Chapter 35: Asteroid Belt

NSS McDivitt, December 7, 2141
Asteroid Belt

It was not as easy as hoped. They found that for maximum efficiency, the bomb had to be about a thousand meters away from the Lake Baikal and there were three asteroids that had to be moved to ensure that the full force of the wave of X radiation and heat hit the Lake Baikal. They had plenty of cable; it was brought expecting having to tow the Lake Baikal, but they only had two jeeps and one truck.

The Jeeps were used to string the cable lassoes over the asteroids and the truck was used to pull the asteroids to a higher or lower orbit. The contingent of Marines was used for this and they loved it. It was almost like playing, because it had been months since any of them were able to spacewalk.

The last asteroid was a big one. The cable lassoes were over the asteroid and the truck began to pull. As they worked clearing that last asteroid, Alan was nearby on a huge guitar pick shaped rock that was being called the “Trinity Asteroid” because his B71 Atomic bomb was strapped to it and he was verifying the settings. He connected the “Squawk Box” (SWK-110/A atomic weapon test set) that simulated the connections an aircraft or spacecraft would have with the bomb. His RIO, Tasha Kikina, floated above him, holding a flashlight as Alan programmed the squawk box. Hilde floated above them in her F-201, monitoring Alan and Tasha. After verifying the settings and the timer, Alan set the master switch from TEST to ACTUAL. In 12 hours, the Squawk Box was going to give the bomb instructions to detonate. He placed the lid on the tester and latched it in place.

That’s when the Eastern Block struck.

Two KRG-73 “Featherback” fighters dove in on the project. They were painted dark beige and were hard to spot, but McDivitt radar picked them up and the Werewolves alert ships were launched. “Approaching ship, approaching ship, this is Werewolf zero three. You are entering a secured area. Change your heading or we will open fire.”

This just caused the Eastern Bloc fighters to speed up in their race toward the Lake Baikal. “Final warning!” called Lieutenant Spokes in Werewolf Three. “Turn away now!” but the Eastern Bloc pilot did not turn. Spaceman Spokes squeezed his trigger and his Westinghouse Vulcan Lasers slashed through the lead featherback.

Spaceships don’t explode in an exciting blast like in movies; they just die a disappointing, quiet death. The laser cuts through them, severing command cables and hydraulic lines. Sometimes batteries burst, but mostly the hydraulic fluid burns and, in the vacuum of space, there’s no visible flame or smoke. On rare occasions, the engine explodes, but that’s just a rapid disassembly. There’s no smoke or flame to liven up the action.

The first featherback started coming apart, and his wingman wisely chose to evacuate the area. As the second featherback pulled away, Werewolf three pulled back to follow. That’s when Werewolf Four said, “Oh fucking no ... no ... NO!”

At the Trinity asteroid, Alan was closing up the tester’s carrying case. The SWK-110/A was going to give its life for this project in twelve hours. The case it came in will make a nice footlocker. He just wanted to clean up the work site. Plastic bags that held cable sets and radio receivers drifted around like lazy jelly fish and he was grabbing them and stuffing them in the empty tester’s case. Hilde got out of her spacecraft and grabbed the drifting garbage. The talk all morning was about going to Luna and meeting Yin Chao.

“You tink Werewolf One’s wife is going to like you?” asked Tasha.

“Yeah, why not?” asked Alan.

“Because you have deek.”

“Yeah, a big one too.” said Hilde.

“If she reject you, call me. I vill add you to my stable.”

“Thank you for your support,” said Alan. “Both of you ... really ... I mean it.” He took a gallon jug with a hose and a spray nozzle and began spraying over the bomb, tester, and Trinity.

“What is that?” asked Hilde. The liquid he sprayed on the bomb foamed up to ten times its volume, covering everything in a yellowish brown blob.

“Just some insulating foam. However, when it sets up in a vacuum it becomes rock hard. Damn near impossible to chisel through.” Hilde could see him grinning in the dim light of the Asteroid belt. “We’re going to leave this unguarded for six hours. Our Eastern Block buddies are going to need more than that to chisel through,” he said as he finished spraying the bomb. It was now glued permanently to the Trinity asteroid.

Just then the featherback swooped overhead, spraying fluids and parts, and it dove toward that truck that was straining against the last asteroid. The cable was stretched out with as much tension as the truck pilot would allow when the featherback hit. It missed the truck, but it hit the cable and cut itself in half all the way back to the engine, which was stronger than the cable. When the engine hit the cable, the cable snapped instantly.

Alan was just about ready to tell Tasha and Hilde to get in their ships when the Marines started shouting, “CABLE! CABLE! CABLE!”

Unseen, the end of the cable moving at a thousand miles an hour flew over Alan’s head. Floating just above him, Tasha was immediately cut in half, just below the ribcage. She died without a word.

The cable took Hilde’s legs off at the knees. She felt a hit then thought, “Why is that foot over there?” then the pain set in. Alan was in complete shock, but he knew two things. Tasha was gone, but Hilde could be saved. Each space suit has a tourniquet kit for bad pressure suit tears.

“HELP!” he shrieked into the open radio frequency. He floated up to Hilde and grabbed her tourniquet kit and quickly tied off her left leg, then he took his own kit and tied off her right leg. The kits are easy to use, they’re made for panicky spacemen. You loop the noose around the wounded limb. The kit has a round box like an old pill box. You push the button on the box and it draws the noose tight enough to stop the air leak. A second push draws it up tight enough to stop the blood. “WEREWOLF IS DOWN AT TRINITY!” shouted Alan into his radio over the confused chatter of the marines. “I NEED HELP!”