Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 9

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Part 9

Evan and Becky poured over the documents. Each test came back as expected. No issues outside expected tolerances. For ten days the tests had been run, and each test had the results analysed. Anything outside expected tolerances flagged an investigation. The root cause for every anomaly was chased down and once every test had worked, they did them all again.

"Is this it?" asked Becky, not believing her eyes. "Are we there?"

"It looks like it," said Evan. "I don't know how other space companies do this. There are so many checks."

"Yes, but since we aren't going through normal airspace, we don't have to involve the CAA. Imagine that paperwork."

Ashleigh knocked and peeped into the office. "How many failures?"

"None. We passed every test. Nothing even close to breaking limits."

"That's fantastic news. When do we go?"

"I want James, Sam and Liam to sign off. Then I need to tell Laura. I'll let you know."

"Sam's other half, Jessica has arrived. Sam was asking if Jessica could watch the test."

Becky and Evan looked at each other and Becky whispered, "Do you have any objections?"

"None at all."

"No problem," said Becky to Ashleigh. "A good idea. Why don't we get the office staff in to watch too."

"When we have a launch time, I'll arrange something in the back office for the staff. I'll sit with Jessica and make sure she is okay. Is it okay if we sit at the back of the Launch Control room?"

"Yes. Make sure there are chairs just in case Laura is coming too. Can you get the three of them in here with their tablets. I will ask them if there is anybody they want for the launch and will let you know."

Ashleigh left, shutting the door behind her.

"Do you have anybody you want to watch?" asked Rebecca

"I could ask my ex-wife," replied Evan. "However, I think she might pray that the ship blows up with me in it. What about you?"

"It's just me and Jenny. If she insists on going on a launch, I'm not sure if I will go. I'd hate to risk her. Nobody under the age of eighteen has been in space. Would it be safe for her undeveloped body to be weightless? Would the fluid issue be worse for a child? Could it give her problems seeing?"

"One of the tests I'd like to do is to try going to Australia with it. Perhaps she would be okay on that test. No weightlessness, and therefore that will not be an issue."

"Sounds a plan. Jenny gets to go on a trip, but not something that will hurt her."

The three crew members arrived, and Evan took charge of this chat. "We have a decision to make. Becky and I have reviewed the test results. Everything was as expected. I'd like you three to review too. You are going in the ship, and I want to make sure you're happy. Then if you are, we need to know what you're going to call the ship."

"We decided on the name 'Aurora'. She is the goddess of the dawn. It signals the start of something new. Hopefully the ship will bring the human race beyond the cradle of Earth."

After an hour James said, "I'm good. What about you two?"

"I'm on the last one," said Sam. "Give me a few minutes."

"The two tests I was nervous about seem to now be sorted without impact," said Liam. "I'm good."

"And I'm good too," said Sam.

"Sam, I believe Jessica has arrived. Ashleigh mentioned your request and she can watch. James and Liam, do you have anybody you wish to invite?"

Neither did.

Rebecca got out her phone and dialled Laura's secretary, who transferred the call immediately. "Hi Laura, it's Becky."

It was quite unnecessary to say that. It would have shown on her phone, and her secretary would have announced her.

"Becky. What can I do for you? How are the tests going?"

"We have finished. Evan and I agree that we are good to go. The crew of 'Aurora' have also signed things off."

"That's great."

"Would you like to be here?"

Becky heard a muffled sound and then "Lucy. Change of plan. Can you take me to The Factory."

"We were on the way to Bristol. I should be there in less than an hour."

"We'll be at least two hours before departure, so don't break any speed limits."

With the call terminated, Becky said "Okay, crew of Aurora. Go get to the toilet and get yourself ready. I'll get Julie to fetch Jessica."

Becky went out to see the security guard. When Julie and Jessica got back, the place was on lockdown. The only people allowed in were going to be Laura and her security.

Ten minutes later, Julie came in, with Jessica in tow. "Thanks Julie," said Ashleigh. "Are you ready to watch?"

"Oh yes. We know testing has been happening, but we've no idea what we'll see."

"Can I ask you make sure that nobody records it on their phones or speaks about it. There are lots of tests before it's reported."

"We won't, but I'll make sure."

