cabin pressure. Our Teflon diamond hull was worth what NASA paid for it.”
“I have another question for you. My monitor shows two earths. How is that possible?”
“There is only one earth. The other is the moon Ganymede. It was taken from Jupiter’s orbit by Doctor Mason’s machine.”
“What machine could move a moon?”
“The Meson Field Disrupter.”
“What the hell is that?” Wolf asked.
“A scientific experiment commenced a month before Nomad’s impact. The theory was that magnetic fields could be redirected and used to move planets. Doctor Mason’s hypothesis was correct. Her Meson Field generators moved Ganymede. It is now caught in Earth’s gravity. Based on my long-range readings, it is now capable of sustaining life. Between the moon and Ganymede, they have managed to clear Earth’s planetary debris. Ganymede seems to have taken the lion’s share, and its magnetic field has allowed it to deflect the solar winds so its atmosphere is intact. ”
“Fly me to the original Earth,” Wolf said. “I am going to take a nap. I’m exhausted, and I have a splitting headache. Get me details on all malfunctioning equipment on the ship. We’ll try to make some minor repairs.”
“Yes, Commander. I will have it ready for you when you wake up. Sleep well.”
“Thank you, Synthea.”
* * *
Wolf awoke to a sultry female voice asking, “Commander? Commander, are you awake?”
“Yes, I’m awake. I had a terrible dream, Synthea. I imagined that I returned to Earth in the future and found it destroyed.”
“Commander, that was not a dream. Earth has been destroyed to quite some extent.”
“Damn, I was hoping it was a dream,” Wolf mumbled. He began shaking and perspiring, and then he exhaled slowly to gain control of himself. Once he was calm, he asked, “What’s the news?”
“You slept for thirty-six hours, so I thought I should wake you. I have discovered a small leak in the aft science hold. You will need to fix it before we can continue our journey to Earth. I have turned the aft camera so you can see the leak. If you look at your command monitor, you can see the warm air of the ship condensing on the aft plates.”
Wolf observed the ice forming on the aft of the ship. “I’ll prep a suit and use the robotic arm as an anchor.”
“I will prep the arm.”
Wolf walked to the satellite bay and hooked into the robotic arm. The arm was a glorified crane, and on previous NASA missions, it had proven useful as a right hand to the shuttle. It was capable of heavy lifting while having a precise, delicate touch. Officially named the Remote Manipulator System, it was dubbed Canadarm , named after the country that designed it. Wolf put on his suit, gathered the tools and skin material needed to patch the leak, and secured them to the arm. He hooked his tether cord into the anchor plate on the arm, placed the helmet on his head, and turned on his air.
“Open the hatch, Syn. Let’s get this done. I don’t have much energy. I’m tired and very weak.”
“Syn? I like that name, Commander. You will be weak for some time. You have not used your muscles in centuries,” the lilting female voice replied as the bay doors opened.
With a small, explosive breath, the air in the chamber was sucked out into space. Wolf manipulated the arm and it rose, angling back towards the aft section. He saw the icy buildup on the ship’s plates and moved to the damaged area. He took out an oxygen cylinder and hooked into an acetylene cylinder, making a small torch. Wolf melted the ice and exposed a small hole about the size of a pencil eraser through which a visible column of warm air escaped from the cabin below. He fitted the hole with a polymer and expansion-foam mixture, placed a diamond-mesh patch over the area, and flattened the mesh down, applying a hardener.
Hooking in his lanyard, Wolf left the cradle of the robotic arm and used his suit rockets and gyros to coast in space, moving cautiously around
“I have another question for you. My monitor shows two earths. How is that possible?”
“There is only one earth. The other is the moon Ganymede. It was taken from Jupiter’s orbit by Doctor Mason’s machine.”
“What machine could move a moon?”
“The Meson Field Disrupter.”
“What the hell is that?” Wolf asked.
“A scientific experiment commenced a month before Nomad’s impact. The theory was that magnetic fields could be redirected and used to move planets. Doctor Mason’s hypothesis was correct. Her Meson Field generators moved Ganymede. It is now caught in Earth’s gravity. Based on my long-range readings, it is now capable of sustaining life. Between the moon and Ganymede, they have managed to clear Earth’s planetary debris. Ganymede seems to have taken the lion’s share, and its magnetic field has allowed it to deflect the solar winds so its atmosphere is intact. ”
“Fly me to the original Earth,” Wolf said. “I am going to take a nap. I’m exhausted, and I have a splitting headache. Get me details on all malfunctioning equipment on the ship. We’ll try to make some minor repairs.”
“Yes, Commander. I will have it ready for you when you wake up. Sleep well.”
“Thank you, Synthea.”
* * *
Wolf awoke to a sultry female voice asking, “Commander? Commander, are you awake?”
“Yes, I’m awake. I had a terrible dream, Synthea. I imagined that I returned to Earth in the future and found it destroyed.”
“Commander, that was not a dream. Earth has been destroyed to quite some extent.”
“Damn, I was hoping it was a dream,” Wolf mumbled. He began shaking and perspiring, and then he exhaled slowly to gain control of himself. Once he was calm, he asked, “What’s the news?”
“You slept for thirty-six hours, so I thought I should wake you. I have discovered a small leak in the aft science hold. You will need to fix it before we can continue our journey to Earth. I have turned the aft camera so you can see the leak. If you look at your command monitor, you can see the warm air of the ship condensing on the aft plates.”
Wolf observed the ice forming on the aft of the ship. “I’ll prep a suit and use the robotic arm as an anchor.”
“I will prep the arm.”
Wolf walked to the satellite bay and hooked into the robotic arm. The arm was a glorified crane, and on previous NASA missions, it had proven useful as a right hand to the shuttle. It was capable of heavy lifting while having a precise, delicate touch. Officially named the Remote Manipulator System, it was dubbed Canadarm , named after the country that designed it. Wolf put on his suit, gathered the tools and skin material needed to patch the leak, and secured them to the arm. He hooked his tether cord into the anchor plate on the arm, placed the helmet on his head, and turned on his air.
“Open the hatch, Syn. Let’s get this done. I don’t have much energy. I’m tired and very weak.”
“Syn? I like that name, Commander. You will be weak for some time. You have not used your muscles in centuries,” the lilting female voice replied as the bay doors opened.
With a small, explosive breath, the air in the chamber was sucked out into space. Wolf manipulated the arm and it rose, angling back towards the aft section. He saw the icy buildup on the ship’s plates and moved to the damaged area. He took out an oxygen cylinder and hooked into an acetylene cylinder, making a small torch. Wolf melted the ice and exposed a small hole about the size of a pencil eraser through which a visible column of warm air escaped from the cabin below. He fitted the hole with a polymer and expansion-foam mixture, placed a diamond-mesh patch over the area, and flattened the mesh down, applying a hardener.
Hooking in his lanyard, Wolf left the cradle of the robotic arm and used his suit rockets and gyros to coast in space, moving cautiously around
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