Read Online Vessel by Andrew J. Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

progress.'
    'Copy that. T minus twenty seconds and counting.'
    A tremendous roar flooded the capsule, so loud it shook Sally in her seat. From the corner of her eye, Sally could see Gardner pressing buttons using a slender metal rod from his own restricted position. It didn't fill her with confidence to observe such a primitive tool being used on board such an expensive piece of equipment.
    'Ignition,' Aleks confirmed , and if the roar had been loud before, it was deafening now. The shaking was so violent that it made Sally's vision blur.
    'Second tower separated. Reaching maximum thrust. Lift off, we have lift off.'
    Sally squeezed her eyes tight shut. Through the shaking and noise, a pressure rose into her back, lifting her off the Earth's surface. She pictured the gap between the rocket and the ground — first small, growing larger by the second — then her mind took her to a dark place of veering trajectories and screaming voices. She did her best to push those thoughts away, but they hovered with frightening clarity on the backs of her eyelids.
    'Trajectory is nominal, flight speed is nominal, vibration is nominal. Everything's looking good.'
    'Telemetry nominal, combustion chamber pressure nominal. Stage one ignition successful. We're one minute into the flight.'
    'Pitch is good, roll is nominal.'
    The rocket continued accelerating. It was nothing like the centrifuge, nothing like Sally had ever expected, and with tremendous effort she opened her eyes. Light rushed in, and the horror of her imagination was washed away. It was really happening. She was really going to space . As the rocket rolled, her stomach squeezed into a new corner of her insides and was held fast by the gargantuan thrust that drove them on.
    'Seventy seconds into the flight. Flight is proceeding nominally.'
    'Ninety seconds.'
    'Stage one is continuing to operate nominally. Spacecraft is nominal.'
    'How are you doing, Fisher?'
    It took Sally a moment to rea lise that she had been spoken to, having lost who was talking to who in among the noise and vibration.
    'I'm fine. ' She had to force the words out.
    'Good. Gardner?'
    'I'm feeling great.'
    'Excellent. One hundred and ten seconds. Stage one booster separation. Stage two core booster ignition.'
    A deep clunk, a groan, and the rocket unleashed a fresh burst of acceleration, pushing Sally even harder into her seat. She was glad Aleks didn't ask her how she was now, because she wouldn’t have been able to speak.
    'Vehicle stable. Stage two engines are stable.'
    The vibration calmed, and with a small jolt the shroud protecting the crew module was jettisoned. For the first time, through a tiny circular porthole, Sally could see the stars, unencumbered by the blanket of atmosphere cradling the planet. Up here they glowed brighter and sharper.
    'Launch shroud j ettison is confirmed.'
    'Copy.'
    'One hundred and ninety seconds. One nine zero. Rocket structure parameters are nominal.'
    'Everything looks nominal. We're good.'
    The shaking had all but gone, but the pressure remained. Despite the excessive forces trying to squash Sally flat, a tiny flutter skipped in her stomach. She couldn't help but grin. She was in space; she was going to the ISS. It was amazing.
    'Two hundred and fifty seconds. Roll is nominal. Stage two core booster separation. Third stage ignition.'
    'Stage three engines nominal.'
    'Copy.'
    'Three hundr ed and twenty seconds. Structural parameters are nominal.'
    Gardner continued p rodding buttons with his stick. Sally was impressed by how calm he'd been. If he felt nervous, neither his voice nor his actions revealed it.
    'Third stage engines are stable.'
    'Four hundred seconds, four zero zero. Everything is nominal.'
    'Copy, loud and clear.'
    'Four hundred and thirty seconds, four three zero.'
    'Still with us, Fisher?'
    'I sure am. Feeling great!'
    She let out a whoop. Probably against protocol, but what did she care?
    Gardner laughed. 'That's the spirit.'
    'Five hundred seconds. Glad