Usurper of the Sun by Nojiri Housuke

Author:Nojiri, Housuke [Nojiri, Housuke]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: science.fiction, Fiction
Publisher: Haikasoru/VIZ Media
Published: 2010-11-04T04:00:00+00:00

ACT V: JULY 12, 2026

THE UNSS CHADWICK decoupled from the base station, setting its course for a Mercury approach. Commander Kindersley’s biggest concern was to keep the forty billion dollar ship from being contaminated by the ring material. While scanning the local area with the laser radar system, the commander placed the ship into a five million–kilometer orbit around Mercury. The ship’s gigantic solar shields were pointed toward the sun, allowing only the sensor mast to absorb sunlight due to the intensity of the solar radiation.

The unmanned cargo rocket that carried the two-kilogram probe had already been launched. It was about to cross the path of ring material emanating from Mercury. From her cocoon, Molly kept a close eye on the video being sent back by the cargo rocket. A silver stream of material flowed diagonally across the screen. Although she could not make out individual particles, Molly could see slight gradations of color indicating how quickly the stream flowed. The mass drivers ejected the ring material from the surface of Mercury at a rate of eighty thousand tons per second. Molly was somewhat surprised to see the color of the ring material become lighter as the rocket approached the stream. The material disappeared into the blackness of space once the rocket was inside the flowing sea of ring material.

“It’s like being in fog. You don’t notice when it’s right in front of you and you’re in the thick of it.”

“What was that, Molly?” Anastacia asked.

“Nothing. Just mumbling to myself.”

The probe’s speed relative to the stream was fifty meters per second. The probe detected three thousand collisions per second.

“Let’s go another two hundred kilometers toward the center.”

“Even if it doesn’t hold up to the stress for that long?” Anastacia asked.

“That’s right.”

“I’ve set the course to the waypoint.”

The onscreen image began to deteriorate, and the screen that monitored the rocket’s sensors flooded with warnings. The ring material was consuming the rocket.

“Prepare for separation.”

The screen flickered, finally stopping on a still image with the words “Transmission Error” flashing in red.

“Telemetry readings are still generating. We’ve reached the waypoint. Separation complete. Probe engine firing. Separation signal confirmed.”

“The UNSS Chadwick has successfully completed deployment of the probe,” Commander Kindersley announced to Central Command. “Proceeding with the observation phase.”

Moving along the orbit, the probe entered the flow of material being ejected behind Mercury. The flow of material continued for another five million kilometers before disappearing behind the sun. The probe would record data as it followed the material around the sun back to its starting point.

The visible-light and infrared cameras were linked to the wideangle telescope and set to auto-track mode. All observational systems were functioning normally. The commander breathed a sigh of relief. “Good job, crew. All we can do is sit back and watch. Feel free to relax. You might want to avoid newsfeeds from Earth. I’m guessing we’ll be center stage for a few days. I don’t want your heads to swell.”

“Too bad some people aren’t on our side. And I don’t mean that one presenter who always shows that picture of me with the bad haircut,” Anastacia said.

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