“Roger, Rock, what brings you to the mike?” Julie asked.
“Julie, are Craig’s ears on?”
“Rock, Craig here. I’m listening, go ahead.”
“I’ve got Marjorie Jones here. She’s going to explain a little idea we’ve worked out for you.”
Julie just cleared the lip of the door and saw the Chinese man still suited on his back, his legs sprawled in unnatural angles, and Craig’s face, now clearly visible in the enhanced lighting of the lander, had a look of utter shock on it.
“Let us have it, Houston,” Julie said, pulling herself inside and securing the door.
Gordust Space Station
Low Moon Orbit
In the near future, Day 48
“Burn successful, orbital adjustment to perigee in three minutes,” Nikolai said, his voice tense.
“Keep an eye out on visual for the Apollo. It should be in front of us and down about twenty degrees,” Yuri said, scanning his own FLIR and seeing nothing.
After what seemed like several minutes, Olga’s voice excitedly shouted, “I’ve got them, forward and thirteen degrees and climbing.”
“Da, I see them now, though they’re not climbing, we’re still descending. Nikolai, ready the braking burn when we’re less than five hundred meters.”
“I’m ready, Commander, burn on your orders,” Nikolai’s voice came back.
“Ivan, we only have one shot at this or we auger into the surface. Are you at the air lock?” Yuri asked.
“Yes, Commander,” Ivan’s voice came back. “I’m fully prepped for EVA on your orders. I’ll get them if you can get me within ten meters.”
“I’ll get you close enough to kiss them, just keep an eye on your timer. You’ll have just under three minutes,” Yuri said.
“Roger, Yuri, I’ll be ready,” Ivan said.
The Apollo had long ago stopped its burn as it had taken off and shot into an orbit that was nearly half the orbit of the Gordust. The craft didn’t have the fuel to go any higher, and the orbital delta speed was not enough to maintain the orbit. As soon as it looped to its zenith, the moon’s gravity would reach up and grab the craft, bringing it down again until it impacted on the moon’s other side.
“We’re coming in too hot, Yuri. Start breaking at seven hundred meters,” Olga said, monitoring the radar and showing the closing speed to be far outside the norm.
Yuri looked at her quickly and then back to the FLIR. “We’ve only got one shot at this Olga, maintain course and speed.”
“You’ve said that already. I get it, but we’re not going to do anyone any good if we all impact on the moon together or splat one another in orbit,” Olga said, panic starting to creep into her voice.
“Commander, we are coming in fast. Your orders?” Nikolai said.
“Stay on target, just a little bit further…” Yuri’s voice sounded distant.
Olga braced herself.
“Jesus H. Christ,” Craig said, looking at his radar screen and the figures scrolling across the bottom. “He’s going to hit us!”
Julie looked out the side window port at the quickly growing faint light that was approaching them from the rear. The Apollo lander was tilted sideways still from its orbital burn, allowing her the viewing angle. “I hope he knows what he’s doing.”
“He’s going to hit us is what he’s doing,” Craig said again.
“No way, space is vast. If anything, he’ll be a hundred meters away and we’ll have a hard time evacing and reaching the Gordust,” Julie said, hopefulness sounding in her voice, or was that wishful thinking?
“Not according to my radar reading. He’s right on target, and we’re the target. Brace for impact,” Craig said.
Impact would most likely mean death, so Julie ignored the command and watched as the Gordust approached. This would be close. “Almost there.”
“Passing zenith, starting our descent now,” Craig said, vocalizing his readings from his dual radar displays. One on the Gordust, the other pointed to the surface.
Julie continued to look out the viewport and then said, “I think you’re right, Craig.”
“What?”
“Brace for impact.”
“Fire now!” Yuri shouted, again, not necessary over the intercom system, but human nature was, after all, human nature.
The ship shuddered as all four rockets fired on maximum. The burn was timed to be for exactly seventeen seconds, but they could be off a tad and Yuri had let the timer go all the way to the zero point before giving the command. Normally the rockets would be on automatic burn, but the calculations were only as good as the data inputted and Yuri sensed that the Apollo had arrived a tad earlier than calculated, and Yuri had been correct.
The Apollo had passed its high point, or zenith, and now started to descend ever so slowly at first, but gaining momentum with every passing second. The navigation computer onboard the Gordust would not care and would simply initiate the burn as ordered. The radar data was no good either since the Gordust could not “fix” the Apollo’s height, and the rate of burn was an estimate when it took off. A close estimate, but an estimate nevertheless.
Olga cringed as the Apollo suddenly loomed in their sight. Yuri hit the starboard thruster, which released six side vents of gas, pushing the Gordust farther down as it approached and slowed. The last minute adjustment, minute that it was, saved all their lives. The Gordust’s massive four motors finally cut out, and the ship stopped relative to the Apollo with one of the Apollo’s landing struts a mere two meters away from striking the window of their command pod on Olga’s side.
“Ivan, go, go, go,” Yuri said into his mike, taking a deep breath and looking to Olga.
Her face was pale as she returned the look. “That was too close, Yuri.”
“I know,” he answered.
There was a moment of silence before Ivan spoke. “Kiss them, my ass! You just about fucked them in the—” Yuri hit mute on the receiver for a second, not hearing the last of Ivan’s transmission.
Ivan became visible, tether and all, as his EVA suit propelled him in front of the Gordust and up to the Apollo. He hit the side easily and used a second tether to click the attached clamp onto one of the support rings that had been used to hoist it on top of the Saturn a week ago.
Olga flipped the mute switch back on. “Ivan, see if their hatch is on the other side.”
“I see them. They’re coming,” Ivan came back, pulling himself over and allowing the astronauts to use the line to cross over to the Gordust. One figure, bigger than the other two, moved to the bottom of the Apollo and released a compartment, pulling on something. Two suited bodies with the badges of the Russian Republic floated out, both attached by a safety line to their utility belts. The larger American-badged figure gave the line to Ivan and then pulled himself across the void and out of sight behind Yuri and Olga’s view.
“Let’s bring our comrades home,” Yuri said.
“Affirmative, Commander,” Ivan said, starting back once the others had cleared.
“Prepare for new arrivals,” Olga spoke.
“Airlock re-pressurizing now. Three new cosmonauts onboard,” Nikolai said. “I’ve activated the equipment pod and Ivan is securing our comrades. ETA sixty seconds.”