Ancient Birthright (30 page)

Striker introduced Anika to the rest of the crew, and Anika reciprocated by introducing Nadya, Katya, Dantee, and Reedn.

“Nadya, would you take me to your injured crewman, so I can examine him?” Becca pulled equipment cases out of storage and handed several to Nadya.

The two maneuvered back through the tunnel connecting the ships, relieving some of the overcrowding on the
Endeavour’s
mid-deck.

Rishly, Anika, Katya and Tuuan moved to the flight deck where Rishly gave the two newcomers a tour of the flight controls and the glass cockpit.

Beldon and Cindy explained the function of objects and crew stations located in the mid cabin to Dantee and Reedn, while Striker floated back into a corner and observed the interaction between the two species.

“You have different food from Russians?” Reedn asked.

“I think it must be dissimilar. We’re from countries located on opposite sides of Earth with diverse cultures and tastes, so the food would be different,” Cindy told him.

“What is a country?” Dantee asked.

“There are a lot of ways to answer that question. For now let’s say a country is a large group of humans who live by a set of written laws and moral standards,” Beldon said.

“What are moral standards?” Dantee wanted to know next.

“I was afraid this was going to get complicated,” Beldon said. “Colonel Striker, anytime you want to jump in and answer her questions, I’d be grateful.”

Striker floated over to join the group. “Morals are the day to day rules we live by. It’s the little lessons your mom and dad teach you when you’re young. They teach you the accepted way to act around others so that everyone can live in harmony.”

“How is your food different from the Russians?” Reedn asked.

“He is hungry again. It’s his way of getting food to stuff in mouth, and not be able to get back on ship to go home to
Universe Explorer
,” Dantee told them.

“Beldon pulled open the food storage locker. What do you think, vegetables or something more substantial?” he asked Cindy.

“Let’s try peas or green beans, since we don’t know much about their dietary requirements,” Cindy answered.

Beldon took out a tube of peas and handed it to Cindy to hydrate and warm in the microwave for a few seconds. She then passed it to Reedn. “Try this. Put the tube in your mouth and squeeze the bag to force the mashed peas out.”

Reedn’s eyes widened with surprise, as he got his first taste of American astronaut food. His facial coloration transitioned to the pale yellow of pleasure while he continued to suck and squeeze the pouch. “Big time better than Russian. Dantee, you try?” he asked as he passed the pouch to Dantee.

“Striker, get over here,” screamed Becca from the Russian ship.

#

Striker’s head cleared the Russian ship’s airlock. “What’s wrong?”

Becca told him, “We found Iosif in the cockpit when we came to check on him. He’s dead. I think the months of inactivity and his injuries combined to cause massive system failure, maybe even a heart attack when he exerted himself to get in here.”

Striker pulled his body into the crowded cockpit and saw Becca and Nadya examining the control consoles. Anika grabbed his foot from behind and yanked him backward out of the way, and squirmed in to take his place.

“Where did you find him?” she asked Nadya.

“There by the flight engineer console.”

Striker watched Anika study the console, and then pull her torso down to look under it.

“He reconnected the wires to the nuclear weapon and started the count down. If what he told us is correct, we have less than ten minutes before the weapon detonates, but I wouldn’t want to bet the rest of my life on that information,” Anika said.

“Grab what you can, especially food, water, clothing and any functional spacesuits. We need to separate the ships and get as far away as possible,” Striker ordered as he watched Becca scramble back to the American ship, shoving medical equipment cases ahead of her.

Anika and Nadya propelled Iosif’s body out of the way and dove through the hatch. Anika started freeing the spacesuits taped to the damaged bulkhead while Nadya emptied food and water packs into duffel bags.

Anika shoved the spacesuits toward Striker, who then stuffed them into the airlock tunnel. She was pulling jump suits from lockers when they heard a loud click from the rear bulkhead.

“Let’s go, move, move!” yelled Striker as he pushed the mass of flight suits and helmets into
Endeavour
.

Anika and Nadya stuffed the bags of food through the opening as fast as Striker and Beldon could take them. Anika shoved Nadya through, turned to close the outer airlock door on the Russian ship before she bulleted into Striker’s body, and sent both of them spinning into the padded equipment racks behind him. Beldon closed both of
Endeavour’s
airlock doors.

