Tate stared at the monitor in his office, watching the graphic of CT8 in orbit around Carpathia. He sighed and glanced at his watch. They were coming up on the eight hour mark, and their energy situation was about to go critical. He wasn't sure how much longer they could safely stay up there. He closed his eyes for a moment, casting his mind back to the fear and excitement he had felt on his arrival. He could remember it all as clear as if it were yesterday; stepping out into the fresh air, feeling the sandy, stony ground beneath his feet, holding up his new-born son so he could feel the sunlight on his face for the first time…
The sound of movement brought him back to the present. He opened his eyes, in time to catch a fleeting glimpse of something dashing out of his office. A boy. His boy? He was on his feet and running down the corridor in an instant. He saw a flash as something ran around the corner ahead. He increased his speed, dashing round the corner and ran straight into Julius Berger, knocking them both flying.
"Julius!" Tate exclaimed, as he scrambled to his feet. "My apologies. I…"
"Richard, are you alright?" Julius took Tate's proffered hand and pulled himself upright. "You're as white as a sheet."
"I saw…" Tate began, but then paused, thinking better of it. "Did a small child run past you?"
"No, I didn't see anyone," Julius smiled. "Should I ask the PAS Officers to keep a look out?"
"Yes... that might be…" Tate took a moment to regain his composure. "Yes, thank you Julius. There may be a lost child in the building."
"Gentlemen," Stella rounded the corner.
"Ah, just the woman," Julius smiled. "We appear to have a lost child wandering the halls."
"I'll put out an alert, although we do have rather more pressing matters," Stella said. "We're ready to bring the escape pods in."
There was an air of undisguised tension in the control room. Tate walked in, flanked by Stella and, much to Tate's displeasure, Julius, and headed to the main comm panel. To one side, Tipper sat huddled over a terminal, tapping numbers and occasionally calling out co-ordinates to a nervous looking operator to his left. Fleur stood towards the back of the room, conferring with Jack. Every so often one of them would speak quietly into a radio. Cass was the most animated. Tate noted him pacing the room like a caged tiger, unusually nervy.
"Is everything in place?" Tate questioned.
"Tipper has worked out the safest co-ordinates for the shuttles," Stella checked a monitor. "We've sent them over to CT8 and they're programming them in now."
"We're sending the ground co-ordinates to the teams outside, so they know roughly where each shuttle should come down," Tipper added. "It's not an exact science, mind you, but this'll give them a head start."
"Jack, are your teams ready?" Tate turned towards where Fleur and Jack stood.
"Yes. Twenty teams, mixed XPs and PAS, each with at least two medics, all moving into position now," Jack confirmed. "With your permission, as soon as the launch is underway, I'd like to get outside."
"Agreed. Fleur, Cass, you stay and co-ordinate the teams as they arrive back," Tate turned back to the monitors. "Are we ready?"
"If you don't mind," Julius interrupted, "I would like to take a moment to say a quiet prayer for the safe arrival of the shuttle crew."
"You can make that a silent prayer, Julius," Tate shot back. "The rest of us have work to do. CT8, do you read me?"
The monitor fizzed momentarily before the image of Jayne came into view.
"President Tate," she smiled. "Loud and clear. It's a good morning for a crash landing, wouldn't you say?"
"I like your optimism, Captain," Tate grinned. "How are your preparations?"
"We're ready this end. All passengers and non-essential crew are safely tucked up in their pods. There are just twenty of us left on the bridge. Once the first wave is away we will join the second. According to the statistics your chaps sent over, there should be enough time for us all to get away safely."
"I sincerely hope that is the case, Captain."
"So do I. I am reliably informed that I have a beer on ice waiting for me, courtesy of one of your PAS Officers."
Cass felt himself blush as he became aware of all the eyes in the room swivelling in his direction. The gossip had obviously spread beyond the night staff.
"Very smooth," Tipper smirked. Cass shot him a look.
Tate laughed. "That sounds like a good incentive."
"Right," Tipper was suddenly serious. "We're one hundred and twenty seconds away from the first drop window. We can get half the shuttles away before the conditions go against us again."
"Okay, we're ready," Jayne was all business. "Countdown started."
"One hundred ten… one hundred… ninety…" Tipper spoke quietly. The room seemed to come to a standstill as the countdown continued.
"Shuttles A through J, this is the captain speaking," On the monitor, Jayne spoke into a microphone. "We're 60 seconds from launch. Your harnesses are now locked down and the doors are sealed. Next time I see you, we'll all be Carpathians. Good luck. Over and out." She looked up to the monitor. "Fifty… forty…."
A faint voice could be heard in the bridge behind her. "Pods on standby to launch. All systems online."
"Thirty… twenty," Tipper continued. "Ten."
"Good luck CT8," Tate breathed.
"Five, four, three, two, one… launch," Tipper called.
"Launching," Jayne confirmed.
The observers in the ops room collectively held their breath; the only sound was the whispering of prayer from Julius. On screen, ten small blips appeared on the radar.
"Launch successful," Jayne smiled in relief. "They're away."
There was an audible exhale around the ops room, then a buzz of activity as they made preparations for the second launch and the first wave of landings.
