Daedalus Leo by Robert G. Williscroft

Author:Robert G. Williscroft
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fresh Ink Group
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

LEO—ORBIT SHIFT

By now, I had sufficient oxygen to make several trips around the globe, but my bladder bag was filling, and I had already tested the capacity of my astronaut diapers. It was definitely time to go home.

“Tiger, this is Control.” It was the Master Chief again.

“What’s up, Master Chief?”

“Nothin ain’t easy,” he said. “Your successful rendezvous and burn were not entirely successful. You can’t make Houston on your present path.”

“Well…sheeit!” I said. I really wanted to do that landing. “Master Chief,” I said after a minute of thought, “check with Houston, but I think we might be able to adjust my orbit. I got a bunch of pressurized oxygen up here with the manifold pointed to the rear. I got the nearly full kick thruster and my TBH boots with two spare sets.”

“Well…” Master Chief Boldt was obviously skeptical.

“I can do another orbit or two if we have to. We still have half-a-day before night sets over Houston.”

“Tiger, this is Houston Flight Control. I need a complete inventory of what you have up there. SWIC Flight Control, give me the mass and dimension parameters for the items on Tiger’s inventory.”

My part was easy. “The pallet with a partially used kick thruster; four oxygen tanks, just an RCH under six-hundred-eighty atmospheres; the TBH boots I’m wearing and two fully charged extra pairs; my spacesuit with fully charged pack; the Gryphon-10 with fully charged thruster.” I also listed the hand tools Senior Chief Baxter had attached to the pallet.

“Houston…” It was the Master Chief. “I’m calling you on a secure line.”

I knew what this was all about. NASA is a sieve when it comes to classified material, and Gryphon-10 carried a classification above Top Secret. Capt. Nelson would be bending some ears at NASA to ensure the confidentiality of our project.

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