Heaven's Shadow by David S. Goyer, Michael Cassutt
Authors: David S. Goyer, Michael Cassutt
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herself, over and over again, was, Don’t mention your PPK .
If information is received or it is discovered that the personnel of a spacecraft have alighted on the high seas or in any other place not under the jurisdiction of any State, those Contracting Parties which are in a position to do so shall, if necessary, extend assistance in search and rescue operations for such personnel. . . .
ARTICLE 3, AGREEMENT ON THE RESCUE OF ASTRONAUTS,
THE RETURN OF ASTRONAUTS AND THE RETURN OF OBJECTS
LAUNCHED INTO OUTER SPACE (1968)
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Just two hours after the eruption and rescue of Yvonne Hall, Zack Stewart stared at the bland panel of the Venture workstation. Shane Weldon had just told him something he could not believe. Rather, something he could not accept.
Dennis and Lucas had helped Zack carry Yvonne back to Venture , meeting Pogo on the way. Since Dennis was a medical doctor, Zack allowed him into his spacecraft to attend to the injured astronaut. The impact on consumables was negligible, for now. “You two play nicely, okay?” he told Pogo and Lucas.
“Maybe we’ll try to get to step one of the checklist,” Pogo said.
“Both checklists,” Lucas added.
“If you can, but stay very close to the lander.” He feared another eruption.
Wedging three suited spacewalkers into the airlock had been tricky, especially with one of them immobilized. But it had worked. Still wearing his suit, sans helmet, Zack had wormed his way into the main cabin, leaving Tea to assist Dennis with Yvonne.
He grabbed a headset, where he heard Pogo patiently updating Houston on the situation.
“Zack is online,” he announced. Without waiting, he delivered a brief update on Yvonne: alive, badly injured, being attended to by Russian doctor-cosmonaut.
All Weldon could say was, “Copy.” Which surprised Zack, until he heard, “Channel B.”
Switching over to the encrypted link, he expected a torrent of questions from his flight director, not just about Yvonne’s physical condition but also her mental state. But Weldon had another surprise. “We’ve got news from the Home Team. It appears you didn’t land on a NEO.”
Shane Weldon had a dry, deadly sense of humor. No doubt it had come in handy in bars and the grab-ass sessions that were mission operations meetings, but right now it just bugged Zack. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Weldon got serious. “Home Team analyzed the eruptions, which affected Keanu’s traj. It’s now in orbit around Earth. Short version, you landed on a spacecraft.”
Zack’s mind quickly cycled through a whole set of images triggered by that word. Star Wars. Star Trek. All kinds of weird metallic beasts from books and movies and comics, none of them resembling this stark but peaceful snowy landscape.
None of them anything he expected to encounter in his own life. “Good to know,” he said, sounding far more casual and flippant than he felt. “This wasn’t in the mission plans.”
“Copy that. We’re all in uncharted waters.”
“What do you want us to do?” He knew what he wanted to do . . . but Venture didn’t belong to him.
Then Weldon uttered more words Zack never expected to hear from Houston. “Knock on the door. See if anyone’s home.”
Again, Weldon didn’t wait for a response, speaking right through the lag. “You can say no. There’s a lot of sentiment here for packing up and coming home. Flight rules require a mission abort if a crew member becomes incapacitated.
“Our recommendation is, if she’s dying, you come back. If she’s stable, exploration takes priority . . .” The rest of the message, if anything, was lost in a wash of static.
“Wait one.”
Zack turned in time to see Yvonne—out of her suit now, wearing her suit undergarment with the legging cut away—being carried into the cabin by Tea. “Good timing,” Tea said. “How about a hand?”
Together the two of them easily lifted Yvonne up to a hammock. Zack
If information is received or it is discovered that the personnel of a spacecraft have alighted on the high seas or in any other place not under the jurisdiction of any State, those Contracting Parties which are in a position to do so shall, if necessary, extend assistance in search and rescue operations for such personnel. . . .
ARTICLE 3, AGREEMENT ON THE RESCUE OF ASTRONAUTS,
THE RETURN OF ASTRONAUTS AND THE RETURN OF OBJECTS
LAUNCHED INTO OUTER SPACE (1968)
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Just two hours after the eruption and rescue of Yvonne Hall, Zack Stewart stared at the bland panel of the Venture workstation. Shane Weldon had just told him something he could not believe. Rather, something he could not accept.
Dennis and Lucas had helped Zack carry Yvonne back to Venture , meeting Pogo on the way. Since Dennis was a medical doctor, Zack allowed him into his spacecraft to attend to the injured astronaut. The impact on consumables was negligible, for now. “You two play nicely, okay?” he told Pogo and Lucas.
“Maybe we’ll try to get to step one of the checklist,” Pogo said.
“Both checklists,” Lucas added.
“If you can, but stay very close to the lander.” He feared another eruption.
Wedging three suited spacewalkers into the airlock had been tricky, especially with one of them immobilized. But it had worked. Still wearing his suit, sans helmet, Zack had wormed his way into the main cabin, leaving Tea to assist Dennis with Yvonne.
He grabbed a headset, where he heard Pogo patiently updating Houston on the situation.
“Zack is online,” he announced. Without waiting, he delivered a brief update on Yvonne: alive, badly injured, being attended to by Russian doctor-cosmonaut.
All Weldon could say was, “Copy.” Which surprised Zack, until he heard, “Channel B.”
Switching over to the encrypted link, he expected a torrent of questions from his flight director, not just about Yvonne’s physical condition but also her mental state. But Weldon had another surprise. “We’ve got news from the Home Team. It appears you didn’t land on a NEO.”
Shane Weldon had a dry, deadly sense of humor. No doubt it had come in handy in bars and the grab-ass sessions that were mission operations meetings, but right now it just bugged Zack. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Weldon got serious. “Home Team analyzed the eruptions, which affected Keanu’s traj. It’s now in orbit around Earth. Short version, you landed on a spacecraft.”
Zack’s mind quickly cycled through a whole set of images triggered by that word. Star Wars. Star Trek. All kinds of weird metallic beasts from books and movies and comics, none of them resembling this stark but peaceful snowy landscape.
None of them anything he expected to encounter in his own life. “Good to know,” he said, sounding far more casual and flippant than he felt. “This wasn’t in the mission plans.”
“Copy that. We’re all in uncharted waters.”
“What do you want us to do?” He knew what he wanted to do . . . but Venture didn’t belong to him.
Then Weldon uttered more words Zack never expected to hear from Houston. “Knock on the door. See if anyone’s home.”
Again, Weldon didn’t wait for a response, speaking right through the lag. “You can say no. There’s a lot of sentiment here for packing up and coming home. Flight rules require a mission abort if a crew member becomes incapacitated.
“Our recommendation is, if she’s dying, you come back. If she’s stable, exploration takes priority . . .” The rest of the message, if anything, was lost in a wash of static.
“Wait one.”
Zack turned in time to see Yvonne—out of her suit now, wearing her suit undergarment with the legging cut away—being carried into the cabin by Tea. “Good timing,” Tea said. “How about a hand?”
Together the two of them easily lifted Yvonne up to a hammock. Zack
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