"Next window in one hundred and eighty seconds," Tipper tapped at the keyboard. "The pods have entered the atmosphere, so far they're clear."
"Okay, evacuate the bridge," Jayne addressed her crew. "I'll be with you when I've engaged the auto flight systems."
Tate watched on the monitor as the crew filed out behind Jayne while she made final adjustments on her control panel.
"One hundred twenty. Captain, you need to leave," Tipper warned.
"Okay, transferring power," she nodded.
Suddenly the screen went dead. Immediately warning lights began flashing on the consoles in the ops room and an alarm sounded.
"What's going on?" Tate demanded.
"I don't know, we've lost contact, sir," one of the ops shouted over the wailing of the alarm system.
"Do everything you can, get them back," Stella was already at one of the consoles.
"The problem is their end, they've lost power to the communication systems," another operator called.
"Damnit," Tate cursed. "The pods?"
"All ten are right on target," Tipper confirmed. "They're through the worst of the atmospherics and should be landing within five minutes. Next launch in sixty seconds."
"Okay, Jack, go and join your teams, we'll keep you informed," Tate commanded.
"Sir," Jack quickly walked from the room, past Cass who stood, rooted to the spot, staring at the blank screen. Fleur walked to him and placed her hand on his back.
"Don't give up yet," she whispered.
"I didn't," Cass began. "I mean, I…"
"Carpathia, can you read me?" Jayne's voice broke through a hiss of static. Fleur felt Cass exhale in relief.
"We can hear you, but we can't see you Captain," Tate spoke quickly. "You have less than sixty seconds to the next launch. What's happening?"
"There's not enough power to engage the auto flight systems; when I tried it knocked everything out." The sound of alarms could be heard behind her. "I'll need to pilot us by hand into the drop zone."
"But Captain, how will you get to your shuttle?" Tate asked, already knowing the answer.
"Shuttles K through T, your doors are sealed and harnesses locked down. Launch is imminent. Good luck everyone, safe flight. Carpathia, how long? You need to count me in, I've lost most of my systems," Jayne spoke evenly.
"Thirty," Tipper muttered.
The ops room fell silent. Cass turned away to face the wall.
"Captain, who is left on the Bridge?" Tate said quietly.
"It only needs one person to get us into the drop zone, President," Jayne replied. "The ten pods?"
"They're clear," Tipper was quickly typing something into his system. "Ten, nine, eight..."
"Preparing launch," Jayne responded.
"Three, two, one, go."
"Launching."
A further ten pods appeared on the radar.
"They're away," Stella confirmed.
The ops room retained an eerie silence, save for Tipper's urgent tapping at his console.
"Well, I appear to find myself at something of a loose end," Jayne said. A loud alarm began to sound on board. "Structural integrity is failing. At least I won't be bored for too long."
"Captain, you have made a brave sacrifice…" Tate began.
"My job, President, that's all," Jayne interrupted quickly. "Cass, you there?"
Cass turned around. "Yes."
"Sorry to stand you up. I got a better offer," her voice wavered. "I always did prefer wine, anyway."
Cass laughed bitterly. "My mother told me never to trust a woman in uniform."
"Do those pods have a manual release?" Tipper was on his feet.
"What?" Tate was at his shoulder immediately.
"Do those pods have a manual release, when you're inside?" Tipper pressed.
"Yes, they do," the op next to him replied.
"Captain, listen. How long would it take you to run to the nearest shuttle?" Tipper asked.
"About a minute."
"Well, you better run fast," Tipper warned. "Because I'm going to give you a countdown, and you'll need to keep it going in your head while you run to that pod. When it hits zero you better be in there and activate that release. You've got one tiny chance."
"I'm ready," Jayne called above the sirens.
"Seventy," Tipper yelled.
They heard the sound of the bridge door sliding open and running footsteps, then silence.
"What's happening?" Cass was behind Tipper, looking at his screen.
"If the ship holds together long enough, and if it doesn't stray off course, and if she activates the release on time, then there's a tiny pocket of clear space. If she hits it right she could glide straight through," Tipper explained. "That's a lot of ifs, but it's all the chance she has."
"Excellent work," Tate patted his shoulder.
"All twenty pods are now safely in our atmosphere," the op next to Tipper smiled.
"Jack says the officers are standing by at the landing sites," Fleur confirmed.
"Thirty," Tipper tapped the screen. "Come on, Jayne."
"She's tough, she'll make it," Cass hissed under his breath.
"Twenty... ten… five, four, three, two, one, go."
They all watched the radar. Nothing. And then, suddenly, there was a shower of new blips on the screen.
"The ship is breaking up," Stella muttered.
"Did she get away?" Cass demanded.
"There's no way to know," the Op spoke. "We'll have to see what falls."
"I'm taking a search team out," Cass ran from the room in the direction of the PAS lockers.
"Fleur, go with him," Stella said. "Keep us updated."
"Of course," Fleur ran after Cass.
Tate and Stella stared at the radar, which was now littered with hundreds of tiny blips.
"Today, everyone is going to get here safely," Tate predicted. "Surely, we're due that much?"
"Let's keep hoping, Richard," Stella smiled, in a voice that she hoped conveyed more optimism than she felt.