In the Wrong Hands by Edward Gibson

Author:Edward Gibson [Gibson, Edward]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780553295672
Google: ShSSA4zmh2kC
Amazon: 0553295675
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1992-04-02T06:00:00+00:00

tJOO

FLEE

At times, nature provides logic difficult to refute—stark terror.

26

nm

abort

“It did a victory roll, two of’em just as it lifted off—just like you did in the simulator!”

Ears heard. Brain received. Mind questioned.

A roll?

Joe scrutinized the horizon. Clear. Static. Lifeless. In the vacuum of space, the dust, like the LADS that’d just lifted off, had not lingered.

“Joe, you’re back up to seventy feet. Land!"

Intellect reviewed. Neurons recoiled. A roll. Who in PRECISE would do a roll? Only one person—Otto!

“You’ll run us out of gas. Land!”

“Joe, there’s more dust on the horizon!”

Nerves jolted again. Body froze. Have to land—promises, demands, career—have to land! Cold hands again clinched wet controls. But well never catch up, never stop ’em. No ... no choice. Sorry, world, just one more time.

‘Land!"

Decision made, body loosened. Joe’s fingers slipped off the attitude controller and flipped up a cover to expose one of the few push-buttons left in the cabin that, over the years, hadn’t been swallowed by the keyboard. He pressed it.

—abort—

Currents flowed. Pyros exploded. Bolts disintegrated. Fuel storage, oxygen storage, propulsion system, power supply, landing legs—the whole lower stage of LADS—separated from the upper stage and started a slow . . . relaxed . . . lazy . . . drifting . . . tumble down . . . down toward the lunar surface.

Within the upper stage, intended for solo use only in emergencies, currents also (lowed and the ascent engine ignited. LADS’s cabin, minimal propellant, minimal oxygen, minimal system support, and three crewmen with minima] forethought accelerated straight up.

Hunter rammed his face up to Joe’s. “What the hell did you do?!'

Joe glanced at Hunter. Crimson face. Golf-ball eyes. Guess I finally got him a wee bit excited. Belaxed words slid out. “We aborted.”

*WHY!"

In silence, light exploded below as LADS’s lower stage impacted and its propellant tanks ruptured and ignited.

Joe again took manual control and rolled the spacecraft to face west. “Hunter, give me a minute to get us set up.”

Box’s whisper pierced forward over his shoulder. “Go get ’em, Joe.”

“We hovered too long. We’ll never make it.” Hunter studied his displays. 'It’ll take at least five orbits to catch up to Unity. We’ve got enough oxygen for only three!”

Joe continued LADS’s vertical ascent as he scanned the lunar sky. “We’re not going back to Unity.”

“Then where?”

“Equality.”

‘Equality? But its state vector isn’t in our computer. And we don’t have time to get it!”

“We don’t need it.”

“Don’t need it?”

Joe continued to scan until his eyes found and locked on a bright dot. He pointed. “Hunter, there. We’re looking right up Otto’s nozzle. Set up the rendezvous radar for a passive target, scan, lock on, and give me range and range rate readings.”

Hunter pondered.

“Do it!"

Hunter responded.

“LADS-7, we see your abort! What’re your plans?”

Joe pressed his external comm control. “Karov, we’re going to exercise our only option—rendezvous and dock with Equality. We’ll follow the LADS that just lifted off. We have him in sight. Our thrust-to-weight is much greater than his. We’ll catch up and trail him up to Equality. I request that you call over to their control and get their comm frequency for us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.