by Andrew Mayne
"I'm sure you two will make a great couple. The good news is your trajectory looks great. We're using the spread spectrum radio for telemetry since we can't pick you up on radar."
"What's the bad news?"
"What? Oh, there isn't any. I guess I phrased that poorly. Hold on, Markov wants to speak with you."
"Hello, David. How are you doing?"
"Fantastic." I know better than to mention that I spoke to Vin about the launch. Even within our small group of rocket thieves I have to be careful.
"Well, I'm the bearer of bad news. I have confirmation that Zhirov has his commanders working on a improvised trigger for the nuclear device."
"Um, dumb question, where is the rest of the crew on this? Any chance of getting them to mutiny and save us all some trouble?"
"Unfortunately, no. Although they have not been informed of what is actually taking place, they're not likely to be in a position to try to stop this."
I knew it was too much to hope for. Although the crew of Skylab 4 did a kind of mutiny back in 1973 when they thought they were being pushed too far. Ultimately they returned to work; although NASA never let any of the men fly again.
I imagine the fear of crossing Zhirov goes a bit beyond being forced to retire at your current government pay grade.
"You can expect that at least one or both men will be in the secure module when you arrive," says Markov.
"And your insider, they're all set?"
"Essentially."
"Essentially? What does that mean?"
"I still have to do some persuasion."
"Okay." I have no idea how he's talking to the cosmonaut, let alone what carrot he's dangling in front of them. Fast Passes for Space Mountain? Well...Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev did have a hissy fit back in 1959 when he was told he couldn't visit Disneyland because of security concerns.
"I'll let you know."
"Please do. I'm less than twenty minutes out from the K1. I'd like to know that when I knock on the door someone will let me in."
"Baylor here. So, uh Dixon, are you comfortable with Laney Washburn giving you the technical details of the K1? I know she's a civvy, but she knows more than anyone here."
"Is this a joke? Hell, yes."
Laney hops on the comm, "You know you're not supposed to knock, right?"
"Yes, Laney. It was a figure of speech."
"Okay. Just checking."
"I think I'll just poke my head into the main viewport and wave to everyone. Maybe moon them."
"Sure." She gets right down to business. "We got some schematics that show the collision radar for the K1. It looks like the DarkStar will be fine if you leave her at the end of the tether. They won't spot that.
"But as far as you're concerned, they'll definitely be able to detect your suit once you exit. However, since the explosive decompression of the airlock, they've been having issues with the sensors, plus there's debris still floating around the station."
Debris... "Um, Laney. Do you know if..."
"Yeah. Baylor says they retrieved her body. Side note, they're still refusing to turn them over to us."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Markov says it's blustering by Zhirov to keep everyone distracted."
"What do they want? Oh, never mind." Me.
"Right. So anyway, once the DarkStar is over the K1, it'll orient itself nose down. You'll need to exit through the rear hatch and use your suit thrusters to make it to the station. Once you're within 50 meters you'll be inside their blindspot. From there you'll need to make your way to the spacewalk airlock on the south end of the station. Got it?"
"Roger."
"Here. Type 'CAMAFT.1' into the terminal. I found out they have a pinhole camera array embedded into the DarkStar's skin."
A screen pops up on my console and I see the tiny white speck of the K1 as it grows closer. "Oh, this is helpful."
"We'll be right here if you need anything. We're going to try to keep the chatter to a minimum though, in case they have an antenna listening for stray signals."
"Got it."
A number counts down the meters as the K1 grows closer. The tricky part, which thankfully, the computer is handling, is figuring out how to match velocity and direction with the K1 without using too much fuel and making it obvious that a rocket is approaching.
Most of my acceleration was compensated for by using an elliptical path that put me on a steep climb where the earth's gravity could slow me down – kind of like a curveball.
Through the walls of the DarkStar I can hear the hissing sound of the micro-jets making tiny course adjustments, accounting for the remainder of my speed.
As the K1 grows from a tiny white pinpoint to a massive cross I get a chill down my spine when I think about what happened here just three days ago.
All I wanted to do was get to safety. Now here I am, about to jump right into the stupid middle.
66
TOUCH DOWN
THE DARKSTAR MAKES one tiny little course adjustment and I come to a stop, 100 meters directly over the K1. We're still on the dayside, so the K1 is a brilliant gleaming cross in the middle of four iridescent blue squares of solar panels.
On my display panel the K1 sits perfectly in the middle like a cross-hair over the earth. In a few minutes we'll pass over the horizon into the nightside and the K1 will be a giant black square against the glittering lights of the cities below.
I check my suit to make sure my life-support is working then call in to my fellow outlaws below.
"What's the word?"
Captain Baylor is on the comm. "So far we haven't detected any unusual radio signals from the K1. It looks like you're a go for EVA."
"Okay...what's the status of Markov's man or woman on the inside? Will anybody be there when I come calling?"
"We're checking on that..."
"Checking? It's kind of important."
"Hold on."
