Chapter 2 – St Elmo's Fire

EPOV

"Emmett, Jasper what the hell is that?" the incessant beeping not stopping while zero gravity began to take over and lift us from the chairs we were strapped into. Looking further at the consoles around us I couldn't see any warning lights, what the hell was going on? Just as I started to speak to NASA, Emmett started laughing…

"Dude, chill, really, I forgot to turn off my alarm on my watch. I was afraid I'd sleep through it." He said with a huge chuckling grin on his face. I shook my head in disbelief.

"You mean to tell me, you set your alarm to wake you up after we'd already launched? What were you thinking?"

"No way man, I set it to wake me up after we launched!" at this point he started doing his crazy chair dance, "you know how the rocking motion of launch puts me to sleep! As they say if the ship is a rocking, don't come a knocking!" This of course set Jasper off into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Space Madness, that's all this could be.

"Eclipse Crew, this is Houston, we are seeing spikes in your heart rate, mission control medical chief needs a verbal check that you are all alright, confirm?"

Grinning at the bozos that are my crew, again, I turn on the vox.

"Houston, we can confirm all crew are safe and sound in their seats and all healthy, you might say we hit a funny bone. All clear on the Eclipse capsule, confirm?"

It took a minute of silence from NASA, they no doubt figured out it was Emmett up to his high jinx again. They probably are all laughing thinking he snuck a rubber chicken on board or something equally disturbing. You could hear the tone of stifled laughter in their response.

"Check Eclipse, understood. The great ape at it again we assume?"

Emmett decides to respond this time.

"I am not a great ape Houston, but you may call me Sasquatch if you like."

This time, Houston couldn't control the laughter and we heard it for a full 5 seconds before vox was turned off temporarily on their side while they all compose themselves.

Once all the hilarity of the moment died down and a smack to Em's head later, we all got out of our seats and proceeded to commence with post launch procedures. Storing all of our gear into the closets in the side of the capsule; we followed Houston's instructions even though we'd practiced this in the sims enough to literally do it in our sleep. We could, we knew it, because Emmett dared us to. He and Jasper bet on it in fact, Jasper ended up losing 100 bucks that night.

The initial set of boosters were to push us through to about the middle of our solar system, where we would meet up with a stationary second set of rockets and supplies that we would have to capture that were launched many months ago in preparation for this journey. We would go to the wormhole using this second set of rockets and when we came back from the wormhole, we would pick up the remaining to get us back home. The target wormhole was apparently sitting just outside our solar system, but still within our galaxy. The only problem we had was that no one knew where the other side was.

As we reached the second staging area, we began to get excited. Finally we were a little over halfway there. Jasper took over flight controls to capture the booster as it was his design and he didn't trust even us to do it right. So here we are holding our breath as Jasper maneuvers the capsule around trying to fit his arm into the locking hole.

"Emmett, shut up man. I got this but not if you don't leave me alone! "Jasper was yelling at him, as he was over there as usual bugging Jazz trying to upset his ever controlled concentration. Emmett took it as a challenge to make the ever calm and collected man to lose it. It's only ever happened once, and it wasn't pretty; but yet Emmett has decided to press on and continue the tradition.

"Eclipse, we are seeing numbers slightly off in your reach for the whole, it seems you need to move 3 degrees laterally. Confirm?"

Growling, Jasper responds after he elbows Emmett hard in the stomach.

"Yes Houston, there seems to be a dark spot in my vision up here, I'm getting rid of it now and will continue with updated coordinates, Eclipse crew out"

At this point he takes off one of the closet door panels and whacks Emmett in the side. "You big oaf, knock it off! " Then like the tattling child they can both be. "Edward! Do something with him will ya? Unless of course you don't want to eat for days!" This of course stopped Emmett in his tracks.

"Sorry Bro, was just trying to lighten the situation, honest, now please go get that food!" Not realizing vox was still on we could all hear Houston laughing at us... again.

You could hear the Flight Captain snorting, he was a good guy really, honest, but he knew us and I was sure he and the other crew were paying up bets as we speak.

"uh Eclipse, we copy that, all of it. Now I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're losing daylight as it were. Can ya speed things up? We may be smiling down here but we're all a little concerned that ya won't make the catch in time. Not a good plan guys"

"Houston, understood, Jasper's working on it now and Ben (the flight captain) we got Emmett all tied down now, we'll be done shortly, in fact we can see the pin that's in the wheel well hole for the capture within our sights, all good here, Eclipse out"

We literally had Emmett tied down to his chair. Ben and his crew knew it too.

