Free Baxter Moon, Galactic Scout by John Zakour Page A

once we were within a kilometer of the Searcher. The Searcher, while not being a floating city in the sky like our base, was still quite large, the size of a big hotel. After all, it was meant to house a couple of hundred beings on long-term missions. The landing bay also wasn’t as super humongous as the one on the base but it was still large enough to house at least a dozen shuttles.
    “Ease her in carefully,” GiS said, using his best mentor voice.
    I fought back the urge to say, no kidding.
    “When the towed shuttle is within 100 meters of the bay, cut all engines, activate the stabilizers, then slowly push her in.”
    “No kidding,” I said, failing this time to fight back the urge.
    “I know you know this,” GiS said, a bit testy. “I’m just reinforcing it. It’s my job to make sure you do your job right.”
    “I’ll tell you when Shuttle K-II is within 100 meters of the Sphere,” Elvin said. He looked at his console and started counting down. As he counted down I lined up our shuttle with the door.
    “500 meters, 400 meters, 300 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters.”
    I cut our engines and hit the stabilize button. The ship rocked a bit and then came to stop. I could see into the landing bay through the view window. The other shuttles were lined up perfectly.
    Elvin looked at his console. “Kymm’s shuttle is 2 degrees off center to the right of the optimal landing spot,” he said.
    Okay maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough.
    I looked at the intercom. “Are you ready, Kymm?”
    “As I’ll ever be,” she responded. “This is easy, Moon, just guide us in and let us go.”
    “You can do it, Bax old buddy,” Chriz said, apparently for once in his life not wanting to tick me off.
    “I didn’t think you liked Baxter,” Lobi said, apparently forgetting that we were in communication over the intercom.
    “Ssh, you fool,” Chriz said.
    “Quiet both of you,” K-999 ordered. “Scout Moon needs to concentrate.”
    I decreased the power of the tractor beam. Their ship started to pull away from us toward the Sphere. As I continued to slowly cut the power of the tractor beam their shuttle moved closer and closer.
    “We’re in,” Kymm said.
    Elvin looked at his console. “My readings confirm that,” he said, apparently not trusting Kymm’s eyes, bionic or not.
    I cut the tractor beam power. Through the view screen I could see Kymm’s shuttle drop to the floor like a big expensive brick.
    “Are you guys alright?” I asked through the intercom.
    “We’re alive,” Kymm said. “It could have been softer, but we’ll walk away and like they say…”
    “Any landing you walk away from is a good one,” I said completing the sentence for her.
    “Who’s they?” Zenna asked.
    “The landing bots will have them moved out of the way in 300 tics,” SC informed us.
    I pushed the handle down just enough to drop our shuttle into line with the bay door and waited. For once in my life I didn’t mind waiting. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from my hands.
    I turned and looked at my squad.
    “We did it,” I said.
    Elvin and Zenna both smiled. GiS pointed forward to the bay door.
    “They are ready for you to land now,” he said.
    “That is correct,” SC confirmed.
    “Then let’s bring her in,” I said.
    I turned off the stabilizers and nudged the control stick forward. We were so close to the Searcher I didn’t need much power. I just floated her in.
    I turned off my shuttle and looked around. I couldn’t help smiling. I had towed one shuttle and landed my shuttle on a real warp-capable Searcher-class space sphere. We had been on simulator versions of Searcher before, but this was the real thing. Now there would be no imagining I was on a simulator. I wanted to soak it all in. I deserved it.
    GiS must have seen the look on my face. “Wipe that silly grin off your face, Scout Moon,” he ordered. “We’ve just started this mission and we’re already behind