Alpha Rising Read Free Page B

power to head back to our solar system
to link up with the space station. We could eventually be rescued
from there.”
    G.R. grew tired of holding his tongue and
yelled from aft cabin, “In my opinion, you’re both rushing ahead
blindly with an all-or-nothing mentality.” His primitive looks and
casual humor made it hard for his crewmates to take him seriously
in technical matters. “You know NASA’s doing everything possible to
find us. They won’t be looking for us at the space station—it’s
opposite of where we are. They’ll be looking near Urusa. We need to
stay put. Our chances of being rescued are better if we don’t do
anything rash.”
    “ NASA doesn’t have a
spacecraft suited for a rescue where we are beyond our solar
system. You know that,” Lynch almost yelled. “But the space
station’s nuclear powered heat ’n’ communications relay systems
should be functional. We’re two weeks down without power and we
only got a week’s worth of food, at best. I will get us home.”
    G.R. headed to the cockpit and confronted
Lynch. “They abandoned that depleted relic three years ago for good
reason. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the whispered rumors among
the astronaut community of unethical experiments by foreign
countries using that space station.”
    Lynch looked at his crew, yelled, and shook
his finger at the same time. “Don’t give me any more crap!” A
cord-like vein divided his forehead and his voice intensified.
“I’ve ridden more flights than all of you combined; lived through
emergencies, oxygen cutoffs, power malfunctions, unexplained
phenomena, and g-pukin’ rookies who thought they had all the
answers, but the fact remains I’m the commander of this ship, and
we’re goin’ to the old space station.”
    A three-foot-long feasibility report spewed
from Kaz’s data center. She tore it off and shoved it at Lynch.
“Here’s your sim, Commander, you figure it out.” She stormed to aft
cabin choking back tears and looked through a viewport into total
darkness. “What if we don’t make it? I’ll never see Bach again … or
my parents … or my cats.”
    On her heels with the printout gripped in
one hand, Lynch roared, “Cats? Kaz, cats?” The vein on his forehead
bulged again. “We’re in a life or death situation and you’re
worried about cats?”
    Her brown eyes locked on his face. “You just
made me more determined not to spend my last days here with
you.”
    The commander clamped his hand over Kaz’s
arm and shoved the papers under her nose. “Didn’t you absorb the
data you referenced? We can reach the space station. Look at the
stats.”
    The young rookie’s hands shook so hard she
couldn’t read the printout. “I can’t function under this
microcontrol.”
    G.R. pressed to her side to study the
simulation for linkup under one of the overhanging gull-wing-shaped
docking ports on opposite sides of the wheel-like space station. He
shook his head. “In my opinion, we should stay put.” His big brows
furrowed. “What worries me most is potential for biohazards left
over from old medical research. I got a wife and three kids.”
    Lynch took the printout
from G.R. “They also grew hydroponic food. There’s a chance we can
regenerate those projects. And there should be oxygen canisters
aboard.” His drawl turned hot, “I ain’t wastin’ any more time.
Return to your workstations.” He pointed at Kaz. “Run a sim usin’
the jetpack’s fuel canisters. Get it done. One way or another,
we will dock with
the old space station.” He spoke to Deni in the cockpit without
looking at her. “Get your controls reset as soon as Kaz gives you
the specs. We’ll try a manual fire of fuel canisters for
propulsion.”
    Deni leaned back and folded her arms across
her chest. Her angry black eyes almost shot sparks. “The space
station’s too far away. This isn’t a one-man show, Lynch. I don’t
like the risks and neither do the others. You’re gambling with