P.S.S. Stardust

Chapter Eight

© 2012 Mr. David R. Dorrycott

“I have a fire alarm in the reactor room” Robert Carson yelled. He was NASA’s chosen Mission Commander for this six month mission aboard the private space station known by all as TIN CAN but still referred to by NASA as the International Space station. Around him the young girls he had been forced to bow down to started working faster than he had ever seen any NASA controller move. To his right the main screen changed from a view of STARDUST to the reactor room. It was already filled with steam, steam that the readouts warned was radioactive enough to kill anyone not protected and even then too dangerous to remain exposed more than a few seconds.

“No response from Patty or Jessica” a cute young housecat announced. “Orders Captain.”

Robert started to answer when he remembered that his rank might be Captain but that housecat wasn’t asking him anything.

“Abandon ship” the mouse Sandra ordered. She turned to Robert, staring at the man as though he was a child himself. “Get your people to your to the Soyuz’s and get out of here now” yelled. Her voice told him she wasn’t in the mood to argue still...

“What about you girls” he asked, having to know. There were only two Soyuz craft docked to the station at any one time, they could only hold three people each, they were in between Constellation and Dragon launches.

Pressing a control the mouse brought STARDUST back into view. “That’s our lifeboat. She can hold twenty two for years now go. I’ve already lost two women, I won’t lose anymore.”

Giving the woman, he no longer thought of this crew as girls, a salute Captain Robert Carson hurried to his assigned craft. He met the rest of his crew at the docking ports, most already buckling in. “What about the children” a blond woman asked him.

“Maggy, there are no children on this crew. TIN CAN’s crew is headed to STARDUST. With luck the survivors will be fine until rescue craft can arrive.”

“Survivors?” the woman asked, shock on her face.

“Patty and Jessica were in the reactor compartment when it blew. They managed to clear the airlock and get it closed, from the inside” He grabbed his co-worker and shoved her into the waiting craft, pulling activating the hatch closing procedures as he entered himself.

Aboard STARDUST another problem had just occurred. As the countdown reached ignition instead of the computer displaying mission complete the twelve girls aboard both felt and heard the engines ignite. Gilda and Elizabeth immediately hit their respective engine cut-off switches to no avail. Looking at each other in shock it was the rabbit Elizabeth that activated their radio first.

“TIN CAN we have a problem” she announced, pleased when her Commander shook off the shock and started running system checks. Every second that those ion engines ran meant hours returning to the correct orbit., Hours and wasted fuel.

“STARDUST, this is TIN CAN. You are on course and at projected acceleration, Godspeed” came the answer as Sandra’s face came onto the screen. “All according to plan, we are lighting our own fire now that our visitors are gone, its Lunar orbit for us.”

“What are you talking about” Gilda almost screamed, nothing on her board was working and she had been forced to turn off the intercom as everyone on her crew had questions.

“Calm down” the mouse ordered. “I had a message from the old man just minutes before this place supposable went up like a bomb. I’m sending it to you, don’t do anything but enjoy the ride until you listen to it understand?”

Gilda bit her upper lip in annoyance, looked at the dead control panel and shrugged. An ion engine, even the six that STARDUST was fitted with didn’t move a craft fast, they just kept moving the craft. “Deal, what about you? You said something about Luna?”

“Right, a moment.” Sandra could be seen working on her keyboard a moment, “Okay file should be in your inbox. Seem’s the Government in its infinite glory decided to steal this station and your ship from the old man, the video clip is short but self explanatory. Its also going to the worlds news stations so that someone will air it. We were going to be dragged back dirtside and shoved into kindergarten. Well basically that’s what it sounded like. Apparently the old man had a plan, and it worked. We fooled the adults into abandoning the station and now they can’t return. So you’re going to Mars, we are going to Luna and start a colony there. See you in twenty or so years, I’ll be waiting with a real bottle of brandy I snuck up, I wanna hear all your adventure stories first hand girl.”

Gilda’s screen shut down then, to be replaced by a blinking ready button. Curious the vixen reached up to press that imaginary button on the touch-screen. Seconds later she was watching the video from Landers private office and listening to the entire conversation while fighting not to lose her temper. Quickly though the short video ended, leaving a moment when Gilda thought the message was over. Then the screen brightened again showing an aged wolf with a much younger stag standing behind him.

“Message three” the wolf announced, not looking at the camera yet. Finally turning his attention to his captive audience the wolf managed a weak smile. “Ladies, I am Kirby Joe Landers or as you have been referring to me, the Old Man. I never minded that by the way, I kind of liked it actually. Very well, if you are hearing this message it means that your blessed damn fool government has decided to step in. There are actually seven of these messages, it is my sincere hope that you get number one.”

He paused, taking several breaths from what appeared to be an oxygen mask before speaking again. “Get as old as I am and expect your lung to work like they do now. Okay, like I said, the Government has decided to take over. If they come in person I’ll send you a copy of the meetings video. If not you’ll just have to guess. Right now you are under thrust, you are headed outwards bound.”

He paused to take several breaths again. “STARDUST mission is to visit Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. After that you make your own rules. TIN CAN, your to enter Lunar orbit and set up a colony. You will find supplies on Mare Orientale. Your command to access all files regarding your mission is SANDBUG. That is S A N D B U G. All capitals and one word. STARDUST will need you up and running when she comes home, so please Sandra do a good job.”

More oxygen, much more this time Gilda noted. “STARDUST, Gilda there is a lot of supplies waiting on and orbiting Phobos. You could start a colony three but the whole plan is to have all twenty-four of you together. It’s a biological equation you see. TIN CAN can’t make it from Earth orbit to Mars, so my options were really limited. In either case there may not be a civilized Earth to come back to. STARDUST your command code is QUEENBEE, that’s Q U E E N B E E, all one word. Good luck to all of you, now I have more of these damn videos to make. Jerry?”

At his name the stag reached down and shut off the feed leaving the screen black. Gilda looked over to her co-pilot. “You saw, what do we do” she asked softly.

“I always wanted to see Mars” the rabbit answered. “Not the inside of a public middle school.”

“Mars it is then” the vixen agreed. Turning to her keyboard she entered the code given her. Almost instantly the ships control board lit back up while at the same time files opened on the main view screen. That she hadn’t bothered to ask the rest of her crew what they wanted didn’t bother Gilda, she was the ships Captain, it was her job to make the tough decisions. Turning to face Elizabeth she grinned. “Check our course, how long a burn do we need for initial Mars insertion.”

“Aye aye Captain.”