Rescue At Vesta by Eaton Dan

Author:Eaton, Dan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Burp!

Bryce’s Stateroom

Benjamin Banneker

July 24, 2046

“Holy crap! What the heck was that?”

Bryce had been sound asleep in his bunk when the entire ship started vibrating, accompanied by a rapid burping sound. That had been enough for him to bolt upright in his bed. Fortunately, the noise and shaking stopped almost as soon as it started. He didn’t need the alarms that started up to tell him to get out of bed. He was already half dressed when the alarms cut off and an announcement came in on the overhead speakers.

“Mr. Burns, report to Engineering. Mr. Burns, report to Engineering.”

Bryce suspected they had problems with the engines. Probably something involving the fuel injectors, since he expected the rapid oscillations the ship had experienced were evidence of flow instabilities. Why such a problem had shown up on the late shift when everything should have been stable was beyond him.

He floated out of the stateroom he shared with a Space Force officer and headed towards the back of the ship and the engineering spaces. He heard the voices before he was even halfway there. The Benjamin Banneker wasn’t a big ship, but Bryce suspected that even on a far larger ship he would hear these voices a long way off. Someone was pissed. That someone was his boss, Dr. Dukenfield.

As Bryce passed through the hatch into engineering, he found Dr. Dukenfield glaring at Dr. Hallet and his assistant, Dr. Mizuki Fujita. Captain Fred Hobbes stood slightly behind and to the side of Dr. Dukenfield, adding his own glare at the two. Dr. Dukenfield turned to Bryce as he came in and said, “Ah, Bryce. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

Bryce couldn’t help but note that her voice now had a warm and friendly tone to it. Far different from how it sounded just seconds ago and warmer even than he was used to hearing from her. Dr. Hallet just glared at him. There was nothing unusual about that.

“First, I need you to check over the communication system. The watch crew informed Captain Hobbes that we lost contact with the Coalition Command. Once you correct that issue, I need you to come back here. I will require your help running the inspection drone. After that, I need you to get some rest and then do a complete inspection of the ship. ”

“Bertha, Dr. Fujita is perfectly capable of running the drone. We do not need to waste our time waiting for him.”

The warmth was instantly gone from Dr. Dukenfield’s voice.

“What we need, Dr. Hallet, is for you to be quiet. You are not in charge. I’m sure Dr. Fujita can run the drone if we are back safe in a lab. We are not in a lab. We are on a ship. A ship that’s long miles away from safety. Something that neither you nor Mizuki seem to understand.

“Bryce, on the other hand, understands where he is and that acting foolishly has consequences. I can count on him. I can trust him. That is not something I can say for either of you.

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