When Julie went, it was just Ashleigh and Jessica. "Hi, I'm Ashleigh. I'll be looking after you today. I've no idea how much Sam has told you."

"Just there is a test flight and Sam has been doing lots of preparation. No more than that. It's unusual, as Sam's mostly on submarines."

"This is even more unusual. Let's go into Launch Control. There is a large screen showing the launch site."

They went in, and there was a buzz of activity as they were constantly checking the ship values. The ship would automatically signal if there was an issue, but it was good to know how things were.

"This is the ship Sam's in," said Ashleigh, pointing to the 103-inch screen.

"I've never seen anything like that before."

"That's because there hasn't been a ship like it. It is a revolutionary design. The three crew have reviewed everything and are happy to fly. Sam thought you would like to watch."

"Yes, thank you. Oh, they're going in. Is it long to them setting off? How is it going to launch while inside?"

"There are checks they have to make, such as communications. They won't be going yet."

The door opened and in came Laura with Tina followed by her main bodyguard. "The building is locked," said Tina to Ashleigh. "Miss T has two guards outside here, and two guarding the entrance to the ship room."

Laura didn't say anything but took her seat and put on the headphones that were on them. She didn't get out her phone but sat watching everything occur. Tina sat next to her and Jenny joined them, both donning their headphones.

After twenty minutes, Becky said, "All checks done. Go when you're ready."

"Destination dialled in," came the voice of Sam.

"All systems go," said Liam.

The voice of Captain James Partridge came through the speaker. "Leaving in three ... two ... one."

One second the ship was there, the next it was gone. In the blink of an eye, it had vanished.

Jessica swore and then apologised. "Where did it go?"

"It should be about 350 kilometres in space."

"You're shitting me?"

Ashleigh wanted to laugh. "No. Keep listening."

"Launch Control, this is Aurora. We have arrived."

"Confirmation," said Evan. "Tracking has you and telemetry is coming in via Low Earth satellite network. Well done. Confirm all systems are green and bring her home."

"We have a power conduit issue," said Sam calmly. "Standby."

"What's happening?" asked Jessica

"Sounds like Sam has spotted an issue and is dealing with it."

Evan and Henry were in a frantic discussion when Becky said, "We've lost communication and some telemetry."

"Yes," said Evan. "There is redundant communication. We still have the telemetry from the power side."

"This is Aurora, can you read me?" came the voice of James Partridge.

"We hear you," responded Becky. "What's your situation."

"I'm calling on the emergency connection. It has about an hour's battery. Sam has doffed their spacesuit to make it easier to work. We will keep you informed."

"Doffed?" asked Jessica.

"Taken off. They are confident the ship is airtight, so Sam has taken off the spacesuit."

"I so wish we'd got married," sighed Jessica.

"Why didn't you."

"Sam. You might have realised that Sam likes to live without a gender. You have heterosexual marriage and gay marriage. But you always have to specify a gender. You can't get married without that."

"And what's between your ears is far more important than what's between your legs," said Ashleigh.

"Exactly. You can't change your brain, but you can change other things."

"My sister over there is Tina. She is two years younger than you but went to the same music school in the UK. And before you panic, she hasn't told me anything about the school. What was the sister school like?"

"Very similar. The same support. The same love for each other. The same excellent education. We kept in touch during and after school. I feel just as happy in America as in the UK."

"And probably have no issues travelling in most of the world."

"Exactly."

"You seem very relaxed about Sam being in space with an issue."

Jessica shrugged. "What good would panicking do? Sam is good at this type of work. It isn't the first test job, but it is the first I've got to watch."

There was silence as data was checked. There were hundreds of sensors on a ship that wasn't too large. Millions of data points. It was finding the issue.

"Sensor Bravo-Delta-Six-One-Niner and Bravo-Delta-Five-Two-Six showed a spike," said Becky. "That's floor panel five-three."

"Floor panel five-three," read back Sam.

More silence. There was still checking of data, but it was less frantic than before.

Ashleigh looked across at Laura. She was still sat in the same position as at the start of the test. Jenny was less happy, but still had on her headset, wanting to hear the next bit of information. Tina was holding Jenny's hand and was occasionally saying something.

Silence. Waiting. Seconds seemed like minutes. Minutes seemed like hours.