After roughly an hour or so, between Jasper and Houston's guidance we managed to capture the booster with little to no trouble. There was a slight grinding as the arm ran down the side of the well where the pin was housed, but nothing that wasn't planned for or expected. After locking it all together Jasper turned around and with his Texas sized grin, gave us two thumbs up.

"Eclipse, well done on capture of the breaking dawn 1 booster, Jasper congratulations on the successful completion of your creation. We look forward to more of these in the near future. Edward, Emmett it's your turn now and we need you to do some housekeeping to lock up the booster's supplies. Confirm?"

"Houston, we confirm and thank you, we have our lists ready and handy and Emmett will start with step one on the list"

Jasper and I released a squirmy ape-man from his confinements and handed him the list of steps to go over with mission control. Then while Emmett went over the list with them, Jasper and I were taking a look at all the readings of the computer, making course corrections, navigation and burner fires to get us back at the spot we would need to be with minimal fuel consumption.

When everything was done and complete we all took a mandated break to rest after the computer had us flight tracked properly, we left it to auto pilot again while we rested.

Hours later we woke up stretching and yawning, looking at the window holes in the cabin we all gasped at what we were seeing. Never had any human ever seen the bright and vivid colors of the planets, their moons. Some so bright white it almost hurt our eyes to see the brightness of it against the blackened sky. Colors swirling together, some we had no names for. It was inspiring to say the least.

We traveled further and further out making it past the asteroid field which was not easy. With Emmett in the pilot's seat, we passed with ease.

"Eclipse, this is Houston. We saw the escape through the asteroid belt, amazingly well done. Emmett, your heart rate didn't spike once, some of the guys down here wanna know how you did it so seemingly easy?"

To which he grinned and winked at us knowingly. "Well Houston, you see, where I come from there's a stockpile of ancient old video arcade games, ya might wanna look up what those are on googlechromacon. I am an excellent score at Asteroids"

We all laughed with him, while mission control was silent. No doubt they were in fact looking up what he was talking about.

Much time later, with another burn of the secondary rockets, we edged towards the heliosphere. We learned from voyager 1 and other satellites that this could be the most intense part of the mission. Stronger magnetic fields, solar winds, it's all unpredictable. It could severely throw us off course and cost us precious fuel. As our instruments started buzzing about indicating we were closing in on it, we began to feel the slight shake and shimmy of being tossed about. If you've ever been on a ship at sea during a storm that's what this feels like. We were confident we could pull through it, after all sea Captains could steer their ships through 60 foot waves now. This should be a breeze?

Little did I know how wrong I was and how flying through this area was going to change so much in the course of our lives.

"Eclipse this is Houston, medical officer is seeing fluctuations in your health readings and we're reading some strange readings on the computer's logs there. Any explanation? Copy?"

"Uh Houston, we copy and acknowledge, we are entering the Heliosphere, there's a fair bit of turbulence up here, nothing we won't be able to crack in some time. Copy?"

"Ya, copy that Eclipse. You gentleman are doing great up there. Be safe, we'd all sure like to see you home in a few months. Copy?"

Everyone in our capsule chuckles at this, even though our nerves are very well present. "Copy that Houston, we definitely copy that. We'd all like to get home as well; Emmett needs some new jokes and pranks to pull. What he's got up here is getting old quick!"

Emmett of course pops off "Hey, I'm not old! Houston, do you copy that? I said, I'm not old and frankly I'm offended everyone thinks so!"

I punch him lightly in the arm, while we can hear the soft tones of worried laughter in the cabin from mission control. "I didn't say you were old you oaf, just your jokes. Get a grip old man"

Emmett huffs in his seat, arms crossed like a pouting toddler child that told it couldn't have a cookie. You could hear him mumbling in the background. "I am so not old. Ridiculous. Have they seen me naked? Old men don't look like this!" I had to chuckle at him, it was like raising a child, albeit a very smart, intelligent child; but a child nonetheless.

"Eclipse, telemetry shows you should be roughly halfway through the heliosphere, what are you guys seeing?"

"Ya Houston, we show halfway through as well and edging closer to the end steadily. We sure are getting a lot of turbulence up here though, there's a pretty hard shimmy and we have a fair bit of St Elmo's fire going on too. Copy?"

"Copy that Eclipse, not sure what we can do about it, maybe you can try and kick the boosters up a notch to get through faster? You have plenty of fuel at this point, thanks to all of your careful planning. Copy?"

"Copy Houston, and we are go on additional rocket boost ignition?"

At this point I look over at the guys. "You might want to strap in, with this turbulence and wind, I don't know what the ignition is going to do, better to be safe strapped in your seats then a concussion in space, got it guys?"

