Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy by Gary Weston
Authors: Gary Weston
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space ships, mars, Space Fleet, alien encounters, alien planets
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stuff. Our job is mostly shovelling it up with a dozer, feeding the plant and collecting what we need out of the other end.'
'I'm sure it's more involved and responsible than that.'
Richie nodded. 'Maybe a little.'
'Right. Back to work. Catch you later.'
Chapter 26
F reddie Morcurry was roped in to transport the new injector to the ship. Skye insisted on sitting with him for the journey. Freddie took his time, suspecting the grief he'd get if he as much as scratched the payload. Finally, they were at the site, and Dillow and Breeze had opened up the back of the ship to gain access for fitting the injector. Stella was on board, still working on the computer, trying to get more familiar with the propulsion controls. She had made solid progress, but was nowhere near confident in firing up the big plasma engine when it was ready.
The plasma engine worked both the main thruster exhaust and also the smaller take off and landing exhausts, that lifted the ship off the ground, prior to the main exhaust being used to get the ship flying at speed. It was a balancing act to control the flows of the injector and the directions of the exhaust. And all this with a ship they had little knowledge of and using controls set up with a very foreign language.
'What could possibly go wrong?' Stella asked herself.
'Absolutely nothing,' said a voice behind her.
'Craggy. Hi. What a mission this has been.'
Craggy smiled. 'I have every confidence in you girls. I heard a lot of swearing back there. Freddie's moaning and groaning squeezing the new unit in place. I couldn't bear to watch so I came in here.'
'Better for me if they take their time. I know how it all works, Skye's gone over the basic principles of the whole propulsion unit, but we have to tell it what to do from here. The theory is straightforward, I just haven't learnt the language.'
Cragg stared at the controls, scared to breathe on them, let alone touch anything. 'Have you worked any of it out yet?'
'I think so. Power to the injector comes by these sensors. That gets the magnetic coils going, the injector and possibly the two antenna that heat up the ionised plasma.'
'So. That's like just getting things started.'
'Yes. I think so. Almost probably.'
Cragg said, 'I'd have thought the controls for everything for the propulsion unit would be all together in one place. That's how our ships have been laid out since Adam was a lad.'
'Was Adam a freighter pilot?'
Cragg chuckled. 'Yeah. He got his orders from some woman named Eve, if I remember correctly.'
'I assumed these controls right here are as you say, are just for the engine. But which does what? How would they organise the controls?'
Cragg gave some deep thought to that question. 'I doubt you will ever get inside those alien minds. Maybe you're coming at it from the wrong direction. Instead of asking, how would they set it all up, try asking, how would Stella Wayward, computer expert, set it up if she was building the computer, and I bet you wouldn't be far off the mark.'
'Well. If I put the start up power sensor here which is what this is, then logically, left to me I'd put...'
'See?' said Cragg. 'Just think Stella and it'll come to you. I gotta go.'
'Thanks, Craggy.'
'No worries. If you have any more problems, don't hesitate to solve them. See you later.'
Chapter 27
'I t won't fit, I tell you. Craggy. Tell them won't you? This bloody thing will not go through that opening.'
The look on all four faces told Cragg everything. He was reluctant to step in the middle of a situation getting heated. 'Ok. Calm down. Freddie?'
'It's too damn big, and that's all there is to it.'
Cragg climbed up in the dozer next to Morcurry. At first glance, it didn't look good. 'Interesting.'
'I could think of other words, Craggy.'
Cragg said nothing and jumped down and approached the three young women. 'A bit of a squeeze, as the actress said to the bishop.' Ignoring the blank looks, he said, 'Couldn't you have allowed more
'I'm sure it's more involved and responsible than that.'
Richie nodded. 'Maybe a little.'
'Right. Back to work. Catch you later.'
Chapter 26
F reddie Morcurry was roped in to transport the new injector to the ship. Skye insisted on sitting with him for the journey. Freddie took his time, suspecting the grief he'd get if he as much as scratched the payload. Finally, they were at the site, and Dillow and Breeze had opened up the back of the ship to gain access for fitting the injector. Stella was on board, still working on the computer, trying to get more familiar with the propulsion controls. She had made solid progress, but was nowhere near confident in firing up the big plasma engine when it was ready.
The plasma engine worked both the main thruster exhaust and also the smaller take off and landing exhausts, that lifted the ship off the ground, prior to the main exhaust being used to get the ship flying at speed. It was a balancing act to control the flows of the injector and the directions of the exhaust. And all this with a ship they had little knowledge of and using controls set up with a very foreign language.
'What could possibly go wrong?' Stella asked herself.
'Absolutely nothing,' said a voice behind her.
'Craggy. Hi. What a mission this has been.'
Craggy smiled. 'I have every confidence in you girls. I heard a lot of swearing back there. Freddie's moaning and groaning squeezing the new unit in place. I couldn't bear to watch so I came in here.'
'Better for me if they take their time. I know how it all works, Skye's gone over the basic principles of the whole propulsion unit, but we have to tell it what to do from here. The theory is straightforward, I just haven't learnt the language.'
Cragg stared at the controls, scared to breathe on them, let alone touch anything. 'Have you worked any of it out yet?'
'I think so. Power to the injector comes by these sensors. That gets the magnetic coils going, the injector and possibly the two antenna that heat up the ionised plasma.'
'So. That's like just getting things started.'
'Yes. I think so. Almost probably.'
Cragg said, 'I'd have thought the controls for everything for the propulsion unit would be all together in one place. That's how our ships have been laid out since Adam was a lad.'
'Was Adam a freighter pilot?'
Cragg chuckled. 'Yeah. He got his orders from some woman named Eve, if I remember correctly.'
'I assumed these controls right here are as you say, are just for the engine. But which does what? How would they organise the controls?'
Cragg gave some deep thought to that question. 'I doubt you will ever get inside those alien minds. Maybe you're coming at it from the wrong direction. Instead of asking, how would they set it all up, try asking, how would Stella Wayward, computer expert, set it up if she was building the computer, and I bet you wouldn't be far off the mark.'
'Well. If I put the start up power sensor here which is what this is, then logically, left to me I'd put...'
'See?' said Cragg. 'Just think Stella and it'll come to you. I gotta go.'
'Thanks, Craggy.'
'No worries. If you have any more problems, don't hesitate to solve them. See you later.'
Chapter 27
'I t won't fit, I tell you. Craggy. Tell them won't you? This bloody thing will not go through that opening.'
The look on all four faces told Cragg everything. He was reluctant to step in the middle of a situation getting heated. 'Ok. Calm down. Freddie?'
'It's too damn big, and that's all there is to it.'
Cragg climbed up in the dozer next to Morcurry. At first glance, it didn't look good. 'Interesting.'
'I could think of other words, Craggy.'
Cragg said nothing and jumped down and approached the three young women. 'A bit of a squeeze, as the actress said to the bishop.' Ignoring the blank looks, he said, 'Couldn't you have allowed more
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