Anya straightened in her seat. “No, what happened?”
“There was an explosion in space. We’ve been monitoring the situation.”
She tightened her grip around the phone as she fired back, “Is it EarthOrbit’s spacecraft?”
“We believe it is.”
Anya immediately thought back to her conversation with Peter on his early suspensions of a bomb being on board. He stated then that after further investigation, he was convinced there was no threat. She wondered if he was wrong. “Oh, my God. How bad is it?”
“Not sure, but another spacecraft was in the area, possibly to carry out a rescue.”
Her heart stopped. “What? Who’s rescuing them?”
“We know it’s not NASA. We believe its SpaceQuest.”
Anya went numb with shock. She was sure her lover was on that craft. “Do you know who’s on that ship?”
“It’s supposedly unmanned, and there has been no radio communication. However, we’ve observed some maneuvers that give us the impression someone is flying it.”
“When was the explosion?”
“Within the hour.”
She put her head down. “I’ll bet Peter’s on that rescue ship.”
A surprised tone echoed through the receiver. “You just told me he’s with EarthOrbit.”
Anya tried to steady herself. “He called me yesterday from an airplane and didn’t tell me where he was going. All he said was he was put on a new assignment and he would see me later in the week.”
Dmitri gave a reluctant sigh as he spoke the obvious. “Oh, he’s still working for the government.”
She traced her hand along the edge of the bar. “I know he’s up there trying to save his friends.”
“Anya, you don’t know that.”
Suddenly she realized she was being selfish. She needed to be strong, like her mom. “You’re right, I don’t. But I do know those EarthOrbit astronauts. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, I’ll call you later if I learn anything more.”
“Please do.”
She quickly hung up and jumped off the barstool. Of the two astronauts’ wives, she only knew Suzy. Because of this relationship, she should hustle over to the young mother’s home to support her. She hoped to get there before Suzy learned of the explosion. Anya swiftly grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.
BOTH ASTRONAUTS WERE strapped tightly in their seats as they prepared Galileo for a rushed return flight home. After communications was established, the astronauts told mission control the grim news of Blake’s death. Peter had been informed that their ship had sustained damage from Iris’s explosion, requiring them to deviate from their normal flight plan for re-entry. Their mood was somber with very little talk between them. With their visors up, Peter could smell the distinct odor of space oozing off their suits. He was very familiar with the burnt metal stench hovering in the cabin.
Peter took a moment to look out his small window and reflect on his lost friend, asking himself what he could have done differently. Every option he came up with would still have put all three men at risk. He tried to convince himself he had made the right choice, but considering the outcome, he was having a hard time. To stop the battle in his head, he reflected on his memories of Blake, the jokester. A faint smile came to his face when he remembered Blake flying like a superhero down the zip line and how he got chastised for staying back to help. Buddy, I would have been proud to have been your sidekick.
A call from mission control in his headset brought Peter back to reality. He was surprised to recognize Allen’s voice. He answered in a low tone, “Roger, this is Galileo 2.”
The CEO spoke in a sympathetic voice. “Peter, I first want to say I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend. I know you did the best you could to save him.”
Peter didn’t say a word, especially since he questioned if he really had.
Allen’s voice became unmistakably clear; piercing in fact. “But we have another problem, and right now our number one priority is getting you two safely home.”
Peter snapped to attention. “What’s the problem?”
“Galileo sustained some additional damage from the explosion. We believe the landing system was hit by some debris from Iris.”
Frustrated he wasn’t getting the news fast enough, Peter barked, “What’s our specific problem?”
“From the warning lights we’ve been getting, it looks like Galileo may not deploy its drogue parachutes. We are still studying the problem.”
Peter was shocked. After all he and Jesse had been through, they could still be done in by the failure of their chutes. “What are the chances the main chutes will deploy?”
The radio went quiet. Peter waited impatiently. The backup landing system was a redundant number of main chutes. Of the three parachutes, Galileo could survive with just one. But if the smaller drogue chutes didn’t open first to slow their craft down, their speed would be too high to allow for any one of the larger parachutes to fully open. It would be anybody’s guess how fast Iris would be going when it hit the water.
Allen’s tremulous, disembodied voice replied, “Not good. I could sugarcoat it and tell you something different, but I figured you would want the truth.”
Peter appreciated the CEO’s honesty, even though it was heartbreaking to hear. “What are our chances of surviving?”
Again the radio was silent for a few seconds. The response was direct. “Less than 50 percent.”
Peter put his head down. “Roger.”
“Would you like to record a final message for your loved ones before re-entry?”
Peter looked at Jesse. He could see in the man’s eyes he didn’t want to accept this was the end, and neither did he. Peter answered in a firm and decisive voice. “Negative, we plan on seeing them again.” He quickly cut the mic.
Peter looked back out the window wondering if the whole mission had been a waste. Not only did he not save Blake, but it looked like both he and Jesse were goners too. Shit. Peter decided if he survived, this would be his last assignment. He had to, for Anya. He closed his eyes. Dear God, if it is your will to save Jesse and me, I promise to make changes.
29
RE-ENTRY
Peter wanted to walk on his home planet, to hold his lover once more, but there was only a slim chance that would ever happen again. Mission control had rushed them through the re-entry procedures, cutting out some of the steps. Amazingly their spacecraft hit every milestone perfectly as it flew through the dense atmosphere. Peter hoped the flawless re-entry was a sign everything would work out fine. Of course, that was wishful thinking as they approached the moment of truth. Around 23,000 feet the drogue parachutes were to open. If that didn’t happen, they were doomed.
He shaded his eyes from the bright sunlight as he looked out his window. He fought the continuous g-forces as his ship decelerated toward the massive blue marble below. The majestic Pacific Ocean peeked through the scattered, white clouds below. The large body of water was teasing him. Damn, we’re so close.
Mission control called out, “Galileo 2 approaching 23,400 feet; velocity 420 feet per second.”
If the landing went as planned, he should soon hear a minor bang followed by a slight tug indicating the small drogue chutes were deployed. He closed his eyes as he dedicated all of his senses toward recognizing the jolt. After a few anxious moments, he opened his eyes and registered their altitude was down to 22,500 feet. They had passed the point when the chutes should have been released and they were still flying like a bat out of hell. Shit. He looked over at Jesse, whose eyes were wide open with concern. Peter tried to show strength as he flashed a quick wink before radioing, “We’re at 22,500 feet and no sign of the drogue chutes, over.”