Free Spindrift by Allen Steele Page A

disaster, a rescue mission was almost out of the question. Although the ESA had a small fleet of interplanetary spacecraft, none were designed to pass through KX-1. Indeed, Galileo ’s first mission had originally been intended to be nothing more than a survey of the Kuiper Belt, with a flight to 47 Ursae Majoris being contemplated if that was successful. No one thought that its maiden voyage beyond the solar system would be to investigate an anomaly like Spindrift.
    As they reached the end of the dry dock, Ramirez said something else, but Collins ignored him. Twisting the yoke hard to the right, she assayed a tight starboard turn that brought the OTV around in a 180-degree arc. Galileo lay dead ahead, the silver coating of its deflector pods catching the spotlights of her craft. She fired forward thrusters to decelerate, then gently coaxed the OTV forward.
    â€œAs I was saying…” Ramirez began.
    â€œNot now, please.” She prodded her mike. “ Galileo command, Charlie Victor two-ten. Flyby completed, resuming docking maneuvers.”
    â€œ Copy that, Charlie Victor. ” Arkady again. “ Clear for docking at port four. Wave as you go by. ”
    She grinned despite her nervousness. Maneuvering the OTV within the confines of the dry dock would be a tight squeeze; Arkady knew that her hands would never leave the yoke. “Wilco,” she replied. “Watch for my lights.”
    The OTV slipped into the dry dock with scarcely twenty meters on either side to spare. Emily chewed her lower lip as she let forward momentum do most of the work, firing aft thrusters only when necessary. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a figure floating within one of the broad, oval windows on Deck A; Arkady, watching her from the command center as she passed by. She stole a second to flip a toggle switch twice, causing her formation lights to blink a couple of times, then she put both hands on the yoke again.
    Once she guided the craft past the forward mooring cables, she was home free. Emily rolled the OTV forty-five degrees to starboard, then pitched the bow ninety degrees to port. Charlie Victor was flying perpendicular to Galileo . When the docking module drifted into view, she fired another burst to brake her momentum. The designated docking port lay directly below her; a quick fire of the aft thrusters, and she moved toward it. Ten meters…seven meters…five…three…
    A hollow rasp as the OTV’s docking probe slid into the collar, then its flanges engaged and there was a sudden thump as the OTV mated with the ship. Emily let out her breath as she reached forward to flip switches that would withdraw the probe and begin pressurization. “ Galileo , Charlie Victor, we are home.”
    â€œ Confirm that, Charlie Victor. ” Only this time it was Ted’s voice, not Arkady’s. “ Nice flying there. You’ve always been good at this sort of thing. ”
    Ted, you bastard …Emily felt her face grow warm and prayed that no one noticed the innuendo. “Roger that,” she replied, trying not to smile. She waited a second, studying the gauges to make sure that the seal was tight and there were no air leaks, then turned her head to look back at the passengers. “All right, now, I’m popping the forward hatch. Might be a slight pressure difference, so I suggest you swallow a couple of times. But don’t touch the hatch…someone aboard will let you through.”
    The science team murmured; they were already unclasping their harnesses and reaching down to pull their baggage from the nets beneath their seats. Collins reset the comp and put the engines on standby mode; since she’d be the last person to exit the craft, it was her duty to make sure that the harbor pilot had a safe craft to fly home.
    â€œNice work,” Ramirez said. “You’ve got a real feel for this sort of thing.”
    She’d almost forgotten about