When the Sun Turns to Darkness

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Ten

To sleep, perchance to dream?

Rebecca Wilkins struggled to get into her new suit. Though there was some nameless female face helping her into it everything seemed off. Getting plugged into its plumbing had been more embarrassing than she wanted to admit. Letting someone else slide that tube up into her bladder, then pump its tiny balloon up so it wouldn't fall out. That'd been... She blushed again at the thought, wondering what the woman who'd done it had thought of her hairless condition. Home hair removal kits were old hat, she'd had one for years. Still had it in her gear. Had plans for its use later. Someone sat a helmet on her, breaking her flow of warm thoughts.

"How do you read me" a young male voice asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Little loud, fine otherwise" she reported.

"Volume control's on your chest this model, right side. Green knob. Turn it toward your heart to lower the volume."

She located the knob, adjusting her radio to a more comfortable position. "Got it."

"Fine" he answered, his voice lower now. "This is a command suit Mam. Its not set up for work. Don't stress anything too much. It’s a bit fragile. Your umbilical hooks into your right side. There's attachment points for lanyards all over. Don't get carried away, one.. Two are all you need. Any more and it could be your life if we have to get you outta there fast."

"Got it, stay out of everyones way, don't get into heavy bondage and I'll be fine."

A strong laugh answered her. "You got it Mam. See you when you unsuit." She watched the young man turn away, already starting to help someone else unsuit before she'd left. A gloved hand grabbed her arm, it was Blanca. "Time to go boss" the Latino informed her. Following her third Rebecca reentered the confusion that was Docking Bay One.

Sic hours later she was done in. But the job was complete. Nothing remained outside those clamshell doors but space. At least for now. Two last BDB’s were scheduled to launch in three hours. They would arrive vwhile she was asleep. "That's it, pack it in everyone" Rebecca ordered. Though a great deal of Shuttle Bay One still needed work her troops were exhausted. Around her figures floated slowly, too exhausted to more than drift towards the airlocks waiting for them. She closed her own workstation, the Pentium III notebook shutting itself off even as she lowered its screen. Vacantly she wondered what Bill Gates was thinking. Almost none of his so called software was aboard the ship. At least not on the official systems. Her own laptop was running Lynix, what this one ran she hadn't had time to check but it wasn't Microsoft or any other MS language. "Bill Gates" she laughed, "Multi-million dollar mansion, Trophy wife, world wide empire, world class ass-hole and no ticket to ride. So Billy boy, what are you thinking?"

"He's probably thinking he'd like to kick your lily white ass off and take your place Mam" a deep voice answered her.

Shocked she looked up to find that every space suit was facing her way. "Okay fine, I deserved that" she laughed weakly. "Next time I turn off the radio first. And for the record I'm not white. I'm Japanese-Welsh. Neither race is considered white. Now go home and get eight. We'll have more work balancing our load when we get up." Some of the figures waved her way, but they all turned back, heading 'home' just a little faster.

She looked around herself, careful to shut off her transmitter this time. Parts of shuttle DISCOVERY could be seen everywhere. Bright green painted metal shown in the middle of dark black burns. Cables hung, carefully tied off with tiny flags telling the next crew of their use, importance and condition. Where once a gaping hole into space yawned now was a patchwork wall that shown almost a dozen different colors. She'd sacrificed two BDB's along with DISCOVERY. The shuttles nose poked out where Bay one's control tower had once stood, her proud name still visible. Though no one had overruled her she felt in her gut that once everything was stabilized she'd be making more than just excuses.

