They could actually move the station anywhere in the Solar System if they wanted to. They might be able to move Star One far enough out in the Solar System where it could survive a small nova. As they continued their meal and talked, he watched Teela more closely. Watching her eat and drink her wine was like watching any other attractive, intelligent young woman out on a dinner date.
The evening finally ended, and Steve and Christy watched as Todd and Teela left arm in arm and walked out of the restaurant, totally caught up in one another. They had decided to hold a staff meeting the next day to discuss linking up the Space Platform with Star One. Steve wanted to hear opinions from some of the other department heads.
“That’s totally unbelievable,” said Steve, watching the two leave. “How long has this been going on, and why didn’t I notice it before?”
Christy smiled, reaching over and taking Steve’s hand in her own. “Teela has become a very important member of this crew. Not as an AI, but as a person,” she explained. “Teela and I talk a lot, and her feelings for Todd are very real. I suspect his for her are also.”
“I thought I noticed a change in Todd recently. He seems to be more energetic and carefree,” responded Steve, drinking the last sip of wine. “I think I will talk to Jennifer; maybe Teela needs to be recognized more as a member of this crew. She certainly deserves it.”
“I think that would be great,” Christy responded fully in agreement.
After leaving the restaurant, they walked slowly along the concourse, staring into the store windows and laughing at some of the items they saw. Finally, arriving at his quarters, Steve felt contented when Christy followed him in. She fell into his arms in a warm, passionate embrace followed by a kiss. Within moments, the two were lost in enthusiastic lovemaking.
Afterwards, Christy couldn’t help feeling sorry for Teela in some ways. Even though she had all the feelings and desires of a young woman, they could never be fulfilled. Teela could never experience some things. Turning over, Christy put her arm across Steve’s chest and was soon sound asleep.
Chapter Eight
In Main Control, Steve watched the large viewscreen apprehensively as the Space Platform slowly grew larger. Thrusters were firing, sending white jets of flame off into space as they burned continuously and moved the massive structure steadily closer.
“Everything looks good,” commented Lieutenant Commander Anderson from his position next to Steve.
They were both sitting at the center command console. Lieutenant Commander Anderson was in constant communication with the other stations in Main Control over the mini-com attached to his right ear. Each Main Control station involved in the operation was monitoring the Space Platform’s approach very closely.
“Lieutenant Gray is piloting the Space Platform,” Steve replied, his eyes still glued to the viewscreen. “He’s the best we have. If anyone can handle this maneuver, it’s him.”
“He has been practicing this maneuver using some holographic displays that Teela set up,” Anderson replied as he listened to a report from the radar operator. The Space Platform was right on course. “I watched him several times; the simulations were very realistic.”
“Yes, I heard about that,” Steve replied with a forced smile. “I understand he only crashed into Star One twice.”
“Only at the beginning, Sir,” Anderson replied with a grin. “It never happened again once he got a feel for how to use the platform’s thrusters.”
“Let’s hope everything goes well this time,” commented Steve, knowing that John had put in a lot of hours with Teela perfecting this intricate maneuver.
For several weeks, the station’s crew had labored around the clock. New, thick Luxen cables had been stretched taut between all three wheels on Star One. From a distance, it looked as if a giant spider had spun a web between the three. It was difficult not to look for the spider as you approached the station.
The four ion drive chambers were nearly complete on the Space Platform. Using newly installed heavy thrusters, the Space Platform itself was being moved into position beneath the Power Wheel. Once there, it would be attached permanently to Star One.
Lieutenant Commander Williams and Captain Gerald had pushed their people to the limit installing the new thrusters and working on the new ion drives. They wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible. Captain Gerald was becoming quite versatile, having learned how to operate the station’s space scooters and maneuver in the bulky spacesuits used for space construction.
-
Lieutenant Commander Williams was on the Space Platform along with John Gray. John was controlling the movement of the platform as its continually firing thrusters brought it ever nearer to Star One. He was sitting at the Space Platform’s main thruster control console, along with two flight technicians, controlling the platform’s slow movement.
“So far, so good,” commented Todd, looking over John’s shoulder at the navigation screens.
One of the screens was three-dimensional and showed the exact course the Space Platform needed to follow. It was like looking into a tunnel with a blinking green line running down its center. All John had to do was stay in the center and follow the blinking line. This whole operation had been Teela’s and his idea. Todd crossed his arms across his chest, watching everything intently for any hint of a potential problem.
John was watching his instruments closely as well as the computer screens. Teela had set up a program, which showed the exact path and speed the platform needed to move in order to dock successfully with Star One. This path was represented by the blinking green line on the three dimensional screen.
In addition, Teela was standing next to Todd and slightly behind John, monitoring the entire operation. She was using Star One’s radars and sensors to track the slow movement of the Space Platform. The main screen above them showed Star One steadily growing larger as the Space Platform approached the Power Wheel.