“Airlock secure,” he reported

“Docking clamps released. We’re free of the Russian ship,” Cindy called.

“Firing thrusters, Cindy, keep an eye on the PTO so we don’t lose it. I’ll roll the
Endeavour
one hundred-eighty degrees when we’re clear of the Russian craft,” Rishly said.

“…Roll maneuver complete. Bring the PTO in and lock it in the docking clamps.”

“Roger, moving the PTO into position,” Cindy pushed a button on the robotic arm control computer to have the system reverse the last series of commands that had stowed the PTO.

Striker watched over her shoulder as the video display showed the smaller craft move into position over the docking module.

The docking clamp light turned green.

“PTO locked in the docking clamps,” Cindy reported to Rishly. “Docking seal pressurized.”

“I’m going to use the orbital maneuvering pods to give us some separation. You better get one of the luzzons into their ship in case it breaks free,” Rishly said.

Striker turned in time to see Dantee disappear through the airlock.

“PTO pilot is aboard the ship,” Striker reported.

“Watch the robot arm strain gauges. If the pressure gets too high you’ll have to unlock the docking ring and push the PTO clear before you release the arm’s manipulator clamp.”

“OMP ignition, throttling up,” Rishly said.

“One mile from the Russian ship,” reported Becca.

“Two miles… Three miles… Four Miles…”

“Robot arm strain gauge shows the arms approaching its failure point,” Cindy called.

“Throttling back.”

“Six miles from the Russian ship, opening rate two-hundred-fifty mph… Nine miles… Fifteen miles… We should be clear of the blast zone.”

The video camera on the robot arm flared to white, and then shut down to protect its video sensor.

“I’m rotating the ship to point the tail at the explosion to block as much radiation as I can,” Rishly explained as he pivoted the
Endeavour
a few degrees. “OMP unplanned cut out. That’s it on our fuel. Our tanks are empty.”

“Twenty-five miles from the explosion, four-hundred-eighty mph opening speed,” Becca reported.

“Is the docking seal intact?” asked Striker.

“Docking seal is inflated and holding pressure, the docking tunnel is pressurizing,” Cindy told him.

The three Russians floated over. “Is Dantee okay?” Nadya asked.

The airlock opened, and Dantee floated out studying her handheld radiation analyzer. “We are being fine. Got us a good dose of gamma rays, but only short time. Little bit of neutrons.”

“We will be fine,” Nadya corrected automatically.

“Okay to head for
Universe Explorer
?” Dantee asked Striker.

“We used the last of our fuel to get away from the explosion. We’re stranded unless you can move
Endeavour
with your ship,” Striker told her.

“No problem. I bringed you a radio so we can talk between ships. I go plot course and start engine. Then let’s kick this pi—”

“Dantee, what did I tell you about using that phrase and the word is ‘brought, I brought you a radio’,” Nadya said.

“Okay
mom
, I’m sorry. I’ll watch my language,” Dantee said hanging her head.

Striker saw she had a smile on her face that she made sure Nadya couldn’t see.

The little imp is doing it deliberately.

Dantee headed back to her ship. “Ready to set course for the
Universe Explorer
?” she called over the small radio she’d given Striker. “Stand by, let me check with Major Rishly,” Striker, Anika and Tuuan crowded into the command deck.

“Dantee wants to know if we are ready to head for the
UE
?” Striker asked Rishly.

“The sooner, the better, but how can she do that with the PTO clamped to the docking ring and her engine exhaust pointed at our tail. She’ll burn it off.”

“No, won’t burn ship. Only few atoms of metals come out of engine. Thrust from ionized steam. When cool, we get back and use again that why engine so long.”

Striker looked to Anika to see if she understood what Tuuan was saying.

“From the explanation we got from Dantee and Tuuan, their engines reaction mass is from superheated steam generated by a chemical reaction. The steam is ionized. Once it has propelled the ship it cools in the engine exhaust chamber where it is attracted to the walls of the engine and absorbed for recycle. The only thing that is expelled from the engine exhaust is a minute amount of aluminum used to catalyze the reaction,” Anika told them.

