The Ship: Last Voyage: Science Fiction Thriller by Tim L. Rey

Author:Tim L. Rey [Rey, Tim L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: scifi-thriller.com
Published: 2025-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

While Nia and Jack were escorting a grumbling and squirming Mateo away, three floors below—deep in the bowels of the Atlantica—Chief Engineer Nathaniel Cruz pondered the flood control system monitoring the waterlogged sections. Using the integrated sensors, he knew how much seawater was entering through the breach and being pumped back out by the emergency pumps. According to the data, the breach wasn't enlarging—he could say that with high probability after the last few days. However, there were irregularities in the pumping behavior. One pump kept failing, only to restart after some time and work briefly.

It was pump 27KH3.

He didn't like that at all. A malfunction in the pump system had to be fixed immediately. It wasn't just about pump capacity, but the increasing probability of a chain reaction. A fault current in one pump could lead to a fault in another pump, which in turn could cause an error in the control system. Like sepsis in humans. And who knew if the failure of their communication systems wasn't connected to the pump? It made no sense that water pump 27KH3 would cause an error in the communication system, but the Atlantica was such a complex system that he couldn't oversee every connection. So many things were possible. The source of the malfunction had to be eliminated.

Nathaniel checked the database; fortunately, he had a replacement unit.

"So, a replacement," he decided, nodding to himself. It was almost midnight, and he was exhausted after working through the last few days, but there was no choice. The Atlantica needed him now. He could rest when they were in port.

Twenty minutes later, he'd created a repair ticket in the system, gotten a matching replacement pump controller from parts storage, and was pushing it with a colleague on a cart into Engine Room D, where 27KH3 was accessible through an inspection hatch in the floor.

Nathaniel opened his massive toolbox, removed all necessary tools, and laid them out neatly—like a surgeon. Repairing pumps and motors had become like medical work, just on technical components. Endoscopes and other video techniques were used. It was highly complex precision work, which was why he wanted to do it himself.

While Nathaniel prepared the replacement, his colleague prepared the inspection hatch by loosening the eight safety screws with a cordless drill and lifting the heavy cover with its round viewing window. Then he aimed his flashlight beam down into the darkness. The shaft dropped about twelve feet and was barely wider than a man's shoulders. Metal grips built into the wall provided a way down.

About two-thirds of the way down, the pump's neon-colored designation glowed in the lamplight. 27KH3.

"You get to swap that piece of shit," Nathaniel heard his colleague grumble. "I'm not climbing into that tight hole."

"I thought you were into tight holes."

"Yeah, but not those kinds." His colleague decisively crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll go down," Nathaniel said, pointing to the replacement controller. "I'm done with the prep anyway."

"Good. Then I'll assist."

Nathaniel nodded, stepped to the dark hole, and inspected the shaft himself.

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