personnel to clear the surface. If you weren’t in a shuttle, you shouldn’t be there.
“The surface is clear,” SC-711 said.
The big bay door our shuttle was facing slowly started to roll open. It only took maybe ten minutes, but it seemed like ten hours. There, lying before us was an infinite collection of stars. They were all calling my name. But for now I had to concentrate on the mission at hand.
“We are cleared for go,” SC-711 said.
I looked at GiS. He nodded his head.
“Starting engine,” I said.
I pressed the engine ignite button on the top left control panel. The shuttle’s engine roared to life.
“Starting liftoff power,” I said. I pressed the ignite button again.
We rose ever so slightly off the landing pad.
“Switching to forward power,” I said. I moved my index finger and pressed the yellow accelerator button located right next to the start button. I pressed it gently. We wanted to ease out. Nice and slow.
The shuttle started to move forward toward the open door. My job here was simple, just to keep the shuttle straight.
“Easy, easy,” GiS said nervously. “Don’t be nervous,” he said.
“No problem,” I said as we glided closer and closer to the freedom of space.
“Don’t be nervous,” GiS repeated.
“I won’t be nervous as long as you don’t keep saying don’t be nervous,” I said.
GiS just looked at me with a raised eyebrow. It was a look only a chimp could give. I was sure he wanted to say, “It’s my job to say that,” but he fought the urge.
“You’re doing fine,” he said. “Just don’t get cocky.”
I steered the shuttle through the door. We were in space! The final frontier. (Even though oceanographers like to call the ocean the final frontier. But they’re just jealous. After all space is infinite; oceans aren’t.)
“Nice job,” GiS said. “Now, stay focused.”
I pressed the accelerate button in a bit more. We pulled away from the station. The station appeared on our rear view screen. As it was growing smaller and smaller I was pretty certain the smile on my face was growing wider and wider.
“Don’t put it to near hyper-speed until we’re 300 kilometers from the station.” GiS said, though he knew I knew that.
“Don’t worry,” I said.
“It’s one of my jobs to worry,” he said.
“Then don’t worry so much,” I said.
He nodded. “I will do my best,” he said. “Though it’s not easy.”
I peered out the side window. When possible, I preferred to use the windows instead of the view screens. The windows just seemed more natural. Kymm and her shuttle were running right beside us. She blew me a little mock kiss, at least she wanted to believe it was a mock. Yep, she liked me alright. At least I think she liked me. Maybe her mock kiss really was just a mock kiss?
“Keep your eyes and brain in the game,” GiS coached.
I blocked Kymm from my mind for now. We had a mission. I needed to focus all my attention on that, for now.
“We are now 300 K from the station,” Elvin said. “The course is plotted. We can now safely go to near hyper-speed.”
I looked over at GiS. He nodded his approval. I pressed the accelerator button to launch us into near hyper-speed, NHS for short. The stars before us suddenly blurred into streaks of bright light that seemed to be coming toward us. They weren’t, of course. We were actually zooming toward them at a speed that wasn’t light speed but was pretty darn close. I pitched the ship a couple degrees to the right as we rocketed forward. I fought back the urge to yell whoopee! I was on a mission. Not just any mission, but one with the fate of two worlds at stake. No pressure there.
Chapter 9
If I said I wasn’t totally elated piloting my shuttle through space I would be lying through my teeth. This was without a doubt the greatest moment of my life. Not only was I racing toward the stars, but I was on a mission — a real mission. I knew my face must have been one giant
“The surface is clear,” SC-711 said.
The big bay door our shuttle was facing slowly started to roll open. It only took maybe ten minutes, but it seemed like ten hours. There, lying before us was an infinite collection of stars. They were all calling my name. But for now I had to concentrate on the mission at hand.
“We are cleared for go,” SC-711 said.
I looked at GiS. He nodded his head.
“Starting engine,” I said.
I pressed the engine ignite button on the top left control panel. The shuttle’s engine roared to life.
“Starting liftoff power,” I said. I pressed the ignite button again.
We rose ever so slightly off the landing pad.
“Switching to forward power,” I said. I moved my index finger and pressed the yellow accelerator button located right next to the start button. I pressed it gently. We wanted to ease out. Nice and slow.
The shuttle started to move forward toward the open door. My job here was simple, just to keep the shuttle straight.
“Easy, easy,” GiS said nervously. “Don’t be nervous,” he said.
“No problem,” I said as we glided closer and closer to the freedom of space.
“Don’t be nervous,” GiS repeated.
“I won’t be nervous as long as you don’t keep saying don’t be nervous,” I said.
GiS just looked at me with a raised eyebrow. It was a look only a chimp could give. I was sure he wanted to say, “It’s my job to say that,” but he fought the urge.
“You’re doing fine,” he said. “Just don’t get cocky.”
I steered the shuttle through the door. We were in space! The final frontier. (Even though oceanographers like to call the ocean the final frontier. But they’re just jealous. After all space is infinite; oceans aren’t.)
“Nice job,” GiS said. “Now, stay focused.”
I pressed the accelerate button in a bit more. We pulled away from the station. The station appeared on our rear view screen. As it was growing smaller and smaller I was pretty certain the smile on my face was growing wider and wider.
“Don’t put it to near hyper-speed until we’re 300 kilometers from the station.” GiS said, though he knew I knew that.
“Don’t worry,” I said.
“It’s one of my jobs to worry,” he said.
“Then don’t worry so much,” I said.
He nodded. “I will do my best,” he said. “Though it’s not easy.”
I peered out the side window. When possible, I preferred to use the windows instead of the view screens. The windows just seemed more natural. Kymm and her shuttle were running right beside us. She blew me a little mock kiss, at least she wanted to believe it was a mock. Yep, she liked me alright. At least I think she liked me. Maybe her mock kiss really was just a mock kiss?
“Keep your eyes and brain in the game,” GiS coached.
I blocked Kymm from my mind for now. We had a mission. I needed to focus all my attention on that, for now.
“We are now 300 K from the station,” Elvin said. “The course is plotted. We can now safely go to near hyper-speed.”
I looked over at GiS. He nodded his approval. I pressed the accelerator button to launch us into near hyper-speed, NHS for short. The stars before us suddenly blurred into streaks of bright light that seemed to be coming toward us. They weren’t, of course. We were actually zooming toward them at a speed that wasn’t light speed but was pretty darn close. I pitched the ship a couple degrees to the right as we rocketed forward. I fought back the urge to yell whoopee! I was on a mission. Not just any mission, but one with the fate of two worlds at stake. No pressure there.
Chapter 9
If I said I wasn’t totally elated piloting my shuttle through space I would be lying through my teeth. This was without a doubt the greatest moment of my life. Not only was I racing toward the stars, but I was on a mission — a real mission. I knew my face must have been one giant
Similar Books