“Dantee we’re ready to head for the
Universe Explorer
,” Striker called over the radio.

“Aligning attitude to calculated datum.” The linked ships slowly began to shift attitude. “Engine coming online, now,” she reported over the radio in a deeper almost mature sounding voice that had to be her attempt to mimic an older person.

Striker could feel the push from the thrust moving him toward the rear bulkhead.

“Tell me if my ship is causing too much strain on mountings.”

Striker moved to the mid deck and asked Cindy to monitor the robot arm strain gauge as Dantee added power. He handed her the radio so she could communicate directly with Dantee.

Twenty minutes later, Cindy and Dantee had agreed to a stable throttle setting that left the robot arm well within safe operating limits and didn’t seem to be putting too much strain on the docking coupling.

Dantee opened the airlock and joined the others in the mid deck cabin. “Ship say we will get to
UE
in about a year since we have enough aluminum to use engine continuously.”

“I hope the CO
2
scrubbers can handle the load of eight humans and three luzzons,” Striker said.

“My ship not need scrubber. Ship breathes in bad air and breaths out good.”

The humans stopped talking and stared at Dantee.

Becca regained her voice first. “…So if we rig up some way to circulate the air into the PTO ship, it could remove the carbon dioxide and supply us with oxygen?”

“Is true. We just needs to feed PTO ship.”

“What do you feed it?” Striker asked.

“Waste, poopy, any stuff you don’t want. Put in waste-recycle, it feeds ship and provides makeum stuff for food system, and we get cakes, water, and sweet drink,” Dantee said.

“Holy molly, your ships are a comprehensive substitute for everything we do with separate machines. Hydroponics, air scrubbers, water recycle, waste collection, and waste treatment systems all in one integrated organic entity,” Rishly said from the flight deck hatch.

“I think you be right on, bro,” Dantee said as she held up a clenched fist for a bump.

“At least she can’t watch anymore of those stupid American movie DVDs we had on our ship. Thankfully they went up in the explosion,” Nadya said. “All three of the little ones were getting way too attached to human television. And please, watch your language. Dantee is making it her quest to learn every cuss word and phrase in two languages.”

“What could we use for pumping air into the PTO?” Striker asked the group.

“We could strip some of the ducting out of the environmental system. If we mounted an equipment cooling fan to the end of the duct sections, we could blow the air through the airlock and into the PTO,” Becca suggested.

“Let’s give it a try.” Rishly began removing access panels to reach the plastic ducts. “Beldon, would you begin transferring the compressed waste packages to the PTO. We might as well make sure it’s well fed.”

Striker, Nadya, and Anika moved to the flight deck.

Striker strapped himself into the command couch. “I hope the cramped quarters don’t cause us to kill each other before we arrive at the
Universe Explorer
.”

Anika locked the seat belt on the co-pilot’s couch. “We will do what we must. At least we don’t have to worry that the ship will crack open at any moment.”

Nadya settled in one of the mission specialist positions. She had just tightened the lap belt when Dantee and Reedn pulled through the hatch against the slight artificial gravity caused by acceleration.

“Tuuan in PTO helping Beldon and Cindy move wastey stuff. Rishly soul says we in the way. To come here with you,” Reedn said with a monstrous yawn.

“I think someone needs a little nap.” Nadya pulled Reedn to her chest, where he wriggled into a comfortable position.

“Human girls make good nappy pillows,” mumbled Reedn while patting Nadya’s breast as his eyes drooped.

“Boys is useless. All they want to do is eat and sleep. I’m not tired,” Dantee said as she dangled from the back of Anika’s acceleration couch.

“Come and sit in my lap. You are going to get tired arms hanging on back there,” Anika told Dantee.

Dantee, with Anika’s help, climbed over the back of the chair and settled in her lap.

Striker watched Dantee examine the cockpit controls and banks of switches and circuit breakers. It took almost three minutes for her to find a comfortable position and fall asleep.

“So much for not being tired,” whispered Striker.

“They are so intelligent, I sometimes forget how young they are and how much sleep they need. From what Dantee has told me, these three are definitely not the norm in luzzon babies. It sounds like they do develop faster than human children, especially in physical development.”