Shera's Diary
Chapter 5
Interference
By Kristen Gupton-Williams
(dialogue from the rocket launch until the rocket's shut off taken directly from the game)
Dear Dairy,
I wish I was dead. It almost happened, too. I can't live with this…
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Dear Diary,
I just drank an entire bottle of Jack. I'll try and write what happened today, now. I couldn't before.
Okay…
I left my apartment shortly before six this morning. I never did go to sleep after the captain walked me home.
Which is fine, because there was a general meeting of the engineering staff slated at six fifteen. I arrived, helped myself to a cup of coffee, and sat at the meeting table with all the others involved in the project.
Our guidance and control manager, Rich, told us that the weather was looking good and that the launch window was going to be between fifteen hundred and sixteen fifty two. He had no reason to believe that there were going to be any external delays and that the countdown would most likely begin at fifteen hundred.
It was at that point that Captain Highwind walked into the room unannounced. He didn't seem concerned that he was late and he just went over to the coffee maker, got himself a cup, and then moved over to stand in the corner of the room, facing us but keeping his gaze down into his cup.
He seemed somber, and just listened to the proceedings with a slight nod here and there. Most of this wasn't his concern. The engineers had basically taken this project out of his hands and all he had to do today was get into the rocket when they told him and then launch.
After Rich's short briefing, it was my turn as the Engineering Lead. I assigned everyone their checks to run that morning.
I assigned myself to the tanks.
That was the only moment that Captain Highwind seemed to react. He looked up from his coffee and over at me, his eyes narrowed in thought.
He didn't say anything though, only straightening up and walking out. The man had to be incredibly nervous, though, so I didn't blame him in the least. Like I've said in the past, I will never hold the way he acts against him.
None of it.
I then went up to the rocket and began my final checks on the tanks. I was interrupted frequently as the various department leads came to me with their final sign off sheets. Everything seemed to be checking out.
I ran my check over the oxygen tanks repeatedly.
By two in the afternoon, only one hour before lift off, I was still in there. Something was starting to click in my mind, and I was growing frantic.
I'll write down here what I realized the problem to be. That way, maybe someday, someone will be able to see this and either validate or refute me.
There are eight tanks, encircling the engine room. Now, seven of those tanks are designed to dump oxygen into the fuel mixture as the rocket gets high enough into the atmosphere for there not to be enough ambient O2 to keep the engine burning. Those seven tanks are piston actuated. That is to say, that there is basically a piston within those tanks that compresses the gas within to a constant pressure. When the temperature goes up and the gas within expands, the piston will back off, and as pressure is lost from the gas being used up, the piston within will begin to compress the gas to keep the pressure at a steady 1500psi. Even if the cooling system doesn't keep the temperature of those tanks down, the fact that the internal volume of them can change will eliminate any risk of them blowing. Even if one of the pistons fails, all seven of those tanks are linked and the others would immediately compensate for it. They were rated to hold 1500psi, and hold 1500psi they would. I had no fear of those tanks having an issue.
It was number eight.
It was independent of all the other tanks. This was the tank that was to supply the capsule of the rocket with oxygen
This was a static tank. It had been pressurized that morning. Its volume would be a constant. It was pressurized to 2100psi, which is standard for this type of application. It wouldn't blow as long as its pressure didn't exceed that 2100 mark.
It was ten minutes to launch when I looked at the plans in my hand one last time.
It was so simple… so horrifyingly simple and I, the captain, and all the others that had reviewed this system had missed it
Whoever had done the initial calculations for the tanks had assumed a psi of 1500 for all of them. Later on, the eight tank had been labeled for 2100, but the original calculations of construction had all been based on the 1500psi rating.
The tank was already over pressured and when that engine fired up, cooling system or not, with that being a static tank, the temperature and pressure of it was going to rise.
And it would explode.
When it did, it would blow out the sidewall of the engine chamber of the rocket and most likely, the force of its blast would cause the other seven tanks to go. If Captain Highwind wasn't killed outright in a massive explosion, he would have died from the lack of pressurization in the life support systems.