"Hell Becky" she told herself after double checking that her radio was off. "Your a dumb little tinygirl wanna be spacecadet scared of flying. Now here we are running a repair crew like we'd been doing it all our life." She giggled in her exhaustion. "Guess all those late night Traveler role playing sessions made a difference after all." Reaching down she released the cable that for the last hours had secured her to Bay One's outer hull. Pushing off she drifted slowly through the packed bay. DISCOVERY's engines were carefully secured out of the way near the bays forward clamshell doors as spare parts. Next to them sat ATLANTIS, behind her was CHALLENGER. The other shuttles were packed in Bay Two. Arrayed about her bay were almost a dozen third stages that everyone called BDB's. One had cost one of her men his left leg. She remembered his first name, Frank. She'd have to visit him before she got some sleep. Taking a deep breath Rebecca pushed off from the black fiberglass nose of a BDB. One man mauled, three with various broken bones and everyone bruised or battered. But no deaths. So far, no deaths.

She'd been extremely lucky.

Turning her transmitter back on Rebecca selected her secondary command channel. It was a direct link to the Bridge. "MEO to Bridge. CO or XO available?" She snagged a support bean, its spiderweb surface still coated with a fine layer of carbon from the fire. Carbon that blacked her gloves palm instantly.

"Bridge to MEO. That's a Negative. XO's busy in the forest. CO's asleep. Want me to wake him mam?"

She didn't recognize the voice. Some woman, a whiskey sour voice she automatically connected to Janus Joplin. "No, final report. Bay One's fully operational. Aft clamshells will be sealed by Blue Crew as soon as I re-enter the ship. There's weeks... maybe months of work to go but right now we can use it, its safe and will hold pressure."

"Understood mam. Anything else?"

"No... Wait, yes. Tell the CO I'll see him in nine, unless he want's me sooner."

"Will do. Sleep tight."

"Thanks." She switched her transmitter to the Bay Control Tower frequency, kicked off once more and headed for the nearest airlock. "MEO to Bay One Control. You can sew her up. She's all yours for now Blue Crew."

"Bay One Control to MEO. We copy. And thanks."

She grabbed a stanchion early, well above her target. ‘Need more practice’ she thought, going hand over hand 'down' towards the airlock. Two people waited her arrival, waiting silently while she turned to watch the huge clamshell doors close. Those massive doors with such thin skins too were battered, dinged. Had even been holed by the bomb. When they closed she could feel their vibration through her handhold. Lights that had seemed nearly useless now quietly began flooding the bay with light as a low pressure nitrogen work atmosphere was re-introduced.

Hands on her suit pulled her into the airlock. "Come on Mam" a man's voice announced. "We want to get some sleep too." Exhaustion rolled over her as she nearly collapsed. They held her up, pushed her against a wall of Velcro. Patches on her back held her up nearly as effectively as straps would. Too tired to help, to exhausted to care she let the two strip her of her suit, hustle her from the suit-room and, wearing nothing more than her thin suit overalls drop her into the arms of a security troop. "See she gets home will you corporal" a woman's voice asked.

How she got 'home' she'd never understand, but her next recollection was of Kathleen wiping her body down with a warm wet hand cloth. "You stink" Kathleen remarked.

Rebecca managed to open her eyes. "I thought you married me for my body" she whispered.

"I did" Kathleen agreed. “It sure wasn’t for your money. Look around us. Where is our mansion anyway. No my love, I like your body. But right now it stinks."

"Oh..." Rebecca wanted to say something else but her head was on a pillow, and it was so soft. She barely turned her head before she was asleep.

After she completed bathing her wife Kathleen watched her sleep for a while. Watching the gentle rise and fall of Rebecca’s small breasts seemed to calm the Scotswoman. Finally she pulled a blanket over her ladies nude body then quietly set the safety webbing in place. That way, should they lose gravity for some unknown reason Rebecca wouldn't float more than a few millimeters off the bed. Quietly standing she grabbed the light blue windbreaker she'd been issued a few hours ago. It's back was emblazoned in white with the traditional twin serpents coiled about a staff, it had been given to her as she returned to sickbay. She had an appointment, one she'd rather Rebecca handle. But Rebecca was in no condition to talk to anyone right now. Slipping out she headed for another room. One down deep in the passenger level.