Someone was coming.
// matters.
Janet appeared in the doorway, shivering. "Cold," she said. "Hutch, we need some ideas."
Hutch was still thinking about the shuttle. "Maybe you're right," she said. They had no place to go. But that didn't mean they shouldn't use Alpha.
Hutch woke Maggie. "Let's go."
She pulled her blankets more tightly around her and did not look up. "Go? Where?"
"The shuttle. It has a heating system. Get whatever you need."
Hutch hurried to her own quarters, grabbed clothes, towel, toothbrush, comb, whatever she could carry. She'd come back later for the rest. Now, with the prospect of warmth imminent, the temperature seemed to plummet. Her teeth were chattering when she entered the shuttle bay. Carson arrived at the same time.
She opened the hatch with her remote and they climbed in. The pilot's seat was stiff and cold. She switched on the heater and waited. George appeared, hauling a suitcase. "Good idea," he said.
He threw the bag into the rear. The blowers kicked on, and warm air flowed into the cockpit. "Hallelujah!" he said. The others arrived, and hurried inside.
"Shut the hatch," said Janet, trying to find room. "Keep it warm."
"Why didn't we do this last night?" Maggie grumbled from a rear seat. "Or didn't we think of it?"
Janet blew on her hands. "It feels good. I'm not leaving here until help comes."
"Cargo area in back will be warm in a few minutes," said Hutch. "We can set up living quarters in there."
They passed clothes and overnight bags back and then crowded into the cockpit and shut all the doors. Hutch handed out coffee.
She felt better now than she had since they'd come out of hyper. She wasn't sure yet they were safe, hadn't taken time to think it through, but for the moment at least, life was good again. The hold was gray and cramped and utilitarian. It would provide little privacy. But it already looked like the best accommodation she'd ever had.
"What's our situation exactly?" asked Carson. "We're getting our power from Wink, right? That's not a very reliable source."
She nodded. "We should have all the power we need. We can switch to internal if we have to, but we won't be using much other than heating and lights. The shuttle's batteries are designed for a much heavier workload. I suspect we'd be okay for six months or more on internal alone. Not that we'll be here that long," she added hurriedly.
"How about air?" asked Janet. "How much air do we have?"
"For five people?" Air was their potential problem. "If we used only the shuttle tanks, we'd be limited to about a week. But we're getting our air from Wink. We'll continue to do that as long as it's available. When it freezes out there, we'll switch to our own system. But we should be fine. There are a lot of things we need to do though, and we have to get to them before it gets too cold outside."
"Food," said Janet.
Hutch nodded. "That'll be your job, okay? We'll assume rescue will be late."
"Where do we put the food?" asked George. "Space is limited in here. We know where to get more if we need it. Why not leave it outside? It's not as if anything will spoil."
"I'm not so sure," said Hutch. "We're talking cold. Better we have it in here where we can control temperatures. I don't want to leave anything to chance."
"Okay," said Carson. "What else?"
"Water. Frank, you take care of that." She told him where to find containers, and then turned to Maggie. "Cargo area divides into three sections. There's a washroom at the rear. We'll expand that, and use the other two sections as living quarters. See what you can do in the way of furnishings. Oh, and if you can get us a supply of towels, soap, dishes, that would help." She glanced around the cabin. "I'll be back in a little while."
"Where are you going?" asked Carson.
"The bridge. We have to tie into the ship's communication system. Back here, we won't know what's going on."
"We'll need the Flickinger belts, too," said Carson.
"Right. We've got six in storage. I'll bring them back. You guys should take a few minutes and make a list of what we need. Try not to miss anything." She opened the hatch and climbed out. The air seemed less cold than it had.
She went only a few steps before she smelled something burning. "We've got a fire somewhere," she told the link. That brought everyone boiling out of the shuttle.
It was coming from one of the ducts. They traced it to the food processors, and minutes later they were all on the scene.
One of the units had overheated and burned out its wiring. They tried to shut it down, but the override didn't work, and they ended by disconnecting it.
The temperature was now near freezing, and no one had anything heavier than a light jacket. They were thoroughly chilled when they returned to Alpha.
"I'll go with you to the bridge," said Carson. "I don't think anybody should go anywhere alone anymore."
That made sense to Hutch, but before she could reply, Janet held up her watch, and pointed out the window. "It's still dark," she said.
It was by then almost 7:00 A.M., GMT. Ship's time. The lights should have brightened in their simulation of the day-night cycle.
Hutch took care of her technical chores first, ensuring that she had full control of Winckelmann's communication systems. For good measure, she also connected routine shipboard controls. She wondered how long her circuits would last after the starship froze over. It occurred to her that Wink might suffer a complete communications blackout. Maybe, if that happened, she could launch Alpha at noon April fourth, on the assumption that Valkyrie would be in the area. But that was risky: if the rescuers failed to arrive, there would be no guarantee they could reconnect with the ship's air supply. Furthermore, she wondered whether the shuttle bay doors would respond when the time came.
She consulted the computer:
Q. AT CURRENT RATE OF HEAT LOSS, AT WHAT TEMPERATURE, AND AT WHAT TIME, WILL SHUTTLE LAUNCH DOORS BECOME INOPERABLE?
A. AT 284 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. 031903Z.
"Uh-oh," said Janet. "The nineteenth? Wasn't that last week?"
"I think we can write off the computer," said Hutch.
Daylight arrived at 1010 sharp. It snapped on, bright, intense, noon at sea. They were spread out through the ship, foraging what they could, and they greeted the sudden illumination with cynical cheers.
They set themselves up as comfortably as conditions allowed. They disengaged chairs and tables from the main cabin, found three divans, and anchored them in their living quarters. They even mounted a few prints. Maggie put a crystal dolphin on one of the tables, and Janet tried to rescue the occasional plants that were scattered around the ship. But it was much too late for them.
As a safety precaution, Hutch shut down all unnecessary systems. The rings no longer turned, and their simulated gravity ceased. Everything had to be bolted down. Drinks were taken through straws, and the shower was an adventure.
On Monday the 28th, the fourth day after the collision, they received a reply from Nok. Hutch read it, and then handed it around:
RECEIVED YOUR 03/241541Z and 03/241611Z. UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE NO SHIP TO SEND. HAVE PLACED YOUR REQUEST ON GENL BROADCAST TO NEAREST VESSEL, SURVEY SHIP ASHLEY TEE, CURRENTLY IN HYPER. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME BETA PAC APR 11 RPT APR 11. GOOD LUCK.
"My God," said Janet, "that's two weeks. What happened to the Valkyrie?"
Hutch slumped into her seat. "Maybe they canceled the run. They do that if there's no reason for a flight. Maybe it needs maintenance. Who knows? What difference does it make?"
LIBRARY ENTRY
During my entire career, which has embraced a number of notable successes (if I may be allowed the indulgence), along with some spectacular failures, I know of no single event that has so frustrated me as being sealed inside Winckelmann and its shuttle craft, within a few million kilometers of an archeological puzzle of overwhelming dimension. And being able to do absolutely nothing about it.