Lagrange Calling by Doug J. Cooper

Author:Doug J. Cooper [Cooper, Doug J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Two days after a trouble-free slingshot maneuver around Earth, Cuss and Eve watched breathlessly as the Star Chaser approached, the supply ship materializing behind them from the void of space, synchronizing with the Nelly Marie, and then attaching with a metallic clunk. Even though it was called a pusher, it connected to the side of their ship, allowing both sets of drives to work together to propel them ever faster through space.

A gray flexible conduit snaked out from the Star Chaser and clenched over the Nelly Marie’s main hatch, sealing around it and creating an airtight passageway between the two. The display on the wall near Cuss’s shoulder turned green to signal that the conduit was holding pressure. He cracked the hatch and pulled it open.

They behaved like schoolchildren, laughing, jostling each other, competing to be the first one across. Cuss let Eve win. It seemed important to her. Lights came on when they entered the craft. It was cool enough that Cuss could see his breath.

“I’ve raised the temperature,” Ygo told him. “It will take a few minutes to warm up.”

Cuss didn’t have any experience with supply ships. They weren’t needed for short hops from Lagrange to Earth or the Moon, trips measured in hours. He did have experience with delivery vessels that would chase him down to transfer a package or person. But those were quick exchanges and then the chase ship was gone. He’d never left the Nelly Marie to visit one.

Star Chaser had the feel of a warehouse: open space dominated by a shelving system holding crates and cylinders and flexible sacks. But here, the shelves had a vertical organization, with everything accessed from a ladder that ran up the center of the ship.

There was gravity in Star Chaser, the same as in the Nelly Marie. It was created by the Paulson drives, which were accelerating both ships at just over one gee, creating a downward force on everything. On the Nelly Marie, that force held them to the ship’s decks, letting them walk about. On the Star Chaser, it meant they had to climb the ladder to reach the different shelves.

Eve started up the rungs. “Yell if you find the pod.”

He stepped onto the ladder, but instead of going up or down, he took a moment to understand what he was looking at. The shelves at this level held custom crates, storage units curved at the back so they could snug against the Star Chaser’s round hull. A tab on the outside categorized the contents. He found one labeled C. Abbott. Another for E. Boucher. Several were labeled Misc.

“Those are mine,” said Ygo.

“Nice,” Cuss whispered. The neutral labeling saved them from having to reveal Ygo’s corporeal existence. The issue burned bright, however. Eve knew him as the ship’s AI. And with every passing day, it became that much more awkward explaining why they hadn’t revealed his presence earlier.

“This is it?” she exclaimed from above. “You’re kidding.”

Hearing the disappointment in her voice, he climbed up to see for himself.

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.