the floor from a split hose. Every breath tasted of burning plastics.
“Found the problem,” I said. I looked around for the emergency repair locker where spare parts and tools were stowed. The designers had done at least one thing right. The locker was next to me, located near the parts of the engine most likely to need repaired. I dug through the locker for a length of tubing and sealant tape.
“Leon’s tied back up and behaving. He doesn’t want you running him over again.”
“What do the gauges read?” I asked as I cut a length of tubing long enough to replace the leaking one.
“Which ones?”
“Coolant pressure and temperature.”
He read the numbers. They were bad, the pressure too low, the temperature much too high.
I stepped into the steaming mist while I pulled strips of tape loose, ready to use. “I want you to hold down the manual bypass.” I ducked the steaming fluid pumping out of the tube like blood out of an artery.
“Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“I’ll work fast.” I had the tube and the tape ready. “We don’t have a lot of choice, Jerimon. On three, hold it until I tell you to let go. One.”
“Are you sure, Dace?”
“Two.”
“Ready.”
“Three.” I waited a second until the fluid quit gushing. The engine whine climbed in pitch. I jerked the split hose off, jamming the tubing over one connector. Hot fluid ran over my hand. I ignored the burns and wrapped tape over the end of the tube. Something in the engine started to grind. The whole ship shook horribly. I slipped in the puddled fluids, banging my head against the wall. I scrambled to my feet then jammed the other end of the tubing to the spout. I wrapped tape as fast as I could. Smoke poured from the engine in a blue cloud.
“Now!” I shouted into the headset. Fluid gushed through the tubing. A few drops welled around the tape, dripping sluggishly into the puddle already on the floor.
“Pressure is holding steady,” Jerimon said after a moment. “Core readings are rising. Seven-two-nine.”
“Blast. Hang on a minute.” I worked my way to the valves over the core.
“Seven-five-oh.” Jerimon sounded almost like he was reading a very boring recipe. If the core hit eighty, we’d have to dump it.
I was on the edge of panicking. I banged at the nearest valve. They were automatic, at least they were supposed to be. “The valves are stuck. Try resetting them.”
I waited a moment, listening to the engine shake and whine. Smoke wreathed through the air.
“Still rising. Up to seven-eight-four.” Jerimon’s voice was a bit strained.
I twisted the manual adjusters. Fluid gurgled through the pipes next to my ear. The housing under me ticked as it heated up.
“Six-eight-two and dropping,” Jerimon said, his voice calm again.
I adjusted the knobs over the valves, then waited. The engine whine faded slowly down the scale. The smoke thinned.
“Five-oh and still falling.”
I said a few choice words as I leaned into the engine. The pressure was falling too far. I tweaked a few valves.
“That help?”
“Back up to five-six-three,” Jerimon replied after a moment. We both waited. “Looks stable now at five-eight-eight.”
“Close enough.” The number wasn’t as high as it should have been, but it was high enough that we should make it to Tebros. I wriggled around to the locker to put the tubing and tape back away. “How does it look now?”
“We’ve still got yellow, lots of them, but the reds are gone. How does it look back there?”
“Still a few leaks, we’ll probably have to keep adjusting the core. The valves are jammed. Could have been worse.” I threaded my way back along the narrow walkway and into the cargo bay. “Got a minute to come pick up our cargo? It’s all over the floor.”
“How about we just lock the door?”
“I would, except there aren’t any locks. I really don’t want Leon in here getting ideas.”
“I’m coming.” He shut down the headset.
I
“Found the problem,” I said. I looked around for the emergency repair locker where spare parts and tools were stowed. The designers had done at least one thing right. The locker was next to me, located near the parts of the engine most likely to need repaired. I dug through the locker for a length of tubing and sealant tape.
“Leon’s tied back up and behaving. He doesn’t want you running him over again.”
“What do the gauges read?” I asked as I cut a length of tubing long enough to replace the leaking one.
“Which ones?”
“Coolant pressure and temperature.”
He read the numbers. They were bad, the pressure too low, the temperature much too high.
I stepped into the steaming mist while I pulled strips of tape loose, ready to use. “I want you to hold down the manual bypass.” I ducked the steaming fluid pumping out of the tube like blood out of an artery.
“Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“I’ll work fast.” I had the tube and the tape ready. “We don’t have a lot of choice, Jerimon. On three, hold it until I tell you to let go. One.”
“Are you sure, Dace?”
“Two.”
“Ready.”
“Three.” I waited a second until the fluid quit gushing. The engine whine climbed in pitch. I jerked the split hose off, jamming the tubing over one connector. Hot fluid ran over my hand. I ignored the burns and wrapped tape over the end of the tube. Something in the engine started to grind. The whole ship shook horribly. I slipped in the puddled fluids, banging my head against the wall. I scrambled to my feet then jammed the other end of the tubing to the spout. I wrapped tape as fast as I could. Smoke poured from the engine in a blue cloud.
“Now!” I shouted into the headset. Fluid gushed through the tubing. A few drops welled around the tape, dripping sluggishly into the puddle already on the floor.
“Pressure is holding steady,” Jerimon said after a moment. “Core readings are rising. Seven-two-nine.”
“Blast. Hang on a minute.” I worked my way to the valves over the core.
“Seven-five-oh.” Jerimon sounded almost like he was reading a very boring recipe. If the core hit eighty, we’d have to dump it.
I was on the edge of panicking. I banged at the nearest valve. They were automatic, at least they were supposed to be. “The valves are stuck. Try resetting them.”
I waited a moment, listening to the engine shake and whine. Smoke wreathed through the air.
“Still rising. Up to seven-eight-four.” Jerimon’s voice was a bit strained.
I twisted the manual adjusters. Fluid gurgled through the pipes next to my ear. The housing under me ticked as it heated up.
“Six-eight-two and dropping,” Jerimon said, his voice calm again.
I adjusted the knobs over the valves, then waited. The engine whine faded slowly down the scale. The smoke thinned.
“Five-oh and still falling.”
I said a few choice words as I leaned into the engine. The pressure was falling too far. I tweaked a few valves.
“That help?”
“Back up to five-six-three,” Jerimon replied after a moment. We both waited. “Looks stable now at five-eight-eight.”
“Close enough.” The number wasn’t as high as it should have been, but it was high enough that we should make it to Tebros. I wriggled around to the locker to put the tubing and tape back away. “How does it look now?”
“We’ve still got yellow, lots of them, but the reds are gone. How does it look back there?”
“Still a few leaks, we’ll probably have to keep adjusting the core. The valves are jammed. Could have been worse.” I threaded my way back along the narrow walkway and into the cargo bay. “Got a minute to come pick up our cargo? It’s all over the floor.”
“How about we just lock the door?”
“I would, except there aren’t any locks. I really don’t want Leon in here getting ideas.”
“I’m coming.” He shut down the headset.
I
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