I finish inspecting my suit and get ready for my EVA out the hatch behind me.
"Baylor here. Markov says to proceed. He's sent a message to the operative."
"But there hasn't been a reply..."
"Affirmative. They may not be in a position to do so. We think it's best if you head to the airlock and wait there."
"Sure." I mean, what else am I going to do?
I lower the seat back and attach the EVA strap to a clip on my waist. It's basically a giant fishing reel I'll use to keep me tethered to the DarkStar until I reach the K1, where I'll attach it to a clamp there.
The nice thing about modern space stations is that they've got more hand rails than an old folks home. The challenge is going to be getting from here to there.
The thing about zero-gravity is that although it looks like you're Superman flying through the air, he gets to change his mind about what direction he wants to travel mid-flight. I don't.
To train for this, iCosmos has a huge blacked-out warehouse with a very smooth floor and a robot arm that glides around on an air cushion, supporting you. You kick off replicas of the Unicorn and US/iCosmos modules and fly through the air with nothing to stop you except another surface.
You get a deep appreciation for Newton's First Law of Motion very quickly. All you have to do is misjudge where you plan on landing by a few inches and you'll watch your intended destination whiz past at the same velocity you kicked off.
In real space there's no padded wall to run into. You just eventually burn up in the atmosphere and cremate yourself.
While my spacesuit has jets that fire compressed gas, this is very limited. With nobody out here to lifeguard me, it's important I get it right the first time.
I turn the vent valve and the DarkStar releases the air inside the capsule in all six directions at once so it doesn't start shooting around like a balloon.
This was a clever feature I noticed in the manual. On a ship this small, venting just 20 cubic feet of air would send it flying and defeat the whole "stealth" thing.
The front of the
ship is pointed down at the K1 and Earth like the pointy tip of an ice cream cone. When I open the hatch at the back, my eyes are greeted by thousands of stars. The sun is directly behind the door and the DarkStar, true to its name, doesn't reflect any light.
I give myself a few seconds to appreciate the view then push myself out of the compartment. Once I move outside the shadow of the DarkStar I'll be visible to the K1's radar, so moving quickly is important.
There's no way I'll be able to completely avoid detection in my suit, but if I'm just a quick blip, I should be okay.
I think.
67
STANDBY
I GLIDE out of the opening, then use the edge of the hatch to bring myself into an upside down position. That's another thing, while you can bend around your center of gravity in space, trying to do a somersault is a practical impossibility without anything to act against.
I gently push away from the DarkStar and begin to move out from behind its shadow. When I'm a meter away I activate the jets on my pack and a tiny spurt of air sends me towards the K1.
It doesn't look like I'm moving at first – and that's a good thing. If I was at running speed, like 25 MPH, that means I'd hit the K1 at that velocity – which is the same as falling from a two-story building and landing on your face.
The tip of the upper spire on the K1 gradually grows closer while the tether at my waist spools out a thin line fast enough to keep pace without getting tangled.
My target is the cross-shaped module at the end of the spire. This is the section that juts upwards from the station.
Although I tend to think of the K1 as built like a cross, it's actually more like a little toy jack.
As I get closer I can see inside the top module through a skylight. Thankfully, nobody is looking back at me.
A few meters from impact, I reach my hands out to soften my fall. I spot a railing around the window near me and grasp it.
Boom. We have touchdown. I think I hit soft enough to not make a big noise inside.
"I'm on the K1," I report into my comm.
I take the tether from my belt and clip it to the handrail.
When I look up at the DarkStar my heart does a flip flop when it's not there.
Duh.
Stealth ship.
Even the tether is invisible past a few meters.
I pull myself along the rails to a set of handholds that lead down the upper module and to the side of the airlock.
Okay. If everything else plays out this smoothly, I'll have a nuclear device in my hands in the next few minutes and be ready to take this thing home.
"OPS, any word on the insider?"
"Hello, David. This is Markov," he says in case the accent wasn't a tip-off. "There's been a complication. I'm unable to reach my operative. We suspect the commanders of the K1 may have restricted the other crew."
"Hold up. Are you saying there's nobody here to let me in?"
"That is correct. Until further notice we need you to stand by."
"And if you can't get hold of your operative?"
"We're working on a contingency."
"Um, Markov, I'm not sure if you realize there really aren't any contingencies. I need someone on the inside to open this airlock. It's not like I brought C4 and can blow my way in."
"I understand that. Please stand by..."
I can tell he's just as frustrated as I am. After everything we've gone through to get this far, to come this close and fall short...
I stand by and stand by some more. It's not the worst place to wait for the end of the modern world.
Below me the earth moves into its nightside and I see the sparkling lights of southeast Asia. The entire half of the Pacific Rim is a glittering crescent.
"David. We've intercepted some chatter from Roscosmos. We have confirmation that the commanders have locked down the crew."
I turn my attention back to the present. "Meaning what?"
"My operative cannot get to you and we think that Zhirov may be planning something imminently."
"Are they going to blow the whole station or use some kind of satellite ejector?"
