Sylvano, I’m getting nothing on insuit for A14 to A36 inclusive, you overlay on that?
are we safe? safe? damn I dunno we’re two hunnert thousan’ klicks out maybe that’s enough distance but what else has that satellite got, answer me that an’ I’ll say
I never guaranteed pressure seals against whatever that orange was hell Stein measured a three kilo Torr jump in a couple millisec on an interior bulkhead, then all the instrumentation crapped out probably crushed ’em I’m sending the curves over now what you make of that
no, all their antennas are stripped, I can see that much, that’s why we can’t get
A14, A36 please respond
shit can’t pick up anything this range no dish
they’re tumbling anyway can’t aim the inboard rifle antenna at us even if look Nigel I tell you there’s no way I can find that out so get off my band and let me
lookit at here in the IR the whole side of module A burned away looks like see right there as it comes aroun’ into the light kind of brown and
Alex here, look I checked those insuit wavelengths and yeah I can tune the big dish for that we’re operational in that band if we pull in the lobes a little but you sure the ordinary link is out I mean you know I’m standing by on emergency so
of course it’s out cretin their antennas are gone if there’s any electronics active in their suits they’ll be broadcasting a Mayday with just sodding suit wiring and the only way to pick it up Alex at this range is through you
yeah Reynolds is moving as fast as he can I’d say ETA is four hours plus easy so
yes I well look I know and well fuck off Ted I bloody
look I got hey hold off a minute Nigel one minute I got from Nichols the suit ID and I’m online, reading now you can knock it off look there’s we’re getting it 2.16 gigahertz right, yeah, hope this right yeah there’s lines here, three, four, I count eight, sharpening them a little now, I can read off the IDs maybe straight from the scope face here just a sec
Nikka’s A27, Alex, that’s 2.39 gigahertz
you say 2.39 yeah Nigel got that one and 2.41
next to it they’re straight Maydays only 2.43 is out
and 2.45 too
how long do you think
Ted we’re under boost awready an’ ’at was damn fine for the conditions seems to me considerin’
I want to be sure you don’t walk into whatever happened to them, so you’ll have to take a slow approach, nothing too
okay putting us there in 2.68 hours, I make it a trajectory with Ra at our backs that’ll maybe be some help
reduce our visibility but we’ll have to maneuver y’know to reach all that debris it’s spreading out fast
Alex says that’s not necessary anymore. There are six no eight suits responding to our relayed medical interrogation and they’re in two capsules
Jesus eight out of how many was it thirty-six?
Yes, that’s why I want extreme caution, though God knows with that response time the crews couldn’t have done anything even if they had been armed, with no warning they
Nigel oh Zak look can you find Nigel for me, sounds like, I said, this is Alex, sounds like a madhouse in Central can you
hold it, oh, okay here
send Reynolds those coordinates pronto I want
Nigel, glad I found you look I’ve been monitoring all the insuit Maydays and several of them are going spotty on me it’s not a relay problem I’m sure of that or pretty sure anyway and
nope there’s nothing from the satellite, no interference so that can’t be causing it
Alex Alex this is Nigel here I’ve cross-checked and there’s no other explanation how long until the rescue team
hour twenty-seven minutes more Central says
hell can’t they
I’m sorry, I, look we just lost one of the insuits, I thought you’d, I called cause it’s the 2.39 gigahertz one Nigel, it’s just clean gone.
The white caked skin was dead and dry, leached of color. Nigel reached out and rubbed it tentatively. He felt lightheaded and vague, the residue of many hours. Her right eyelid was closed. Her left had been burned away. The left side of her face was waxy and hardening. In the enameled impersonal phosphor light he traced a trembling finger across the familiar lines, the weathered fretworks and canyons, and marveled that the wrinkles flowed smoothly into the firming new flesh without a sign of the transition.
“They’ll have the … eyelid … back on in an hour … they said,” Nikka mumbled. The shiny skin was still tight and her lips were swollen, purple. She had trouble with pronunciation.
“Quiet.”
“I’m still not … taking orders … Nigel.”
He stared at her, unable to think of anything to say.
“You … were right.”