He would die, and he was already in the cockpit by the time I made this horrible realization.
I heard the countdown initiate.
The intercom blared to life as I stood there before that tank. "Hey, Goddamnit! Who in the fuck is still in there?"
How was I going to explain in the remaining three minutes what it had taken me over a year to figure out? At that point, I had remembered that there was a pressure bleed off valve on that eight tank. If I could get the pressure within it bled down below 1500psi, there would be a good chance that it would hold. I reached over and turned the valve, hearing a hiss and watching the pressure needle start a slow descent. "It's Shera, Captain. Don't mind me, go ahead with the launch."
"Shera?! What are you still doin' in there?" he shouted back, his voice betraying something.
I tried to keep my tone normal as I continued to watch that needle move toward a safer pressure. "I was still concerned. The results of the oxygen tank test weren't satisfactory."
He seemed to come unglued. "You stupid little bitch! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be SHIT left when we blast off! You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You know that, don't ya!?"
What I was doing was working, the needle was almost down to 1500psi. My death didn't worry me. This was my responsibility and if he had died, I wouldn't have been able to go on anyway. At least I could save the captain's life before I went. "I don't mind. If I can just fix this, the launch will be a success. I'm almost done."
There was a brief pause, before I heard him again. "Almost done? You're gonna die!"
I heard him then argue with control for a moment, before he addressed me again. "Goddamnit, Shera... you wanna make me a murderer?"
That was the furthest thing from my mind, I just didn't want him to die, and I didn't want his dream to crumble. I felt tears on my cheeks. "Captain…"
"Shera?!" The captain wanted answers, even as the engine of the ship began to rumble. There was no way for me to get out at that point, I was done for anyway.
I tried my best to still have my usual, happy tone to him. I wanted him to know I was really all right. The needle was down to 1300psi. He would live. "Tank number seven check is complete. Once I complete tank number eight, it's all clear."
At that point, I heard the intercom click on again. It was the captain, but it was… it was that tone from him that I'd only heard before during our few private moments. "Come on, Shera... hurry up... You're gonna die..."
I couldn't respond, only to smile to myself as I finally reached over and shut the valve. The pressure of the tank was at a safe level. I had saved the captain's life. I could die at peace with that.
I heard him again, but this time he wasn't talking to me, just to himself. "What... what am I ...What am I supposed to do...?"
Just fly, have your dream, Captain… I thought to myself, closing my eyes as I heard the engine begin to scream to life behind me, ready to embrace my fate, feeling the rocket start to move.
"Shit!" Captain Highwind yelled and then there…
There was complete silence, and the rocket lurched downward again. He had aborted.
I gasped and grabbed onto the tank before me, feeling the rocket hit the launch pad and begin to list to the side. I thought we were going over but it soon stopped, leaving the entire vessel at an awkward angle.
I gave into my emotions at that point and cried. Either way, I had saved the captain's life, but in order to save mine, he had sacrificed his dream.
In essence, I had made him a failure. A living failure.
Several minutes later, I heard something behind me and I turned around, to see the captain there, his left hand holding onto the entry to the engine room, his right upon his hip. The expression on his face wasn't one that I had ever seen before.
It was pure and absolute hatred. His jaw tensed several times before he said anything, his voice in a growl. "Get the fuck offa my ship, get your shit outta that office, and I don't ever, EVER wanna see your bitch ass again, you got me?"
I nodded, averting my gaze from him, my heart breaking. If there had been something at all between us, it was gone now. I may have saved his life, but I had killed his dream, his pride… for him, that seemed to have been worse than death. I deserved his words. I deserved whatever happened.
At that point, he left. I haven't seen him again since then. I went to my office and grabbed the few things that meant anything at all to me and now I'm here in my apartment again. I've been crying and drinking since.
The man I love hates me, and he hates me for saving his life. I've humiliated him. I wish he hadn't stopped that launch.