Space Rescue One Read online

  "Hold it, Chief! We're still attached. We need another Quik-Cut before she's free."

  "Chief, let me go after Shelly while you all work here."

  "No. Stay put. We're short-handed. None of us can be spared to go after Shelly," Dickson said.

  ***

  The light over the airlock hatch on Space Rescue One changed from green to red to double red. The hatch opened permitting a solitary space suited person to exit. Glancing around, he shoved off in Laumer's direction without a safety line. As he left the ship, small jet thrusters shot out for a few moments, adjusting his trajectory and increasing his speed.

  ***

  "Fire in the hole!"

  The Quik-Cut burned brightly, cutting through the last of the slag.

  "She's free, Chief."

  "Everyone take hold. Synchronize your thrusters. Activate!" Dickson said.

  ***

  Richard stared out at Shelly as she tumbled wildly. He spotted the large asteroid heading her way. If he judged the distances and angles correctly, it was going to hit her. He was her only chance. Without thinking of his own safety, he activated his suit thrusters once more, increasing his speed and correcting his course to reach Shelly before it was too late.

  As he neared, he recognized that if he missed her, there wouldn't be enough time to try a second time. If he missed, Shelly was as good as dead. Richard stretched his arms wide, opening his fingers as if that would make his reach wider. His body approached Shelly's faster and faster. She became larger and larger as the distance narrowed.

  Too late! Richard could see that he was going to miss. He was less than a single degree off course when he started his pursuit. It grew to just a few millimeters too far apart for him to reach her as he caught up to her. He sensed himself going past, his fingertips clawing out for her, wanting desperately to save her. Gripped in agony over his failure, Richard cried to himself while hanging his head within his helmet. His fists clenched as he closed his eyes to suffer his defeat and the pain of his loss. Without thinking twice about it, he decided to continue on into space to die alongside the woman he secretly loved.

  Then he felt the jerk!

  Richard opened his eyes and glanced at his left hand, amazed to see that he somehow snagged Shelly's broken life line in his clenched armored fist. Until it returned him back to reality, he didn't even know he had anything. Quickly, he pulled Shelly hand over hand to himself so that he could jet them both out of danger. Moments later, Shelly's hands hugged him. Then his own hands activated his suit thrusters once more, sending them away from imminent danger.

  Shelly pressed her helmet against Richard's. "Richard! I'm glad to see you. My radio is broken. So are my thrusters."

  "I'm almost out of thruster power. I might only be prolonging your life rather than saving it."

  "At least you tried. Thank you, Richard. I owe you."

  ***

  "Come on! Hurry up and get her inside. She's passed out. We don't have much time," Dickson said.

  "Chief Dickson. I'm with Shelly. Her radio and suit thrusters are broken. I'm almost out of propellant. I doubt if I can get us both back."

  "Hellfire, Richard! Why the hell did you disobey my instructions?" Dickson replied.

  "Can't we forget that for now, Chief? Shelly needs help. Now are you going to help her or would you rather waste everyone's time chewing me out publicly?"

  "Yeah, I guess chewing on you can wait. Are you two together?"

  "Affirmative. I'm using what propellant I have left to dodge asteroids," Richard said.

  "Very well. I'll see what we can do from this end," Dickson said.

  "Chief! I'll go after them."

  "No way, Clarke," Dickson replied.

  "Chief Dickson, is your team aboard?" Captain Shortner asked.

  "All except Laumer and Saber," Dickson replied.

  "That's what I'm asking. Stand by for maneuvers. Be ready to bring them in as soon as we're in position," Shortner said.

  "Yes, sir," Dickson replied.

  ***

  Shelly removed her armored space suit, glad to be back inside the Space Rescue One. Beside her, Richard was just getting his suit unsealed.

  "Saber, in my office now!" Dickson bellowed.

  Over the intercom, Captain Shortner's voice came through clearly. "Chief Dickson, Technicians Laumer and Saber, report to my briefing room at once."

  ***

  Captain Shortner looked at the three personnel standing in front of him in their underwear. "I understand that we have a personnel problem in Rescue Team One. Am I correct?"

  "Yes, sir, a slight problem. I ordered Technician Saber to remain on board. I felt he was too much of a risk to take out with us," Dickson answered.

  "Technician Laumer, tell me what happened to you."

  She replied, "Sir?"

  "Just tell me what you know. Why did you wind up in the asteroid field? I want to get this over with quickly. Right now I've got Team Two handling the sleeve maneuver instead of your team," Shortner said.

  "I was handling the Space Jaws and the Air Link. While opening the shielding to see if the victim was getting the air hose, the Quik-Cut broke through the piece of shielding I was attached to. That sent me flying through space after the shielding edges cut my tether cable and the Air Link hose. The hose damaged my suit and sent me spinning. Then Richard, I mean, Technician Saber came out to my rescue. If not for him, I would have been crushed by the asteroids."