Emmett and Jasper both looking tense and while they are perspiring a bit they lock themselves into their chairs. I hear the snaps of their buttons and click of their helmets closing. They nod to me that they are in place and ready.

"Houston, this is Eclipse we are staged and ready for extra booster ignition. Go or no go? Copy?"

A few minutes time pass as we wait for acknowledgment and instructions from NASA. You can feel the tension charging in the enclosed, shuddering capsule. "We got this guys, don't worry"

"Eclipse this is Houston, we were taking a minute to rerun the numbers, it all looks clear. Go for booster burn when you're ready. We wish you luck and see you on the flip side of the solar system. This burn should rocket you past the final stage of the heliosphere where you can recapture your coordinates and head closer to your destination. Good Luck Guys."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, my finger moves to the booster ignition button and hold it steadily over it.

"Houston, this is Eclipse we have ignition in five, four, three, two, one"

The second I press the bright red glowing button, we hear a big bang and feel a huge heave forward. All the monitors start going off, warning buttons coming alive.

"Houston, this is Eclipse, mayday mayday, do you copy? We have warning lights going off everywhere, do you see this? Houston copy?"

Silence.

There is nothing but the sounds of warning bells in the cabin and the firey burn of the boosters.

I look back at my panicked buddies "We've lost mission control, it's up to us now, lets work the problem guys, do what you do best, and I'll try to hold her still and on course"

Emmett and Jasper jump into action immediately. Emmett starts taking off panels to look at the wiring, and Jasper gets his pencil and paper reconfiguring all readings to make sense of them.

We feel a heavy lurch forward and the turbulence from the heliosphere is gone. "We have reached outer space gentleman" I tell them somberly as warnings and lights continue to go off and flash around us.

Emmett stands looking dazed for a moment. "Edward? The wires, look man." I turn to him and see a melted smoking mess in his hands and his worried eyes.

"Emmett, what is that, and what did you do?"

"Edward man I didn't do this, I had a hard time getting this panel off and when I did this glob of burned and melted wire was stuck to it. " His face looking panicked, and his lips open and close like dry docked fish as he searches for words, which is not usually the case for him.

"Edward, these are the wires for the control to the fuel lines of the booster rocket"

Then for a moment we all stop, noses in the air. Burning. Something is on fire. We look outside to see the booster slowly creeping fire upwards. It shouldn't be possible in space, and that's apparently why it's moving so slowly.

Jasper speaks up now as he holds his paperwork and figures in his hands his finger beating on the pad nervously. "Edward, the St Elmo's fire ignited the booster when we did the extra burn. It's the only explanation I can find, however unlikely it is? We need to jettison the booster"

Both Emmett and I look at him in panic. "Jasper, do you know what you are saying?"

He nods slowly "Yes Edward, I do. Our options are to either die by slow burning fire, or reach the wormhole and hope for the best on the other side."

He points to a spot on the horizon from our cabin windows. It has to be the most beautiful thing we've ever seen, especially in this chaotic mess.

It's the entrance to the wormhole. There are purples, blues and greens swirling together in a sort of cosmic dance around each other. In the far distance you can see bright orange and yellow and red clouds swirling around the edges of the whole as if it's trying to give the tube a gentle and loving caress.

"Guys, we don't know what's on the other side, but maybe there's something we can use, we have other tools and hardware, between the three of us, if we can find a rock planet or something we can make a makeshift rocket, like we used to and get our way home. It's our only chance and we must decide quickly."

The three of us look back and forth unspoken words but just a slight nod with grim faces agreeing to a plan that is in and of itself, truly madness at its core. Our fate lies with whatever is beyond the wormhole. The three of us know it, but are not so easy to accept that it's all up to fate.

With a slight prayer to a deity I'm not sure I believe in, my fingers press the booster release.

"Booster release confirmed, we're on our own now. Flying by a wing and a prayer."

The three of us crowd the side window as we watch the burning booster detach and float backwards away from the capsule. We each hear what sounds like a thunder crackling and look forward as we see the entrance to the wormhole encompass our full view. Our eyes widen bigger than they have ever been. I yell to my buddies in frantic pace.

"Suits ON! Helmets ON, LOCKED and CLOSED! Get yourselves strapped in NOW!"

We all scramble to do just that and get locked in just as we feel gravity take over with a speed that is unlike anything we've never felt before take over.

We all gasp as we enter our destination. The wormhole.

*AN… I do not own Twilight, NASA, the song St Elmo's fire song or movie or the phenomenon of it, I'm just using it to move forward my silly little plot. In fact this goes for any and everything I incorporate in my story from here on out.

Thank you for reading!