Stephen struggles to pull a welder into the airlock. It's massive, bulky, the spacesuit they wear makes everything awkward. Ward tries to help, but the lack of gravity makes them clumsy, the unfamiliar space suit doesn't help.
"Beta's ready for the welder," Rhianu says from engineering.
They're all plugged into comms now, in one way or another. Ward and Stephen have earpieces in their suits. Rhianu, Voclain and Thakkar have their consoles. The Twins don't need ears to hear the radio conversation in the vacuum of space outside the ship.
"Just a second ENG, we're a little slower than The Twins," Stephen says calmly.
Stephen's always calm, it's one of the reasons Voclain took them on as their Executive Officer.
"They can't make these smaller?" Ward asks, shoving the welder at Stephen in the airlock, putting themselves off balance. They twist uncomfortably on their ankle, their magnetic boots holding them to the wall.
"Release with your toe," Stephen says, seeing Ward's ankle. The medic flicks their toe, and their foot unlocks from the deck. It's not something the Earther is used to. All the rest of the crew grew up in space or log gravity. Spacesuits and magnetic boots are a way of life for them. Ward grew up under the grimy, yet open skies of Earth, in the full gravity that held them to the planet. Life on Carpathian Forty-Three is a struggle for Ward that, to their credit, they don't complain about.
"Thanks for this Ward," Stephen says.
They've managed to wrangle the welder into the airlock. The equipment takes up as much space as a person. It doesn't make the airlock cramped, but it's not spacious either.
"Glad to help," Ward says.
They look a bit ridiculous in their bulky, new, Earther Spacesuit. The Lunar and Spacer suits are smaller, tighter fitting, more ergonomic from years of refinement by people who live and work in space. In contrast, Ward's suit is short and squat, bulky, meant to operate at atmospheric pressures closer to Earth normal, more comfortable for people who grew up in atmosphere. It's perfectly serviceable, but certainly stands out compared to Stephen's older, worn in suit.
Ward is now the emergency EVA crewmember, waiting to go out of something happens to Stephen or The Twins. The repairs need more hands than just The Twins can provide.
"Can you hand me that box of wire?" Stephen asks, pointing.
Ward scrambles, forgetting to magnetize their boots. They flail a bit and then connect with the deck with a 'thunk'.
"Here," Ward hands the box of spooled cable to Stephen in the airlock. Stephen takes it and releases it gently next to the welder. It hovers there, uncannily in the zero gravity.
"Helmet check," Ward says.
Stephen floats over to the airlock door, pulling their helmet on as they do, graceful as Ward isn't. Ward snaps the helmet into place and checks the seals.
"XO is EVA," Stephen says over the comms as the airlock door closes. They wave at Ward in the port corridor.
"XO is EVA," Voclain acknowledges from the command module at the tip of Carpathian Forty-Three.
Saturn is a bit more than three weeks away. Even at the speed the ship is traveling, it's little more than a fuzzy yellow splotch against the sea of stars. Stephen looks for it, nonetheless. Beta is there, pulling the welder out of the airlock with a grace afforded by their mechanical muscles and years of experience.
"Hey bud," Stephen says, grabbing the wire box.
"Captain, we're finished with the electrical," Rhianu says from Engineering.
They're plugged into The Twins, overseeing, and occasionally directly controlling their repairs. Alpha has been working on the electrical and comms repairs while Beta has been dealing with the smaller gas and fluid line repairs. Further down The Hump, the central cargo and operations module for Carpathian Forty-Three, Alpha stands to their full height, from a stooped posture repairing an electrical line.
"You still need this wire?" Stephen asks.
Beta is already plodding off towards the thruster lines, the hydrazine lines that supply fuel to the ventral thrusters that were damaged in the meteor strikes.
"Yeah," Rhianu says for Alpha. "Electrical is done. Alpha is moving onto comms repairs. If you can drop off that box for them, then help Beta. Some of the hydrazine lines are big enough we're going to need a patch."
"Roger that," Stephen says, walking towards Alpha's erect form.
Earthers would thing the scene odd, people standing on the outside of a spaceship traveling at thousands of kilometers per minute, like ants on a beer can. It's normal for Spacers.
"Oof," Ward grunts from the airlock, loud enough for them all to hear. They were all shoved, pushed in a variety of directions, depending on their orientation in and on the ship. Ward is pushed away from the airlock into the bulkhead.
"OS report," Voclain says.
Stephen and the twins were pulled by their feet, attached to the skin of the ship. Stephen's ankle and spin popped as their joints stretched.
"Sorry!" Miki says over the command line. "Sorry. I'm running the..."
"Discontinue the simulation," Voclain says sharply.
"I'm sorry, is everyone alright?" Miki asks, obviously distraught.
They have all of Fort's sensors. They should be able to determine that with a thought. They aren't used to being a ship's Operating System, it doesn't come naturally.
"All stations, report in," Voclain orders. They sound very much like they are trying to not sound annoyed. It almost works. Almost.
"XO," Stephen says.
"Oversight," Thak says from Operations.
"Medical," Ward says. Technically they should have called out EVA, but no one cares.
"OS," Miki says, with a shake in their voice.
"ENG," Rhianu says. The dread in their voice is palpable. "Man overboard."
It's quite for a long moment. Stephen and Ward's breathing can be heard over the comms, reverberating in their helmets.
Outside, on the skin of the ship, Stephen looks up to see Beta's form floating away from the ship. The drone waves, almost happily. The drone is already a small blur against the black of space, the ships lights tracking them as they float away.
"Tether?" Stephen asks.
Beta should be able to launch a safety tether to real them back to the ship. If not, Alpha or Stephen can attach their own tether and go after Beta.
"Beta tried already," Rhianu says. "Alpha's line isn't long enough."
"I'm going after them," Stephen says, clomping towards a space 'under' Beta on the ship, ready to jump after them.
"Belay that XO," Voclain says sternly over the comms, then, "All crew brace for maneuver."
Voclain's course correction isn't subtle. Stephen's knees give out and they crumple to the deck. Alpha is there, having run across the deck to Stephen's spot under Beta. The cautious drone catches the XO, softening their fall.
"Jesus Roz," Thak says.
"Rhi, does Alpha's tether?" Voclain starts to ask.
Alpha's raised their arm and launched their tether at their twin. The line plays out silently, arcing away from the ship.
"Contact," Rhianu says from engineering.
"Fuck," Ward says.
"EVA?" Voclain asks.
"I'm fine. Just. Fuck."
"Yeah," Voclain says.
YOU ARE READING
Carpathian Forty-Three
Science FictionSpaceship on its way to Titan encounters a problem that requires the crew to take drastic actions to ensure their survival. Hard Science Fiction, inspired by The Expanse. _NOT_ Expanse Fan Fiction.
