Space Rescue One

BOSON BOOKS
2

BOSON BOOKS 

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BOSON BOOKS
4

All it took was one moment. Just long enough for a nozzle to fail. On board the interplanetary cruise ship
Excelsior,
the engine rooms were unattended for just one moment. A flash in Engine Room Two produced enough heat to melt through crucial circuits and a portion of the outer bulkhead. Sensors and lights reacted. The sensors picked up the sudden critical condition of the engine and shut it off leaving the remaining engines to provide power to the ship. The sensors also picked up on the loss of atmosphere from the afflicted engine room. Those soon signaled the emergency throughout the ship and activated bulkhead hatches to automatically shut, protecting people who were wandering about in their ordinary clothes. The lighting went to an emergency state as additional lights went on to show precisely where emergency equipment was located for the benefit of those on board. The bridge crew observed the sensor readings and responded immediately with corrective action.

      "Captain, we've got a loss of atmosphere in Engine Room Two."

      "Call the Chief Engineer, get his report. Find out if he can verify the emergency," the Captain responded.

      Moments later, Chief Engineer Williams reported back. "Captain, we have a definite loss of atmosphere in Engine Room Two. The engine is down and we have an opening in the hull where we experienced a melt-through. We're suiting up now to go in and make repairs."

      "How long will it take?" asked Captain Newman.

      "I believe we can seal up the hull in two hours. The engine could take days to fix, sir, though I doubt that we can do it out here," the Chief replied.

      "Keep me advised on the progress. Are the passengers in any danger that you know of?"

      "Not that I can see right now, sir. We've got the bulkheads secured between the engine rooms and the passenger sections. They should be quite safe, sir."

      "Very well. I'll let you get to your tasks."

      The First Officer asked, "Do you want a distress signal sent out, sir?"

      Captain Newman answered, "No."

***

Chief Engineer Williams directed the engine crew on the tasks to be performed. Already, they were all suited up to enter Engine Room Two. Several crew members went outside onto the hull to work from there. Other crew members went into Engine Room Two to do their tasks from the inside of the hull. Once they sealed the hull, then work could begin on the engine itself.

      For an hour, all went well. Then the load on engine three began to tell. Overheated, it suddenly flared and melted out through its hull into space. Outside the ship, crew member Jane Bowun was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The molten metal pushed outward through the hull covering engine three to harden moments later in the absolute cold of space, snaring her as she made her way with another plate to be patched over the opening leading to Engine Room Two. She felt the heat momentarily through her suit where it was touched by the hardening metal. Then she realized that she couldn't move.

      "Chief! I'm stuck! I can't move!" Jane called.

      "Not now, Jane! Wait! Shut down that engine!" the Chief was shouting over his radio. "Captain Newman, we just had a melt-through on the number three engine. We may have to shut down the rest of them or they'll all go."

      Captain Newman was already looking at the sensors for the new emergency. He didn't much like having two of his six engines out.

      "Captain! Do you want me to send out the distress now?" the First Officer asked.

      "No, but have it ready to send," Captain Newman answered. Taking the microphone in his hand, Captain Newman said, "Go ahead Chief. Tell me how we stand."

      "Sir, we've just lost engine three. The load we're drawing is too great for the rest to stand. We're going to have to shut them all down or lose them all," Chief Williams replied.

      "How soon can you get them back online?" Newman asked.

      "I don't know. I'm still trying to find out what's going on here. Just a moment, our emergency lights are here now," the Chief answered.

      Moments passed before anything more was said.

      "Captain, we've got real problems. Crew member Bowun is fused to the outer hull. We can't seal the opening in Engine Room Three until she's out of the way. We can't fix the engine in Engine Room Three until the hull is sealed," the Chief said.

      "Fused? How do you mean fused?" Captain Newman asked.

      "The metal from the melt-through opening was liquid long enough to reach her before it cooled and hardened. Her suit is attached by the soles of her boots to the hull of the ship. She can't move from where she is unless we can find a way to get her detached without exposing her to space. I'm going inside to see what she's under. Maybe we can cut away that section of the hull and free her," the Chief answered.

      "Captain! Asteroids coming our way!"

      The First Officer went over to the sensor monitor and looked at the readings. He said, "Captain, we've got asteroids on a collision course with us."

      "Chief, our instruments show asteroids coming at us now. Can we use the engines to dodge them?" Captain Newman asked.

      "I don't advise it, sir. We'll probably go spinning off course and lose all the engines," the Chief replied.

