Battlecruiser Alamo_Depth Charge by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publisher
Published: 2017-12-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

 Salazar reached for the controls, gently guiding the submersible through the waters of the subsurface ocean, eddies and currents tossing him around, rocking him back and forth. It had rapidly become apparent that almost none of the quick-reactions to which he was accustomed would be worth anything in this environment. A far gentler touch was needed. Most of the systems and controls were at least based on shuttle models, so he was familiar with the designs, the details, but the readouts and reports were beyond him.

 Likewise, the control software, littered with errors and warnings despite Harper and every hacker on the ship working overtime in a bid to get them to work. Getting the blueprints had only been a part of it, and they hadn’t managed to obtain the usual control software. Basic systems were one thing, the life support working just fine with the same design specifications on a shuttle, but the control functions, the handling, all of that was compromised.

 The sensors were less problematic. Quinn had simply bolted a pair of under-ice probes to the unit, one of them rigged to detach at the touch of a button to allow them to monitor a specific area when necessary, though the range was far more limited than anything Salazar was used to. Fundamentally, he’d be probing an environment the like of which he had never seen before, and his thoughts were filled with a heady mix of anticipation and dread at the prospect.

 “Is this a bad time?” Foster asked, sticking her head through the curtain, throwing the light from the ship beyond into the cramped cockpit.

 “Come and have a seat,” Salazar said, his eyes remaining on the controls. “I’m just trying to get the feel of the beast, as best I can. Which is far from easy given the circumstances. We’re guessing about far more details than I feel really comfortable with, but I don’t think we’ve got much of a choice.” Glancing at his watch, he added, “Unless there’s been a change nobody told me about, we’re scheduled to depart in twenty-four hours.”

 Looking at the simulation report, she asked, “Why aren’t you working through any malfunction tests?”

 “If it’s a problem with the lifesystem, I can probably fix it based on what I know already. If it’s anything else, I’m dead. We’re having trouble getting everything else to work, and once I hit the water, there’s no way for me to leave the ship. I’m working on the assumption that she’ll hold together long enough for me to pull this off and get back again.” He smiled, and added, “You should have been here for the parachute tests. I’m pretty sure I can hit the target, but we won’t know until we get down to the surface.” Gesturing at the screen, he added, “All of this is just extrapolation. Anything might be down there.”

 “Who are you taking with you?” she asked.

 “I don’t know. I haven’t had time to think about that yet. Bartlett, maybe, or Harper.”

 “What about me?”

 “Are you volunteering?”

 “I guess I am,” she said, sliding into the seat next to him.

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