  "Is it standard team practice for one technician to handle both pieces of equipment?" Captain Shortner asked.

  "It's been done before. All of our technicians are qualified on all equipment," Dickson answered.

  "Shut up, Chief. I'm still getting information from Technician Laumer. Go on, Shelly," Shortner said.

  "Sir, uh, I guess it's not. I'm not sure on that," Laumer said.

  "I happen to know that it's not. Technician Laumer, you can leave now," Captain Shortner said.

  Shelly left the briefing room. When the door shut, Captain Shortner said, "You both are a pair of assholes. Chief, I ought to break you down in rank for going out short-handed like that. What you did led directly to one of our technicians being put in jeopardy of death. I can guess your reason for going out like that. I presume it has something to do with Technician Saber's drinking. Am I correct?"

  "Yes, sir," Dickson replied.

  "I thought as much. Well, if he's as much a hazard as you appear to be saying, then why haven't you put in paperwork to have him removed?" Shortner asked.

  "Well, sir, I wasn't sure anyone else would agree with me," Dickson answered.

  "That's not good enough. If Saber is a menace, then document it and request his dismissal. Otherwise, don't take your team out short-handed again unless it's because of an injury or I okay it. Now as for you, Technician Saber. You disobeyed a direct order from your team chief. What have you to say for yourself?"

  "Sir, his order was illegal in the first place, so I couldn't be guilty of disobeying it," Richard replied.

  "You're skating on thin ice here, mister. All that's keeping me from dismissing you from his team is a mere technicality. From here on out, you better get control over your drinking. You better not disobey any more orders, either, even if you believe them to be illegal. Am I understood?"

  "Are you ordering me to follow illegal orders when I know that they are?" Saber asked.

  Captain Shortner said, "Mister, you're pushing me and I don't push. What I'm telling you is that you're not a space lawyer and you don't interpret which orders are illegal. You follow your orders when they're given or I'll personally see to it that your career is over. Now get out before I put you in the brig."

  Richard left the briefing room. Shortner closed the hatch behind him and turned back to Chief Dickson. "Well, are you going to document him for dismissal or not?"

  "Will you support me if I do?" asked Dickson.

  Shortner answered, "You know I can't do that. I have to pass judgment on the request. If
you need support, then you better get it from members of your team. What I said earlier about going out short-handed still applies. You're lucky that everyone came back alive. If someone died out there, you'd be the first person I'd nail. Maybe the only person. I probably wouldn't be able to touch Saber, even though he disobeyed your orders. You know why."

  "No, I don't, sir."

  "Because he played the part of the hero by disobeying your orders. The public would crucify you and adore him. Anyone who tried to pin any blame on Richard would be sticking his head in the same noose with you. You better wise up and learn to play politics. Evaluate the situation in advance. You should have anticipated that you might have trouble attempting a rescue with one less technician. That's part of being a chief. You could have cleared it with me first or asked for a replacement from Team Two."

  Dickson stated, "Yeah, I should have. I guess I was in a hurry."

  "That's the other reason why you would be burned. The public would catch onto all that with the media's help and put up a howl over it. Now either get rid of Saber the right way or help him get his act in order. You're dismissed."

  ***

  The navigator called out, "Still in alignment. As long as we don't have an asteroid big enough to disturb us, we should be perfect. Helm, take us in."

  The intercom blared out. "Ship is in alignment for sleeve connection. All hands brace for minor scraping impacts. Ship's thrusters forward slow."

  The helmswoman said, "Thrusters ahead slow. Initiating thrusters now."

  The navigator continued to watch through the scope at the alignment. It was a tricky maneuver to take the Space Rescue One and place it around the Excelsior like a belt. It was sometimes called "sneaking up" because that was what it resembled. The Space Rescue One was approaching from the Excelsior's stern. The Excelsior would soon be inside the Space Rescue One's hollow center.

  Then one of the rescue teams would collar the Excelsior to the Space Rescue One. From that point on, the Space Rescue One would provide propulsion and steering for both ships. About the only bad thing about it for some of the Excelsior's passengers was that they wouldn't be able to see anything other than the Space Rescue One's hull through their portholes while the two ships were connected.

  ***

  "Clarke, are you going to support me in documenting Richard's drinking problem so I can remove him from the team as a menace?" Dickson asked.

  "No, Chief, I'm not. If it weren't for him, Shelly wouldn't be alive. I can't fault a man's drinking when he does the right thing otherwise. I drink some myself," Clarke answered.

  "So do I, but neither of us drinks like Richard," Chief Dickson said.

  "I still can't do it to him, Chief. He hasn't done anything wrong while we're on the job. I just can't do it. Maybe if he didn't pull his weight, Chief, I could."

  ***

  The navigator said, "Excelsior slipping through. Alignment still looks AOK."

  The helmswoman said, "Speed remains constant."

  "Excelsior one-quarter through," said the navigator.

  The helmswoman called out, "Slowing down now."

