Skyfall

Ely snorted disdainfully and the others nodded. “When we get back I want to talk to some people about the engineering on this project.”

“So do we all, Ely, but let's save that for later. We are under time pressure now. Mission Control say there's nothing more they can do to effect separation.”

“Which means they leave it up to us,” Nadya said.

“Exactly.”

“But what can we do?” Coretta asked.

“Space walk,” Patrick told her. “EVA, Extra Vehicular Activity. Someone puts on a suit and gets out there and takes a look and sees if that damn thing can be knocked loose from us. Let's hope the umbilicals give us enough leeway to get near it.”

“Can't we unstow an Astronaut Maneuvering Unit — an AMU?” Ely asked.

“Negative. This was not planned for at this stage. We all have pressure suits with air connections in the cabin. There are two sets of umbilicals, air, cables and phone line, that can be hooked up in the flight cabin. These were supposed to be used when we get to orbit to go back and open the outer hatch to get at the AMUs that will enable us to maneuver without umbilicals. They will be used to assemble the generator, but no one thought they might be needed before that.”

“Bad planning,” Ely said.

“I don't think so. They're bulky enough to almost fill this compartment. The planning wasn't at fault — this time.”

“Can't we get to them now?” Coretta asked.

“We can, but it's a time-consuming job, two, three hours at least to unseal and power up, then maybe as much to reseat. We don't have that much time. So someone goes out on the umbilicals to see what can be done.”

“It is nice to get back to work,” Colonel Kuznekov said, pushing himself towards the upper lockers. “I'll suit up at once.”

“Just a minute, Colonel, it hasn't been decided…”

“Circumstances decide, my boy.” He methodically stripped off his boiler suit and pushed it aside. “You've had some time space walking, I know that from the records. Nadya, while an experienced pilot, has never been out of her ship, is that right, Nadya?” She nodded in agreement.

“So there you are. For the others, this is their first flight into space. Nadya mans the controls, you will handle my umbilicals, Patrick, and I shall make this mess right. Of course I am not attempting to give the Commander orders. An old army man like me, never! I simply remind you that I have had over a thousand hours in a suit in space working on my cryonic projects. The only other choice, my captain, is for you to go and for me to watch, which seems a foolish risk for the commander of a vessel when a grizzled old space dog can do the trick. Oh-chin ogay?”

Patrick began to protest, then laughed. “How come you never became a general, Kuznekov?”

“It was offered, I refused. All desk work with high rank, which is not my sort of thing at all. Shall we go?”

“Right.”

With many hands helping, the suiting went faster than usual. The hanging spaghetti loops of the umbilicals were taken from their lockers and pushed through into the flight cabin.

“We'll seal the hatch between this compartment and the flight cabin since you'll still be pressurized,” Patrick said.

“Would we be of any help if we suited up?” Ely asked.

“Negative, sorry. We'll be crowded as it is. Nadya will be at the controls and will fill you in on the intercom. Here we go.”

“Good luck, Patrick,” Coretta said. “And you too, Colonel.” On sudden impulse she pulled herself to Kuznekov, they were floating with their heads almost touching, and kissed him on the forehead.

“Wonderful!” the Colonel said. “No warrior going into battle ever had a finer salute.”

But once in the flight cabin they were more serious. The hatch was sealed and they put on their helmets, twisting and locking them, into place. Nadya was connected to the air supply next to the pilot's seat, Patrick and the Colonel's umbilicals plugged to their suits and into the air attachments near the door.

“Are we ready?” Patrick asked.

“Oh-chin ogay.”

He moved slowly in the clumsy suit, twisting the valve in the center of the exit door. It opened and the atmosphere in the cabin began hissing out into space.

“Pressure dropped enough,” Nadya said.

“Roger. Unsealing the door.”

With most of the air gone the door could be opened safely without the pressure of the cabin atmosphere against it. It swung open silently. At this the atmospheric pressure dropped suddenly and the air became hazy with fog that vanished moments later as the last of the air puffed out into the vacuum of space. Framed in the opening was the sable darkness and un-flickering points of light of the stars of the endless interstellar night. The Colonel floated headfirst through the opening.

“There should be handholds all the way along,” Patrick said.

“No problem, I feel I've been doing this all my life.”

The Colonel was indeed a skilled space walker, his solid, clumsy-appearing form moving light as a feather. Patrick paid out the coils of the umbilicals as he floated aft, just touching the handholds with his fingers so that he moved smoothly along.