A photograph appeared on the main screen. It was something Sam had sent through. There was a disconnect. It looked like something had burnt through the thick cable."

"I'm going to isolate at panel four-three," said Sam. "I can then replace. I'd like to check to see what caused that before we power up. Can I suggest some hand or feet holds in future upgrades. Trying to remove floor panels is a real pain without something to brace myself on."

Becky looked at Henry who was nodding. "Confirmed. Isolate at panel four-three and replace with spare cable. I'll make a note of your upgrade suggestions."

Ten minutes later, more pictures came through. More floor panels had been opened exposing the length of cable. Only one section had issues.

Liam came on. "Control. Do you remember the first test. The gash looks like that."

"Sam. Please check the holding connector. Is it the same material as the others?" asked Evan.

Silence.

"It appears to be. But it looks like there is some slight discoloration. Perhaps caused by arcing."

"Confirmed on the discoloration. You have a spare cable to replace the damaged one?"

"Yes, but it will take time to replace. We can run a longer cable down channel four. This will bypass the issue and make sure the cable doesn't go near that connector."

More waiting.

"So, what do you do?" Ashleigh asked Jessica.

"I work on satellite communications for a startup. I used to work for a large conglomerate but decided a smaller company would use more of my talent. But since Sam left the Navy, we have more opportunities to do things wherever."

"How is it working out?"

"I'm busy, hence why I've only got here this week. I have two weeks, so was glad it coincided."

"Perhaps we could use your satellites in the future," said Ashleigh.

"Won't work. Our antennas point towards Earth. With you being so far out, it won't pick up. How far will this ship go?"

"There is no distance. Part of the issue is we don't have good coordinates elsewhere. We could easily do The Moon or Mars, but if there was an issue, we wanted to be close to home."

"And does your ship communicate across the void of space?"

"Not yet. Becky says she has some ideas."

"Good to know. It sounds like there are new possibilities."

"I hope you don't have stocks in them. I wouldn't want you in trouble for insider dealing."

Eventually the voice of James came over the system, breaking the tense wait. "Sam has the cable connected and Liam has verified the run. Are we go to test?"

"Are all the panels back in place."

"Yes."

"Then go."

Silence. "We have full telemetry," remarked Evan.

"Roger. We are back on the main communications," came back James. "We are donning our gear and should depart in ten minutes."

"Confirmed. Donning suits and departing in ten minutes. Let us know when you are ready."

The ship blinked back into the room. One second it was empty, the next the ship was there.

"Please stay seated. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes," said Becky.

"Congratulations," said Laura loudly as she got up from her seat. This was the first thing she'd said during the whole test. "Not only did you successfully prove the technology, but you also proved that you could handle an issue with calm minds. Find the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again. I hate people dying unnecessarily."

The radiation levels were clear, and the ship door was opened. After some checks, the doctor pronounced them well enough to depart the ship but move to the makeshift medical bay for more checks.

"Let me take you to see Sam," Ashleigh said to Jessica.

"I think Sam has found a new home after the Navy. I'll have to see if there is a telecoms startup in this country. If not, I'll have to start one."

Jenny spoke for the first time since the test. "Ma. Now the ship is back, can someone take a photograph of me and you in front of it."

"I'll take it when I get back," said Ashleigh and then hurried to take Jessica to see her partner.

When she got back, it was just Rebecca and Jenny. Ashleigh took the photograph, not realising how important that picture was.

"Miss Thompson," said Jenny, rushing up to Ashleigh. "I've got a favour to ask."

"Oh?"

Jenny looked around and saw her Ma was still near the ship. She asked quietly, "Will you ask my Ma out for a coffee? She is scared to ask you."

Ashleigh was stunned and didn't know what to say.

"You do like her, don't you?" asked Jenny, suddenly worried.

"Yes, but what about your mummy?"

"My mummy is dead, but you aren't."

That wasn't a response Ashleigh had expected, but on reflection it was Jenny. It was what she would say.

Ashleigh gave the young girl a wink and went to Rebecca. "Becky, do you want to go to the cinema next week?"

Becky spun round in shock. "But. But."

"Say yes," said Jenny.

"I'd love to," said Rebecca, turning a bright shade of red. "That would be really nice."