In the open space around Star One, numerous Centaur work vessels waited and watched. If there was an accident and the Space Platform or Star One was damaged, the Centaurs were prepared to move in quickly to make repairs. Several of the Centaurs carried sheets of Luxen in their mechanical arms in case a hole was knocked in the Power Wheel. Everyone watched anxiously as the Space Platform moved ever closer to the massive space station.
“Looking good, John,” Todd said once more as the platform moved smoothly down the center of its planned course for docking. The only other pilot Todd would trust doing something like this was Captain Simpson, who was on board the FarQuest.
“This thing handles like a truck with four flats,” mumbled John, concentrating on the controls. He deftly fired two of the thrusters in a quick, three second burst to guide the platform along its projected path.
“Just don’t scratch up my Space Platform,” Todd reminded John with a forced smile. The tension in the small control room was unusually high.
“I’m more worried about scraping Star One,” John replied as he double-checked their current approach speed. “Steve would never forgive me if I scratched or dented his space station.”
“You are doing fine, John,” Teela assured him as she checked the docking simulation she was continuously running in her core system.
She knew to within a fraction of an inch just how far off course they were. John was doing surprisingly well maneuvering the sluggish platform to a position underneath the Power Wheel. Evidently, the holographic simulations she had set up were paying off.
They had run this simulation probably a hundred times in the last few weeks, and John felt he could do it in his sleep now. He fired two short bursts from two of the aft thrusters, bringing the platform into position directly beneath the Power Wheel. Then firing the port thrusters, he brought the platform to a stop. He let out a long breath, not realizing he had been holding it for the last few seconds. The computer screen in front of John now changed to show the Power Wheel and the Space Platform.
“Almost there,”
Todd spoke, trying to sound calm and not show how nervous he was.
“Now comes the hard part,” replied John, taking in a deep breath and focusing on the controls in front of him.
It was during this next maneuver that he had crashed the Space Platform into Star One during the simulations. Once he had knocked Star One completely out of the Lagrange point, heavily damaging the Power Wheel. The second time, he had managed to avert harming the space station, but had badly damaged the Space Platform instead. After Teela and he had worked out what the problem was the simulations after that had steadily improved as he became more adept at using the thrusters to control the Space Platform’s movement.
A set of coordinates appeared on the screen showing the current alignment of each. The Space Platform still needed to be rotated slightly to line it up for docking. John carefully fired several small, lateral thrusters, slowly rotating the platform until the two sets of coordinates matched perfectly. John watched the computer screen intently, but much of what he was doing was nothing more than old-fashioned seat-of-the-pants flying.
“Alignment is good,” Teela commented as she quickly checked her docking program. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“I almost wish you were doing this,” John muttered as he shook his hands, trying to relax.
“We needed a human pilot,” Todd reminded John. “Teela has never flown anything.”
“Ready to implement final docking maneuver,” John spoke into his com. Now would come the hard part. He placed his hands back on the controls.
“We’re ready here,” Christy replied from her position in the control room of the Power Wheel where she was monitoring the operation.
Dryson and Stoler were both with her, watching the docking with interest and some concern. The Power Wheel had been evacuated in case there was an accident. A minimal crew in spacesuits were in the two reactor rooms ready to shut the reactors down if necessary.
“Proceed,” Steve spoke over the com. “We have plenty of time, John. Back off if it doesn’t look good or feel right.”
“Can’t have my piloting skills blemished,” retorted John lightly, trying not to sound nervous.
“No one’s ever tried something like this before,” Steve reminded his friend. “I’m sure everyone down on Earth is really confused about now. They must be trying to figure out just what we’re doing.”
“They will never figure this one out,” Todd replied over the com.
Firing the thrusters again, John eased the platform ever so gently upward so as not to jar the station when the two actually joined. The thrusters had been adjusted to allow John to fire small, short bursts. Six massive Luxen docking joints had been constructed on both the top of the platform and the main hub of the Power Wheel so the two could be melded together into one stable structure. These docking joints were what John was now attempting to bring together.
“Thirty feet,” reported Teela, using her station sensors as well as the platforms to monitor the docking as the two structures slowly neared one another. “Twenty feet,” she said as John fired more thrusters, slowing the rate of ascent. “Ten feet, five feet, two feet, locking joints are starting to engage.”
More thrusters fired, slowing the platform’s rise to just inches per minute. Teela was watching everything through her remote cameras to ensure that nothing went wrong. This had been Todd’s and her idea, and she felt responsible if anything were to go wrong. She felt nervous and apprehensive as the two structures slowly came together. Sometimes her program triggered emotions at the oddest times.
“Almost there,” Todd spoke anxiously, watching the computer screen and the viewscreen at the same time. “Just another few inches.”
“Zero feet and we have a firm dock on all locking joints,” Teela announced with relief as she activated the locking joints, engaging them and joining the two structures.
“Perfect, John,” Todd said approvingly, finally allowing himself to relax. “I knew you could do this.” Others in the control room broke out in cheers and applause; they knew that an extremely difficult maneuver had just been accomplished.
