Spaceport West (15 page)

Epilogue: A Tale of Two Mice The following originally appeared on Twitter as a short story in 21 episodes.

Angie and Benji had a big problem.They knew if they stayed on the ISS they would end up playing a lead role in some sick science experiment.

They had to leave, but how? Over a thimble of beer at the officers bar Benji laid bare his grand plan. “We have to take the escape capsule!”

Angie mouse thought Benji was the sick one but she went along. Call it mammalian loyalty, call it foolish courage. Truth was, she loved him.

“Ready?” Ben called from the flight deck. “All systems go!” Ang replied. Together they leaped on the emergency release. Finally, it engaged.

“Wait” yelled Angie “The airlock, you didn’t close it! You’re putting the poor humans at risk!”. Benji couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Now in low orbit around Earth, they must engage the nav computer. “It’s no use Angie, I can’t reach the controls!” Benji yelled frantically.

The two mice sat silently for several minutes. Was this how it was going to end after they’d escaped? “I know, use the PC mouse!” cried Ang.

They were now in complete control. “We’re free Ben! But where shall we go?” said Angie. “Fancy being the first mice on Mars?” replied Benji.

“I’ve done a trajectory calculation,” said Benji, “it doesn’t look like we have enough fuel to reach Mars.” Angie replied, “I have an idea!”

“Pass me that book on Newtonian Gravitational Slingshots” Angie began flicking through the book. “I thought so. We need to go via Mercury.”

The mice had a long journey ahead of them. They had managed to rig up a miniature stasis unit using the minibar freezer. “Sleep well Benji!”

12 months later, they arrived in orbit around Mars. The ship’s computer had been programmed to rouse them. “I need some cheese!” said Benji.

“You know we can’t land this hunk of trash on Mars, it’ll burn up.” said Ang. “Find the nearest transport” said Benji, “We’ll hitch a lift.”

Using the nav computer, Angie found and approached a nearby ship. Unseen, they performed a perfect dock. “Greetings comrades!” said Aleksey.

It was Anatoly’s brother. “He told me you had escaped,” continued Aleksey. “The humans were pretty upset about airlock. They will find you.”

“Can you help us?” implored Angie. “We Russians take our loyalties very seriously. A friend of my brother, is mine also,” extending his paw.

Benji whispered, “Can we trust this cat? He may be hungry after the long sleep!” Angie replied, “We have no choice. We can’t exactly leave.”

“British mice prepare for reentry”, yelled Aleksey over the din. “This is it!” said Ang. Ben clasped her paw “whatever happens, I love you.”

Reentry was terrifying, but after a few minutes, it was all over. The two mice punched the air with relief. Aleksey watched them, grinning.

Inside base camp, Angie and Benji were safe at last, but now they had a new dilemma. “We’re free Benji. To what end can we put our freedom?”

Benji had been watching the colonists, whom he felt he could trust. “You know what, dear Angie? I’ve a feeling we should make our TV debut.”

About the Author Giles Chanot was educated at a well known University in Oxfordshire and normally makes his living writing iPhone apps, like
The Radio
and
Mr Word
.

He has written two other novels,
The Gödel Device
and
The Misadventure of Sherlock Holmes
. He lives in Bristol with his wife and three children, patiently anticipating a publisher.

Follow Giles Chanot on Twitter
@truncatedtales
.

Copyright Copyright © 2016 Giles Chanot Giles Chanot has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.