  ***

  "Aren't you going to ask me, Chief?" Laumer asked.

  "No, Technician Laumer. I hardly think that you'd be willing to considering the circumstances less than an hour ago," Dickson answered.

  "You're right. I won't support you in harming the man who did his best to save my life. Even by not supporting you, I still haven't repaid the debt I owe him."

  "Well, I don't fault you for thinking that way. Maybe if it was me he saved, I might think that way, too. However, if he causes one of us to be hurt or killed later, you're going to be just as guilty as his drinking."

  ***

  The navigator said, "Excelsior coming to three-quarters point."

  The helmswoman stated, "Applying retro-thrusters. Brace for possible impact."

  "Relative speed near zero," stated the navigator.

  The helmswoman exclaimed, "It's going to be gentle!"

  Someone shouted, "Yeah!" which was picked up on the intercom.

  ***

  "Effective today, you're on the wagon. You take one drink, I'm putting documentation forward to have you dismissed from the service," Dickson said.

  "You don't have the right to order me to quit drinking, Chief," Richard replied.

  "You want to bet? Either you follow this order or we'll take it to the old man. You can be dismissed for insubordination just as easily as for drinking. You can even get jail time for it —unless you want to quit the team voluntarily. I can always get you space on the Excelsior, you know. Then you can drink all you want since you won't be my problem. Now which is it going to be?"

  There was a gentle bump.

  "We've docked around the Excelsior now, Richard. You don't have much time to decide. We'll have hatches aligned shortly. If you want to quit so you can drink, then the Excelsior's got plenty on board," Dickson said.

  Chapter 2

  The intercom blared, "Attention all Space Rescue One personnel. This is a priority alert scramble. Freighter in distress. Repeat, this is a priority alert scramble."

  Richard entered the Ready Area. Chief Dickson and Shelly were already there dressing and talking.

  Dickson asked, "You want to go on a date when we get back? There's a new cloneo showing. It's a Stallone-Willis-Gable adventure using the latest computer cloning imagery."

  "I guess so, Isaac," Laumer answered.

  "What's the freighter's problem?" Richard asked.

  Chief Isaac Dickson turned toward Richard. "Cargo spill breached the engine rooms. She's using battery power for life support."

  "What kind of cargo spill?" Richard asked.

  "Corn. Nothing hazardous to handle. Flex suits should be sufficient for the task," Dickson answered.

  "How soon will we reach her?" asked Richard.

  "Less than an hour. She left Earth only a few hours ago," the Chief answered.

  Laumer said, "And already in trouble. Well, this should prove interesting to see. Any idea how the corn got into the engine rooms?"

  "They didn't say. All I know is that they shut down their engines to prevent a fire hazard. Then they called us," Isaac replied.

  ***

  "Western Pride to Space Rescue One. We see you approaching. This is Captain Pern speaking. My crew is unable to reach the engine rooms to clear them. Can you take some of my cargo on board?"

  "This is Captain Shortner of the Space Rescue One. That's a negative, Western Pride. We can only assist you on emergency matters. Your cargo is your business. Ours is rescue. What can we do to assist you?"

  Pern asked, "Can you give us a tow back to port then? We don't have anywhere to move the cargo that's in the engine rooms."

  "Captain Pern, I don't understand. Why can't you put the cargo back in the hold it came from?" Shortner replied.

  "We can't because it expanded. Didn't they brief you on our cargo?" replied Pern.

  "We were told you're carrying corn."

  Pern exclaimed, "Damn bureaucrats can't get anything straight. Okay, excuse me for getting upset. Well, for your information, it's not just corn. It's popping corn. The storage hold nearest the engines overheated when one of the engine shields was removed for inspection. A massive amount of the corn popped, breaking and spilling through the inner hatches. That's how it got into the engine rooms. Thank goodness it went there first since that gave us time to react. If the hull had ruptured instead, we'd all be dead now. At least we had a chance this way. We were damn lucky to get the engines shut down before any of the popcorn caught fire."

  "Then you can't get to your engine room at all now?" asked Shortner.

  "No sir. We've got popcorn in just about every cabin and hallway possible. I just hope that keeping the engines shut off will prevent a fire from starting. If one does, we might not all survive since not everyone can reach their suits."

  "I understand. We'll begin our approach from behind to tow your ship."

&n
bsp; "You still don't know the whole story. This is a new ship design, complete with all new problems, which was what necessitated the inspection. Our engines are non-standard and larger than what you're used to dealing with. You can't sneak up on us from behind for a sleeve connection. You'll have to tow us some other way," Captain Pern said.

  "Okay, standby. I'll coordinate with my Rescue Team Chiefs to get some ideas. Have your personnel with suits ready to evacuate in case you do have a fire," Shortner replied.

  ***

  "Why not jettison some of the cargo? We could open their outer hatch for them since they can't reach it. I guess we could go in, bag some of it up, and then toss it out to ease the strain on their hull," Chief Dickson said.