"We don't know. Either way, the most prudent course of action is for you to return to the DarkStar and come back to Earth."
Well, damn.
68
BREAKING AND ENTERING
WELL, this sucks. I can't seem to catch a break lately.
My body begins to dangle away from the station and I have to remember to pull myself back in, lest someone looking up from their nuclear device sees me chilling out here.
Okay, so Markov says I have to return. He's obviously very certain that his operative is not going to be able to let me inside. Without their help, I'm in a bit of a bind here.
There are only two EVA airlocks on this station. There's the one a meter from my head and the other one on the bottom of the station, adjacent to the airlocks where spaceships dock.
Both of the EVA airlocks require someone on the inside to depressurize them and unlock the hatch.
While they both have an emergency release – in case someone gets trapped outside, there's no way I can use that and not send the whole station into an alert causing all the sections to seal. At best, I would make it into the upper module and not any further before they caught me.
The whole point of an inside man was to let me inside discreetly. Without that element of surprise, there's not much I can do.
Alright, David, is there another way inside?
Think outside of the box.
With some tools I could take apart a window and go inside one of the modules...except the explosive decompression would send the station spinning and let everyone know they have a visitor. So, dumb idea.
Okay, is there a way I could get them to let me in?
Maybe knock on their door and trick them into an EVA?
Okay, no Bugs Bunny techniques. What if I take out their communications antennas? Would the commanders decide to send someone out here?
Put that on the "maybe" list.
What other options are there?
"OPS, what's the condition of the docking module?"
"Have you returned to the DarkStar yet?" asks Baylor.
"Negative. I'm weighing other options."
"What other options? Markov says you should return."
"I understand that. But he's also not an astronaut. I repeat, what is the status of the docking module?"
"From what we understand there are two Russian craft berthed there. The third dock is damaged from the Unicorn incident and the fourth one is empty. But you can't open the hatch without causing the inner module to decompress. It's not intended for hard vacuum."
"I understand that. Hold on."
"Hold on for what?"
"I'm thinking of something."
"David, you should be planning your return. You don't want to be up there when the nuke goes off."
"No shit. I don't want to be anywhere when that goes off."
"Hold on. Markov wants to speak to you."
"David, I appreciate your bravery but it's time to come home."
"Hold up. There might be another option."
"Perhaps. But if you blow their airlock we believe they'll suspect an intruder and move up their plans to use the device. It could be...counterproductive."
"Yeah, I get it. What if I could get in without them knowing?"
"You would be a miracle worker."
"Well, put my helper on the line, I think I have an idea."
"What are you thinking?" asks Laney.
"I once saw a documentary where Stephen Hawking explained that as a boy he found seventeen ways into his house while his sister only knew of twelve."
"I guess boys are biologically programmed to figure out how to sneak through windows," she replies.
"Well, I did it with yours..."
I think I can hear the sound of her blushing.
"Anyway...I got to thinking. I think I know another way to get in."
"Yo
u can't open the docking airlocks to vacuum."
"Yes. I know. I also know that I can't blow the EVA airlock either. Noted. May I continue?"
"Sorry. What are you thinking?"
"I think I know another way inside."
"Go on..."
"The Russian spacecraft docked below, is it standard procedure to leave the hatches open or closed to the inside of the K1?"
"Closed, but not locked. If the station decompresses it's easier to get into. If one of the ships gets a leak the air pressure from the station will keep the hatch...HOLY SHIT DAVID! You're smarter than you look!"
I hear her yell to everyone in our command center. "David figured out a way inside the K1! I'm going to put you back with Baylor while I pull up some manuals of the Russian ship. AFI 12 if you pull it off."
"Baylor here. What is this madness that has your groupie all flustered?"
"First, I think I'm her groupie. Second, I have a plan. I don't go through the K1. I go through the side hatch on one of the Russian ships. I think I can do this without sending the K1 into full-alert."
"Hmmm...Yeah, with the other docking ring damaged they probably shut off the emergency alarms on that section. And if you go through the hatch on one of their birds and seal it back up, you can open the inner lock to the K1. Good call. Here's Markov."
"David, how certain are you that this will work?"
"Not at all. But it gets around the concern we had with using the EVA airlocks. The ships are on a separate system. As long as the K1 has hull integrity it won't cause a problem."
"Alright. Proceed with your plan. But if there is any complication, return to the DarkStar immediately."
"You got it."
Great, me and my big mouth. I had a perfectly good opportunity to go home and I just blew it.
69
PRESSURE
DISTANCE IS a different concept in space. From here to the docking module it's just a hundred meters, but I can't exactly stroll there or use my suit jets to go whizzing by. I have to do it like my monkey ancestors did it climbing through trees – hand over hand.
There's plenty of railing to pull myself along. The trick is grabbing it. Gloves on a spacesuit aren't like the type for doing the dishes and a spacesuit isn't just a bag to hold air. They're essentially a mini-pressurized spaceship that keeps you from blowing up like a balloon.