Sol 19, Mission Time: 10:22
I awakened to an empty rack, and was surprised. I hadn't intended to sleep in, but I'd forgotten to set an alarm. And, since it wasn't like we had a particular work agenda, Central wasn't keeping us on a schedule.
I showered, dressed, and found Simi and Cedric in the lab, sorting through and reassembling the equipment they were trying to resuscitate.
Simi chuckled. "Sleep well?"
"Hell yeah. How long have you two been up?"
"A couple of hours," he answered. "I wanted to see if any of this equipment is salvageable."
"Also, there's still some minor alarms on the main control computer. I'll need your help determining which ones we care about," Cedric said.
I nodded. "Aly and Irenka?"
"Medical."
I found Irenka and Aly sorting through and storing the medical supplies that were sent, and they had almost completed the task. What followed was even better when a message appeared on my comm which read:
Imolet trajectory tracking from lunar radar is nominal. Arrival sol 81. Array also now tracking inbound ship with radar return consistent with Pleiades Alpha over terminator.
Advise status of base. Also advise disposition of other deceased.
"Oh, great," I groaned.
"What is wrong?"
"Some good news, and some bad news," I said. "The good news is that the rocket bringing our fuel module is on course, and CM is now observing what they believe to be the return trajectory of Pleiades Alpha. The bad is that they're ordering us, without actually saying it, to deal with the first two corpses we observed from orbit."
"Oh," Alyonka responded.
"Yeah."
"Our current task can be delayed," she said, "but the other should not."
The task would require almost four hours.
"Aly, I don't know how you do this," I confessed after we'd deposited the two remaining and solidly frozen bodies alongside their four companions whose suits had already begun to weep adipocere.
"It is because I cannot smell it."
Somehow, I managed to avoid retching in my suit.
"Let's get out of here."
"
Da
, my bonded," she said, climbing back into the CEV and beginning our return to the base.
I was her promised, and she was mine. My betrothed. My engaged. My fiancée. My future
wife
. The stirrings I felt in my soul were strengthened.
A number of minutes passed as the CEV maneuvered in silence.
"Unicast, please?" I requested.
After she tapped her wrist, she nodded, and I said, "I adore you, my love. Are you continuing the medical protocol required of commanders?"
"I am not in command now, but yes, I am still taking the suppressors. Why do you ask this?"
"Well … someth—I don't know. Something strange is happening."
"Oh? Tell me," she whispered.
"You are the most incredibly strong, centered, beautiful—yes, beautiful woman in the world to me right now."
Her suited body wracked with the laughter I heard through the comm.
"There are not many women in this world!"
I laughed, too.
"Aly, somehow, I perceive you now, even under the influence of these horrible drugs, as the best part of my life."
She tapped an icon on the CEV's panel, and the vehicle slowed to a stop.
Through her visor, I could see her eyes piercing me.
"My love," she said, "it happened to me at end of Pleiades. Even though I was taking medicine, I was and I am feeling the same. I do not know English words to explain how I feel when I look at you."
"Go on," I prompted.
"You are the man I choose to bond with because you are kind, patient, intelligent—"
"But not handsome?" I interrupted.
"No, Sean," she answered after a few moments. "Not at these moments. I wish you to understand."
Her answer elated me. Her honesty was all I needed.
"Alyonka Yuliya Sabratova, you have echoed my thoughts."
"Sean
Donooban
Emerson, you are mine,
da
?"
Her pronunciation of my middle name tickled me. "
Da
, my future wife."
"I will say vows when we return to Earth. I promise," she said, offering a hand which I grasped in mine.
"Let us return home as quickly as we can."
Sol 36, Mission Time: 6:30
Aly and I awakened to the alarm I'd set. I read dispatches from CM. Most of their communiques included research busywork to temper the ennui, but not that morning.
Political tension continues to build. N/K is realizing it is backed into a corner. China has levied an embargo.
Speculation as to fate of P6 crew has all but ceased with NK admission of culpability. Leading theory is that Shizuka Ayani was turned by NK intelligence to gather technical and operational details of craft, and lack of control of remaining crew was risk to failure of larger plan.
