𝕭𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊

2.17

{ breathe }

unedited

1.0k words

— — — — —

"The complexities of this task are greater than you can plan in a day." Kamal argued.

"No, it's pretty simple really. We dive down into the planet's ammonia belt, such up enough gas through the intakes to flush the precipitate our of the oxygen-generating system. We get a bunch of clean water and we'll have enough ammonium gas to decontaminate all our people and equipment. And we go to Alpha Centauri and start a new life." 

"The Resolute has never entered an atmosphere before. It was built in orbit."

"You seem to care more about the safety of this ship than the lives of its passengers."

"I don't want to leave those people behind, but this ship, our ship, is irreplaceable. It's the last hope of the human race. All eight billion people. And one day when the wave of colonists has made the journey, there are still parents and children in Mumbai, in Paris, in Pasadena, in every city, and every children in the world who'll know that if they pass the test, if they prove their worth, they can gain passage. And what if this ship is destroyed, what will the children of Earth dream about than."

"How about those children stuck on this planet." (y/n) intervened. "Those children are already dreaming of coming back onto the Resolute and making it to Alpha Centauri but you and I both know that they don't have enough resources to survive on that plaent and they will die. Are you really going to leave them when there's a possibility that everyone can live and just go home?"

Maureen smiled at the girl while Kamal's eyes softened and sighed. "And the ship?" 

"We're not going to lose the Resolute," Maureen stood up and walked towards the center of the room where a layout of the Resolute resided. "We're going to spin her, on an X-axis, which will redistribute the gases and create enough drag so that we can maintain control of the ship."

"That's never been tested."

"A lot of things in my line of work only get one test. We are good at passing it."

"We've sustained significant damage. The cross supports along F decks are compromised. If we do what you propose, they could tear apart altogether." 

"If the struts weaken, we'll be ready." 

"How?" 

(y/n) smirked. "I have a friend that's strong enough to hold it together." 

Maureen squeezed the girl's shoulder to show her proudness before making her way to the computer. "That's our target. The ammonia belt. What's the depth?"

"5,260 kilometers." Diane replied.

"It's about halfway through the stratosphere."

"Polar orbit achieved." Naoko stated.

"Okay, Radu open a ship-wide channel." They did as she said. "Attention, everyone. This is the bridge. Civilians, strap into your Jupiters. Crew, take your action stations. We're expecting high winds and extreme turbulence. It will be a bumpy ride." Those inside the bridge strapped themselves in as well, preparing themselves for the rough journey. "Initiate spin."

"Activating CMGS and thruster engines now." The Resolute started to spin in a clockwise motion. "Spin stabilization is set." 

"Then we dive."

"Diving in three, two, one. Dive."

Descent initialized.

The Resolute dove int to he atmosphere with Naoko controlling it. It started going deeper and deeper until the windows were covered with gasses and lightning could be heard.

"Correct for orbital perturbations. Increase Delta-v by 20 percent."

"Sustained gas at 600 kilometers." 

"Pressure increasing. 282 PSI."

Structural declension detected on F deck, sector four.

"Initiate emergency repair protocols." Maureen stated.

"The Resolutes protocols aren't equipped to hand this."

"It's a good thing we brought our own." Outside, hanging onto the Resolute. Robot can be seen melting back the broken pieces together to stabilize the sector. 

And within a few moments, the storm was over and the Resolute had made it's way past the planet's atmosphere. 

Ring four, sector seven stabilized.

"Leveling off. We've reached a stable vector." 

The inside of the planets was beautiful. It was full of clouds and golden streaks that almost seemed like rivers. A true site to see.

"You go lucky." Kamal told Maureen. 

"You know, I've made my share of mistakes, as a mother, as a wife, but one place I don't make mistakes is my job. It wasn't luck. That was math."

"You're not the only one who has to be perfect, Maureen. For this to work, everyone does. What are the odds of that?" 

"Maureen," Angela called out. "They're prepping the water tanks. We're in position to collect the gas."

"Open the intake vents." 

Angela smiled. "Time for a nice, deep breath of ammonia." With a click of a button, the vents opened and sucked the ammonia from the clouds surrounding the ship.

A few minutes have passed but there seemed to be a problem. "I'm showing all tanks are full but I can't raise the OGS. Communications are down."

"That's odd. Open the valves. Let's clean this water and get out of here." 

Angela did as she was told but they were denied the access.

"What?"

"We're locked out."

"That's not possible."

"The OGS is opening remotely."

"Oh, my god." 

While in the systems, Don and Ava were trapped with nothing but masks to help them breathe, but those won't last them enough time. Especially when one of their masks was cracked. 

"The pressure differential is sealing the bulkhead door shut." Naoko told them. "It'll never open as long as the airlock is open."

"Maureen, you helped design the safety systems. How could someone remotely hack them without your knowledge."

"They can't." Maureen thought for a moment and remembered giving him his access codes. "The bridge is yours. Do me a favor, send anyone looking for me away from the maintenance pod bay. If there's any chance to save them, that airlock needs to be closed from the outside."

"No, it's too dangerous taking a pod out in this atmosphere." Kamal warned the woman.

"It's my fault that they're trapped. You were right. Math can't account for human error." 

"Maureen." (y/n) called out to the woman as she smiled and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. 

"Don't worry (y/n). It'll be okay." Maureen said, attempting to soothe the young girl with her words.

But for some reason, (y/n) didn't quite believe her words.

𖨆