e-Ghosts of Rogue Planet

Chapter 5

A week later, the warning came in the middle of our sleep cycle. The blaring klaxon prompted us to hastily dress and head for the radiation-hardened chamber directly in front of our crew compartment wheel. We had to crawl through an axis tunnel in zero gravity. Marie and I were old pros, but James and Alisha made a few mistakes before they got the hang of it.

The small safety chamber was Spartan and, worse yet, it was at zero gravity. There were minimal stocks of food and water and it had one zero gravity toilet that provided no privacy. The good news is that the chamber protected us from lethal radiation from the sun.

“Well, this is cozy,” Alisha quipped, twisting her lips. “How long do we have to remain in here?”

“Until the radiation detectors indicate that it’s safe,” I said. “Probably at least twenty hours. It beats getting radiation sickness.”

“Damn sun would have to blow its top just as we’re going past it,” James said.

“We were lucky on our last two missions,” I said. “The sun was not active and we were moving away from it. Unfortunately, this mission requires us to approach the sun in order to swing around it.”

James acquired an ornery grin. “Now would be a good time to show us how you do it in zero gravity.”

My face reddened. “Ah . . . this chamber doesn’t have hand grips like the tunnels.”

James looked up. “I’m mot so sure about that. Those look like they may be retracted grips.” He pointed up at thin rectangle lines on the ceiling.

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know . . . “

Marie shoved off and floated to the ceiling. She inserted her finger into a slot and pulled out a handgrip. “He’s right.” She looked back down at me. “And, they appear to be in the right configuration.”

I gave her a sheepish look. “Are you sure you want to do it . . . in here?”

She smiled. “I’m willing, if you are.”

That was a gotcha, and I had no way out. Oh well, it was a good way to pass the time even if it was totally embarrassing.

We were able to leave the chamber the next day. The sunspot had turned away and we were further away from the sun’s photosphere. It wasn’t long before we were able to get a glimpse of the rogue planet. It had a high albedo of around 0.7 because of the clouds, making it appear bright.

“Can’t make out any detail,” I said, peering at the telescopic image on the main screen.

“That’s because it’s covered in clouds,” Marie said. “That should make the surface hot, depending on the composition of the atmosphere.”

“The spectral scans indicate a lot of nitrogen and very low oxygen and carbon dioxide,” Aisha said.

“That doesn’t sound like an Earth equivalent,” James said. “It probably means that it doesn’t have much life if any.”

“Well, at least not life as we know it,” I said. “Carbon based life would need an energy source like oxygen or at the least something like sulfur dioxide.”

“If there’s little oxygen, we’ll have to wear breathing equipment,” Alisha said.

“We’ll probably wear bio-suits at the least,” I said. “It all depends upon the pressure and temperature of the planet’s atmosphere.”

“Ryan, I am detecting a breaking engine fault.”

“What sort of fault, COMA?”

“Cooling inlet valve CIV-202B returns a inoperable fault signal, Ryan.”

“Display a diagram, COMA.”

The main screen showed an inlet line from the main cooling system. The valve in question was situated just in front of the main cooling line that wound around the engine.”

I sighed. “Shit! That engine is critical to our ability to slow down and go into orbit around the rogue planet. COMA, do we have a replacement for that item?”

“Yes, Ryan.”

“What are we going to do?” Marie asked.

“We are going on an EVA to replace the valve.”

“What about us?” James said.

“You’re going to remain on board and monitor us. Watch what we do, or at least try to do. If we fail or get . . . in trouble, you’ll have to try it. Without that engine there is no way you’ll ever see Earth again.”

Both James and Alisha swallowed hard.

“COMA, is the radiation level outside low enough for an EVA?”

“Yes, Ryan. However, I recommend that you wear the radiation hardened suits.”

“Damn it! I was afraid of that. It’s going to impede our progress.”

“We had better do as COMA says,” Marie said. “We don’t want to get radiation sickness.”

I sighed. “Yes, you’re right. Let’s get this over with.”

James and Alisha exchanged concerned looks.

“Relax,” I told them. “We’ve done this before, and believe me, we know how to do it.”

The looks on their faces indicated that they weren’t convinced.