Impact (Comet Clement series, #7) by George Kevin

Author:George, Kevin [George, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2014-01-03T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“This is Captain Michael Martin, reporting in aboard Shuttle Independence. We’re ready for engine burn on your order, sir,” the space station’s control room radio crackled, the third such pilot reporting in over the last few minutes.

Despite difficult gravity conditions aboard the space station, all three shuttle pilots reacted to Marshall’s orders immediately and made their way to their respective shuttles in minutes.

“Thank you, Captain Martin. All captains aboard the shuttles, hold until I give the order,” President Marshall said.

The former president turned to Lily Edwards, the only other person in the control room. She’d suggested he put this plan into motion despite the potential danger; it was their only option.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Marshall asked, with more than a hint of desperation.

“No, sir, I’m not,” Lily answered honestly, too brutally for Marshall’s liking. “But we’re losing nearly a hundred feet of altitude every few minutes and the gravity field doesn’t seem to be weakening. I am sure the station will crash through the atmosphere if we do nothing.”

“What will be the effect of only three of four shuttles pushing the station? With the fourth damaged, won’t burning three of the engines cause an uneven orbit?” Marshall asked. One of the shuttles was seriously damaged during the final asteroid strike.

“We’ve never considered the possibility of fixing our orbit with just three shuttles so I’m sure there’ll definitely be an issue with drag, which probably won’t help the damage already done to the station,” Lily said. “But I don’t see any way around it. If you want a second opinion before doing anything, I suggest asking Wesley Maddox. He’s the real expert on the space station.”

Lily knew that the plan was the station’s only chance and was positive Maddox would’ve told him the same. But with the president totally flustered and in no frame of mind to lie, now was the best chance Lily would ever have to test him, to see if he’d been the one to give Mansfield the order to keep Maddox in his room during the asteroid strikes. Lily never saw a vindictive side of George Marshall and needed to know if he was so easily willing to order a man’s death.

Marshall didn’t give any indication that he knew about Mansfield’s command. He only used the handheld radio twice since she’d been in the control room and he didn’t seem to have the device turned to the open-channel. As the president turned the dial and pushed the transmit button, Lily hoped this wasn’t an act.

“Peter, are you there?”

“I’m here, sir,” the voice of Peter Mansfield answered right away. He sounded tired and out of breath. “I’m making my way back to the command center but it’s taking a little longer than usual. I’m not used to this gravity. Have all the pilots reached their shuttles?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to rush this rescue operation if it’s not our best chance,” Marshall said.

“Have you and Miss Edwards come up with an alternative that might work better?” he asked.

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