In space, the Centaur work vessels moved in closer to visually inspect the joints. The crews of all the Centaurs had been holding their collective breaths as the two structures were brought together. Now the next phase of the project could commence.
-
On board Star One, Teela appeared in her customary position next to Steve in Main Control. Her dark blue eyes looked over at the commander.
“Locking joints have been engaged, Sir,” Teela reported with a contented smile. She wore her regulation uniform, which fit her well-rounded form extremely well. Her dark black hair lay on her shoulders without a single strand out of place.
“Confirm engagement of locking joints,” Lieutenant Commander Anderson affirmed as he listened to reports from the different duty stations coming in over his mini-com.
“All stations, report,” Steve ordered into his com, allowing himself to take a deep breath.
The docking had gone much smoother than he had imagined. John had demonstrated once more why he was one of the top shuttle pilots. Steve felt a vast sense of relief now that the complicated maneuver had been completed.
“Power Wheel docking joints engaged and locked.” Christy confirmed from her position in the control room of the Power Wheel. “We didn’t feel anything during the joining. It was very smooth.”
Dryson and Stoler were watching a board with now steady green docking indicator lights. This had been a risky maneuver, particularly since the hub of the Power Wheel contained the fusion reactors. They were also checking for any undue stress on the Power Wheel. So far, everything looked acceptable.
“Space Platform docking joints engaged and locked,” reported Lieutenant Commander Todd Williams, relieved that the docking maneuver was finally over. “Everything is in the green, and no problems are showing up whatsoever. It was a beautiful maneuver. John didn’t even scratch the paint up!”
“Good job John, Christy, Todd,” Steve replied with a smile. “I had a bucket of paint ready if he did scratch the station. Let’s get the work crews out and begin the outer construction jobs.”
Steve knew from their plans that additional Luxen joints would be attached to the Space Platform and the Power Wheel to ensure that the melded together structure would be stable under acceleration. Most of this would be done using the Centaur work vessels and the space scooters. A number of workers in spacesuits would also be required to inspect everything.
On the main screen, eight Centaur work vessels and twelve space scooters came into view as the waiting crews moved toward the Space Platform to begin their part of the job. The Centaurs were carrying large Luxen beams and cables to complete the installation.
“I’m glad that’s over,” General Karver stated from behind Steve, where he had been watching the entire maneuver. “Senator Farley will be scratching his head trying to figure out why we did this.”
“The telescopes down on Earth as well as in orbit will leave no doubt that we have attached the Space Platform to Star One,” Teela added in agreement. “There will be a lot of guesswork as to why we did this. I have already picked up increased encoded radio traffic between a number of defense installations.”
“They will only be able to speculate as to why we did it,” responded Steve, hoping Senator Farley would get a headache trying to figure out what they were up to. There was no way Senator Farley would guess that they were contemplating moving the station.
Tension in Main Control was almost gone now since the docking maneuver had been completed. Steve watched as Lieutenant Emerson walked over from her weapons console where she had been using the spy satellites to keep track of events down on Earth. Over the last few weeks, the attractive young woman had become an integral part of Main Control’s crew. She was also becoming highly popular with the single young men on the station.
“The weather down below has really broken loose,” she said worriedly,
stopping in front of the command console looking at Steve and General Karver. “Severe storm activity has increased by nearly 70 percent over the past two weeks, and we are tracking more hurricanes than ever before recorded. It’s becoming extremely difficult to monitor what’s going on in the U.S.”
“The first effects from the neutron star,” replied Steve, knowing full well the significance of the increasing storms.
Teela had been keeping him informed of the weather developments down on Earth. Steve knew that they were only going to get worse.
“We are no longer monitoring just small hurricanes,” Lieutenant Emerson went on, showing concern. “But huge Category Five storms, several of which are more severe than any ever recorded before. There is one storm, even in the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds reported of nearly 260 miles per hour.”
“A Category Six,” Teela responded not feeling surprised.
She had predicted this. She had been monitoring the hurricane and had noted its rapid increase in wind velocity over the last several days.
“That’s one hell of a hurricane,” spoke General Karver, realizing what it implied. He knew that a storm of that magnitude would be devastating, sweeping everything away in its path.
“I’ve been monitoring some of the news stations in the U.S., and Senator Farley is blaming Star One for the increase in severe weather,” added Teela, shaking her head sadly. “He claims we are manipulating the weather patterns around the globe.”
“Controlling the weather,” uttered Steve in disbelief, his eyes growing wide at the accusation. “It seems that Farley is going to blame us for everything. What about other countries? What are they saying?”
“No one is disagreeing with him,” replied Teela, turning her dark blue eyes toward Steve. She routinely monitored the radio and media transmissions of nearly every nation on Earth.
“They won’t,” General Karver commented in a grave voice. “If they did, it’s hard telling what his response might be.”
Star One: Dark Star Page 18