Approaching craft confirmed Pleiades Alpha. Nearing point of trans-lunar boost. Public is not aware but becoming suspicious of tension due to press blackouts and changes to agendas of Partner Nation leadership.
Engineers have been unable to reestablish datalink with Pleiades. Efforts redoubled. If successful, plan is to modify TLB program and profile for landing at Midway Atoll. If unsuccessful, interceptor to launch and destroy before reaching L2 Legrange.
I couldn't believe what I was reading.
"Aly, does allowing the ship to land at Midway make
any
sense to you?"
"Midway is an island between Japan and Hawaii?" she asked, reaching for the tablet I held out to her.
"
Da
. It's actually a pair."
She read silently. She switched to a Russian translation, probably to ensure there was nothing, well, lost in her own translation.
"It must make sense somehow. Those making this choice have more information, and they are not without intelligence. All I can imagine is that it is remote in case of detonation, and it is completely under the jurisdiction of Partner Nations and easy to secure. I am supposing they have every intent of detaining the people aboard the ship after somehow disabling the nuclear device."
"How can they disable it if it is disconnected control systems?"
"I don't know. Perhaps Irenka does."
We met the crew in the common area.
"Irenka," I began, "please indulge a thought exercise."
She chuckled softly. "I haven't had much coffee yet, so do not be disappointed."
"I won't. You are tasked to disable a nuclear device from a safe distance. How could it be done?"
"I do not need coffee for this. I assume you are supposing a device aboard a triplet of our own craft?" she asked, pointing in the direction of Orion Alpha.
"Correct," I answered.
"I need to see schematics on a large display."
"Let's go to command, then," I said.
She followed me, as did the other three, then sat at one of the larger consoles and flipped through some diagrams until one depicting the ship appeared.
"I assume the individuals are prepared to die, but not before assuring their task is complete. This means they must keep primary shielding of device in place but may not care about the secondary. What does that do for its dimensions, Commander?"
"Assume it to be approximately fifty by fifty by one hundred forty centimeters."
"A little larger than a third of a cubic meter," Cedric quickly stated, his mind engaging as he nursed a triple espresso. "What about mass?"
"I don't know with any certainty," I answered. "Heavy, I imagine."
"It would be at least four hundred kilograms," Siemen suggested, "assuming no secondary shielding."
"Then large point-load mass," Irenka continued, "so could only be placed in a portion of the ship with support to manage inertial vectors of five to seven gees. But I do not know the structures."
"Allow me, please," Simi said. Thankfully, it seemed he realized the question was in his area of expertise.
Irenka quickly scuttled out of her seat and Simi took it. "No," he whispered, "No. No—" he said repeatedly as he tabbed through several more schematics of the ship.
"This is going to take me some time. Please do not hover," he said, politely asking the four of us to give him distance.
We returned to the common area to have breakfast. We'd barely finished when we heard him shout, "I think I have an idea!" without the use of the comm. We all hustled back to command.
"This is purely speculation. I do not know the safety margins the aerospace and structural engineers used to design the ship. In constructing buildings, it is often three hundred percent due to uncontrollable variables. But for space vessels and aircraft where mass is much more tightly controlled, I am assuming a margin of one hundred seventy five percent. I color coded from green as most likely to red as possible but not wise."
"This is very good," Irenka said, leaning over Simi with her left hand on his right shoulder. "It is very unlikely the device is to be situated in the command ring where they will be seated for reentry if they are still alive. If I was making the choice, it would be secured to the landing leg gusset plate under crew rest floor."
She traced a line around her prediction on the diagram.
"Seems reasonable," I said. "Then what? How could it be disabled?"
"By firing six-centimeter crosshatch armor-piercing rods throughout the compartment from remotely operated PTR cannons. The purpose is severing conductors leading to initiators and detonators. Though impact shock detonation is possible, it is not likely," she answered confidently.
"What then?"
"A robot or android could deploy a water blade."
"What the hell is a water blade?" I asked.
"A one hundred micrometer jet of water at four hundred megapascals of pressure. It could slice through the hull of the ship and perhaps the core of the device. It would be a challenge to clean up the radioactive mess, but the device would be rendered inert if done successfully. They could also make use of a stun grenade in the command ring … if the shielding is still in place."
"If it is detonated before it can be disarmed?" Alyonka asked.
