Free Last Flight For Craggy by Gary Weston

details. Something about a non polluting power
source. '
    'A bit late for
that,' said Cragg.
    Forbes said,
'It's paid for. We just have to deliver it.'
    Dillow said,
'With an unmanned ship I've been told.'
    Forbes linked
his fingers and leaned back in his chair. 'We have no choice. No
captain, rookie or otherwise would take it with the diseases
rampant, and we wouldn't allow it. We need a ship to survive the
entry into Earth's atmosphere. We have one fully reusable ship. The
new one, Big Bird. We have been flat-out adapting it for the
marsillium and also for computer controlled flight. It is
programmed to return with the laser powered steelworks. Development
of Moon, and to some degree, Mars, will be extremely difficult
without it.'
    'When does it
go?' asked Cragg.
    'All being
well, twelve days time. The ship's ready, but the commissioning of
the computers will take the time. Would you care for a guided tour?
I could take you tomorrow if you like.'
    'I'd really
like that, Commander Forbes,' said Cragg.
    'Me too,' said
Dillow. 'Thanks.'
     

Chapter
23
     
    As agreed,
Cragg and Dillow met with Forbes the following morning. Fully
suited, the Moon Commander drove them himself the twenty five
kilometres away from the Base buildings, to the new ship site. The
sheer size of the project made Cragg and Dillow gasp.
    'Three hundred
and fifty metres in length,' said Forbes, proudly. 'Fifty meters in
diameter. Twin plasma drive engines. Our engineers are constantly
refining the propulsion systems.'
    Cragg
said,'From my poor old brain, I recall helium gas being bombarded
with electrical pulses. That turns it into plasma, which is ejected
using electrostatic and electromagnetic forces and that's the
propulsion.'
    'I'm
impressed,' said Dillow.
    'Don't be. I've
no idea what any of that means,' admitted Cragg.
    'It means,'
said Forbes, 'We don't have to lug around a load of fuel to get
from A to B. We can go faster, further and carry more. The improved
engines can reach twice the speed of your old freighter. The skin
is a new material made from Martian elements, mostly marsillium
sprayed on in a thin coating. Super resilient to heat.'
    'And that's the
launch slope?' Dillow asked.
    'Yes. That's a
five kilometre, forty five degree slope. The ship is winched
backwards up the slope, then the plasma engines fire up and down
she goes, then up the short upward slope, into space. Cuts down on
take off fuel usage by sixty seven percent.'
    'Amazing,' said
Cragg. 'How does it land?'
    'Rotatable
thrusters and retractable legs. The ship is a beauty. This is the
future of space travel.'
    'But no
people,' said Dillow.
    Forbes said,
'It can carry people. Up to three hundred passengers at a time if
it isn't fully loaded with goods. Just no pilot.'
    'Captain Dillow
is concerned she's about to be made redundant,' said Cragg.
    Forbes laughed.
'I'm not exactly keen on billion dollar ships being controlled by a
bunch of circuitry. If it wasn't the risk of picking up contagious
diseases, this baby would have a human in charge. I mean, look at
what you two dealt with. See a computer anywhere that could do any
of that?'
    'Can we look
inside?' asked Dillow.
    'Follow
me.'
    They followed
Forbes to the front of the ship.
    'This is the
pointy end,' said Cragg, confidently.
    'Nothing lost
on you, Craggy,' said Forbes.
    The airlock
hatch was open and a young woman was sitting in a cramped bucket
seat. Miles of multi coloured cables were pouring over the side of
the hatch, to a man and woman with sophisticated diagnostic
equipment.
    'A seat?' said
Cragg.
    'Only one. For
the computer technician, but also for manual override by a pilot
should the need arise,' explained Forbes. 'Stella. How is it
going?'
    The technician
in the seat smiled at the commander. 'Good. We have three
independent systems, one kicking in if the other fails.'
    'So
reassuring,' said Dillow.
    'You're Fawn
Dillow,' said Stella. 'That was quite an adventure you just
had.'
    'It was pretty
full on. You