, as they get bigger or smaller.”
Laura nodded. “Sorry, Sergeant, it was probably a good idea, but it sounds like it could be dangerous to use a too-short tether.”
Campbell’s sigh was audible over the comm. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, that just makes it Sherlock’s problem.”