Warp speed

reverse engineering and reengineering it.

Tabitha and I finally reconfigured the data comm system to accept our UHF signal as data in. Then we retransmitted that signal through the Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier or 'TWeeTA' system. The TWeeTA was designed to handle more data than had ever been attempted with a spacecraft. The warp field data would be vast when operational. Standard communications systems just wouldn't have been able to handle the data rates needed. So, Al, Jim, 'Becca, and I spent a good bit of time and money designing a newer more updated system. This communications system works a lot more like the Internet than a radio. That amount of data required a lot of power amplification. A TWeeTA is the only way to go about that. Tabitha and I used this to our advantage. Since the communications dish hadn't been deployed yet, we planned to use the omnidirectional antenna. We pumped plenty of power through the dipole so that the relay satellites could receive it with no problem.

But there was a problem: the datalink was just that, a datalink. Nobody would be expecting a voice signal over it. Jim would have to realize that the data he was receiving was a frequency modulated signal, then decode it to an audio circuit. Who knew how long that would take? The plus side is that with the Shuttle now destroyed, the folks dirtside wouldn't expect anybody to turn on the warp probe, either. The fact that it came on should surprise them, if they were watching their consoles properly. Also, while in orbit the probe was designed to communicate directly with the HOSC through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System or TDRSS (pronounced 'tea-dress') network. And we were in line-of-sight with one of those constantly. This meant that as soon as we turned on the transmitter, the HOSC would be receiving the data. We weren't worried about choking the bus of the relay satellites because an audio data file doesn't require much bandwidth.

'HOSC operations come in please. Is anybody there?' I began repeating.

Tabitha followed. 'Come in Jim. Are you there?'

We kept talking so a constant audio file would be sent through Zephram, over TDRSS, to the HOSC, and hopefully to Jim.

'Tabitha, I'm going to survey the probe while we wait. There might be something on it we could use. Use for what I don't know.'

I powered up the forward thrusters and moved slowly around the spacecraft. Where the large thud had taken place was on the ACS Fuel Tankage and Science Instrument section. We wouldn't be measuring the electromagnetic field strength and the gravimetric effects of the warp field today. We sure wouldn't be firing the attitude control thrusters either. The rest of the probe looked okay. I made my way back to the GUI panel and did a system diagnostic using its graphical user interface. The probe checked out, although the warp field coils hadn't been completely connected and the ECCs hadn't been brought online yet.

'HOSC, do you copy?' Tabitha repeated.

'Come on, Jim, where are you?' I looked at Tabitha's DCM.

'Give me the bad news, Anson.'

'We still have about three hours of air left. That is plenty of time.' I assured her. Plenty of time for what neither of us would admit. It takes days at best, usually weeks, to get a Shuttle ready for launch and about the same time for a Russian rocket. It takes even longer for a Chinese rocket. We discussed the possibility of the Crew Return Vehicle on the ISS.

'HOSC, are you there?' I said. 'The CRV could never get to us in time. At full thrust I don't think it could make it to us in three hours.'

'Maybe, Anson. Don't give up.'

'Who's giving up? Jim, are you there?' I turned to her and approached. I hugged her suit as best I could and touched my faceplate to hers.

'I love you, Tabitha.'

'Well, you may not live to regret that.' She smiled.

Twenty or so minutes had passed and still no response from the HOSC. We were beginning to think nobody would find the signal.

'Jim, are you there? Huntsville, is anybody there? This is Anson Clemons—come in, Earth!' I was ready to try something else.

'Roger that, Dr. Clemons. This is Mission Control being patched through the HOSC. Is Colonel Ames with you? And what has happened?' It wasn't Jim's voice, but we didn't care. Tabitha took command.

'Mission Control, this is Shuttle Commander Tabitha Ames. The Shuttle Orbiter has been completely destroyed by some type of internal explosion. I repeat. The Shuttle Orbiter has been completely destroyed. The cause is unknown. Dr. Anson Clemons and I are the only survivors. We each have,' she looked at her DCM readout, 'roughly two hours and thirty-nine minutes of air left. Please advise on possible rescue scenario. The probe ACS thrusters are off-line and out of fuel and O2.'

'Roger that, Commander. Understand that we are working on escape possibilities. We will advise you momentarily,' Control replied.

'Roger, Houston.'

The response came five minutes later—it seemed like forever.

'Colonel Ames, Tabitha, uh, we haven't got a working scenario that will save both of you. If you two have any suggestions, we're open for it down here.' Hal Thompson was talking now. He was the boss down at Mission Control. I had met him a few times. He was shooting straight with us.

'Houston, this is Clemons. What do you mean by you can't save us both?' I had an idea what he meant, but I had to hear it.

'We don't have another Shuttle anywhere near ready for launch. We have called the Russians and the Chinese. The Chinese have one on the launch pad but they won't be ready for launch for at least another seven hours or so. The Crew Return Vehicle is your only hope. It's already enroute to your location. The Hohmann Transfer required will take about four hours to reach you and another couple of minutes to match velocities with you. That's all we have right now. Sorry.' Hal truly sounded sorry. I knew he was right. I had been running rough order of magnitude calculations in my head. One of us would have to survive long enough for the CRV to make it to us. Only one of us could with the combination of air from both suits—it would be Tabitha. At least she would make it. I told her it had to be her.