      "In that case, get your crew inside for the time being since we can't avoid this. First Officer, send that prepared distress message. Advise them of our situation," Captain Newman instructed.

      Chief Williams asked, "Sir, what about Bowun? We can't just leave her! She's got no protection from those asteroids!"

      "How long before those asteroids get to us?" Captain Newman asked.

      "I calculate two hours at the most. We're probably not picking up any small ones leading the field on our instruments. I'd plan on not more than an hour, sir," the First Officer said.

      "Chief, you've got one hour to do what you can for Bowun. Maybe you can place some plating around her as protection until we can get back to her," Captain Newman said.

      "Yes sir," the Chief responded.

***

On board the space station orbiting Earth, the alert signal blared through the corridors. From all directions, men and women hurried toward one location, the connecting corridor to their ship,
Space Rescue One.
Only a few had to do so for most of the ship's crew was already aboard in accordance with their own procedures of remaining ready on a perpetual basis. Within minutes of being notified, they broke their connection with the space station. The ship jetted far enough away with small thrusters to start their main engines without endangering the station. As the ship sped outward for the location of the
Excelsior,
Captain Shortner briefed his officers and crew on the mission.

      "The
Excelsior
has experienced failure in two engines. Each resulted in a melt-through condition. Their other engines are in danger of being overloaded because of the cumulative damage. They have a crew woman trapped outside on the hull. She was working outside the hull when one of the engines did its meltthrough. She's now fused to the hull. Now here's the kicker. They're doing their best to construct a shelter for her because they're about to have an asteroid field cross by them. So far, no one is hurt. We're going to have to go in and help them free the woman from the hull, then most likely we'll collar ourselves on them so that we can change their course and send them on to a port before we leave them. It'll be up to the port authority to handle them then. They'll have the necessary tugs on hand to reel them in."

***

Captain Shortner spoke over the intercom, "Attention all hands. We're coming up in range of the
Excelsior.
The
Excelsior
is in danger of sustaining heavy damage from the asteroids. Man your gun stations to protect the
Excelsior
from being hit. Fire at will at any asteroid that you judge to be a menace to it or our ship. All other crew members report to your stations for docking with the
Excelsior."

      Within moments, several gun stations on board
Space Rescue One
began firing as they busied themselves with protecting the
Excelsior
from being damaged by large asteroids.

***

Inside a temporary shelter of hull plating, crew woman Bowun cringed each time she felt the vibration of an asteroid pinging off the hull or the meager protection hurriedly put together for her benefit. More importantly, she was running out of oxygen. If someone didn't get to her soon, the shelter would house a corpse.

***

Inside the
Excelsior,
Daniel Brump watched through a porthole. He spotted the sleeve-shaped rescue ship matching course. Suddenly, he realized that the ship he was on was in more trouble than the captain had indicated earlier. Impatient and angry, he left the porthole and made his way toward the bridge.

***

Captain Newman said, "I'm not certain how much oxygen Bowun has left . . ."

      Daniel Brump interrupted, "Captain! I demand to speak with you!"

      Newman glanced at Brump and ordered, "Not now. Get him off the bridge."

      Two crewmen attempted to take hold of Brump. Brump ducked and kicked off the bulkhead. Another crewman grabbed for him, catching an arm. Brump swung around in the weightless atmosphere, one of his feet smashing into an instrument panel. A maneuvering thruster activated by his foot sent the
Excelsior
toward
Space Rescue One.

***

On board
Space Rescue One
an alarm sounded, "Collision imminent."

     "Evasive maneuvers!" Captain Shortner exclaimed.

     "Already doing it, sir."

     "Good," Shortner replied.

***

"Captain Shortner, I'm sorry for the sudden near collision. One of our passengers entered the bridge without authorization and had to be forced out. There was a little bit of a struggle and he activated some controls. We're getting them back in order now."

      "Very well, Captain Newman. Now what were you telling me before?"

      "Crew woman Bowun is nearly out of oxygen. We're still trying to cut her loose from inside, but there's too much slag to cut through."

      "Understood. We'll move into a blocking position then so an outside crew can work to free her."

      "Captain Shortner, I don't think that will do any good. I had to promise the universe just to get some of my crew to work from inside while we're in this asteroid field. I don't think I can find anyone willing to go out now."

      "Understood. We'll send out someone then. Just keep your ship steady and unauthorized personnel away from your controls then."