engines shut down.” Schroeder
interjected.
“It is my
understanding that, when the shuttle is descending, this ship will be in orbit,
with the engines shut down.” Joy pressed ahead.
Schroeder
blinked, caught off guard. “Quite so. But the ship will then be engaging in a
landing operation, during which time the bridge crew will be occupied with
their jobs. Ms. Sanchez, I understand your concern, but I can assure you-“
“No. You can not assure me.” Joy put her hands on her hips, and Rick bit his lip. He knew what that
gesture meant, it was something Joy had inherited from her mother. “You can say
nice things, but none of it will actually assure me that my husband will
be safe, that if anything goes wrong, my husband ’ s safety
will be your highest priority.”
Schroeder tried a
new tack. “This is a routine shuttle drop, Ms. Sanchez.”
“Excuse me, no,
but it is not.” Joy ’ s eyes gleamed. The battle was
joined. “I was speaking to Nelson, your shuttle pilot.” Rick looked
sideways at his wife in surprise. When had she spoken to Nelson? Joy ticked off
her objections on her fingertips. “First, Nelson has never brought a shuttle
down through this planet ’ s atmosphere. Second, there is no
guidance system on the ground, so he has to fly the approach manually. Third,
this ship only has one shuttle, and the miners don ’ t have
one. So if your shuttle gets into trouble, they are on their own. Fourth, the
miners can ’ t refuel the shuttle on the ground, so Nelson
tells us he will have to fly a minimum power flight profile on his way back up
here, to conserve fuel for the return flight into orbit. None of which is, as
you say, routine . Are my facts wrong?”
“Er, no.”
Schroeder was forced to admit. “I can tell, you, however, that Nelson is a very
experienced shuttle pilot. Before he joined Universal Transport, he flew for
the Navy, and then for a survey company. He has, many times, dropped into an
unfamiliar atmosphere, with no guidance system or ground support.”
Rick moved close
to his wife, and put his arm around her shoulders, in a gesture of
solidarity. It was time to choose sides, and the choice was easy. His
voice took on a firmer tone. “Captain, I believe that I have been more than
cooperative. I volunteered to help out on rescue mission, a mission that is
your problem, not mine. I do not think it is at all unreasonable that my wife
be on the bridge during the descent.”
Schroeder pursed
his lips. His next command, he fervently hoped, would be of a ship without
passenger cabins. “That is your final word, then?”
Out of the corner
of his eye, Rick saw Joy looking at him. “Yes. Either Joy can be on the bridge,
or we will both be in our cabin, and Sam can fix the life support system by
himself.”
“Mmm.” Schroeder
then did something unexpected, his face crinkled into a smile. “Very well,
then, Ms. Sanchez, I would be happy to have one of my crew show you to the
bridge, and we will find you a place on the bridge, during the drop. You are
correct, Mr. Sanchez, it is not an unreasonable request. My crew needs to have
backbone, I am glad to see you do. Do not, however, make this a habit, eh?”
CHAPTER 5
Slightly ahead of
Seth ’ s schedule, the big freighter ship arrived at Ares
and dropped out of hyperspace. Her excited crew had been able to coax a bit
more power out of the old, reliable engines, making Schroeder inordinately
proud of both crew and ship. Arriving at Ares was not the same as being in
position to establish a stable, low orbit, from which the shuttle could drop.
Hours went by as the ship fired her normal space engines, first to catch up to
the planet in its orbit around the star, then to slow down enough not to fly
right by the planet, and finally to swing into orbit. After that, it took what
seemed to Rick like forever, maneuvering here and there, getting the ship ’ s orbit lined up just right for the shuttle drop. Why they
couldn ’ t
interjected.
“It is my
understanding that, when the shuttle is descending, this ship will be in orbit,
with the engines shut down.” Joy pressed ahead.
Schroeder
blinked, caught off guard. “Quite so. But the ship will then be engaging in a
landing operation, during which time the bridge crew will be occupied with
their jobs. Ms. Sanchez, I understand your concern, but I can assure you-“
“No. You can not assure me.” Joy put her hands on her hips, and Rick bit his lip. He knew what that
gesture meant, it was something Joy had inherited from her mother. “You can say
nice things, but none of it will actually assure me that my husband will
be safe, that if anything goes wrong, my husband ’ s safety
will be your highest priority.”
Schroeder tried a
new tack. “This is a routine shuttle drop, Ms. Sanchez.”
“Excuse me, no,
but it is not.” Joy ’ s eyes gleamed. The battle was
joined. “I was speaking to Nelson, your shuttle pilot.” Rick looked
sideways at his wife in surprise. When had she spoken to Nelson? Joy ticked off
her objections on her fingertips. “First, Nelson has never brought a shuttle
down through this planet ’ s atmosphere. Second, there is no
guidance system on the ground, so he has to fly the approach manually. Third,
this ship only has one shuttle, and the miners don ’ t have
one. So if your shuttle gets into trouble, they are on their own. Fourth, the
miners can ’ t refuel the shuttle on the ground, so Nelson
tells us he will have to fly a minimum power flight profile on his way back up
here, to conserve fuel for the return flight into orbit. None of which is, as
you say, routine . Are my facts wrong?”
“Er, no.”
Schroeder was forced to admit. “I can tell, you, however, that Nelson is a very
experienced shuttle pilot. Before he joined Universal Transport, he flew for
the Navy, and then for a survey company. He has, many times, dropped into an
unfamiliar atmosphere, with no guidance system or ground support.”
Rick moved close
to his wife, and put his arm around her shoulders, in a gesture of
solidarity. It was time to choose sides, and the choice was easy. His
voice took on a firmer tone. “Captain, I believe that I have been more than
cooperative. I volunteered to help out on rescue mission, a mission that is
your problem, not mine. I do not think it is at all unreasonable that my wife
be on the bridge during the descent.”
Schroeder pursed
his lips. His next command, he fervently hoped, would be of a ship without
passenger cabins. “That is your final word, then?”
Out of the corner
of his eye, Rick saw Joy looking at him. “Yes. Either Joy can be on the bridge,
or we will both be in our cabin, and Sam can fix the life support system by
himself.”
“Mmm.” Schroeder
then did something unexpected, his face crinkled into a smile. “Very well,
then, Ms. Sanchez, I would be happy to have one of my crew show you to the
bridge, and we will find you a place on the bridge, during the drop. You are
correct, Mr. Sanchez, it is not an unreasonable request. My crew needs to have
backbone, I am glad to see you do. Do not, however, make this a habit, eh?”
CHAPTER 5
Slightly ahead of
Seth ’ s schedule, the big freighter ship arrived at Ares
and dropped out of hyperspace. Her excited crew had been able to coax a bit
more power out of the old, reliable engines, making Schroeder inordinately
proud of both crew and ship. Arriving at Ares was not the same as being in
position to establish a stable, low orbit, from which the shuttle could drop.
Hours went by as the ship fired her normal space engines, first to catch up to
the planet in its orbit around the star, then to slow down enough not to fly
right by the planet, and finally to swing into orbit. After that, it took what
seemed to Rick like forever, maneuvering here and there, getting the ship ’ s orbit lined up just right for the shuttle drop. Why they
couldn ’ t
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