2061 Odyssey Three

chapter 46 Shuttle
'Speaking from memory,' said Dr Anderson, 'Goddard's first rocket flew about fifty metres. I wonder if Mr Chang will beat that record?'

'He'd better - or we'll all be in trouble.'

Most of the science team had gathered in the observation lounge, and everyone was staring anxiously back along the hull of the ship. Although the entrance of the 'garage' was not visible from this angle, they would see the Bill Tee soon enough, when - and if - it emerged.

There was no countdown; Chang was taking his time, making every possible check - and would fire when he felt like it. The shuttle had been stripped down to its minimum mass, and was carrying just enough propellant for one hundred seconds of flight. If everything worked, that would be ample; if it didn't, more would not only be superfluous, but dangerous.

'Here we go,' said Chang casually.

It was almost like a conjuring trick; everything happened so quickly that the eye was deceived. No one saw Bill Tee pop out of the garage, because it was hidden in a cloud of steam. When the cloud had cleared, the shuttle was already landing, two hundred metres away.

A great cheer of relief echoed through the lounge.

'He did it!' cried ex-Acting Captain Lee. 'He's broken Goddard's record - easily!'

Standing on its four stubby legs in the bleak Europan landscape, Bill Tee looked like a larger and even less elegant version of an Apollo lunar module. That was not, however, the thought that occurred to Captain Laplace, as he looked out from the bridge. It seemed to him that his ship was rather like a stranded whale, that had managed a difficult birth in an alien element. He hoped that the new calf would survive.

Forty-eight very busy hours later, the William Tsung was loaded, checked out on a ten-kilometre circuit over the island - and ready to go. There was still plenty of time for the mission; by the most optimistic reckoning, Universe could not arrive for another three days, and the trip to Mount Zeus, even allowing for the deployment of Dr van der Berg's extensive array of instruments, would take only six hours.

As soon as Second Officer Chang had landed, Captain Laplace called him to his cabin. The Skipper looked, thought Chang, somewhat ill at ease.

'Good work, Walter - but of course that's only what we expect.'

'Thanks, Sir, So what's the problem?'

The Captain smiled. A well-integrated crew could keep no secrets.

'Head Office, as usual. I hate to disappoint you, but I've had orders that only Dr van der Berg and Second Officer Floyd are to make the trip.'

'I get the picture,' Chang answered, with a trace of bitterness. 'What have you told them?'

'Nothing, yet; that's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm quite prepared to say that you're the only pilot who can fly the mission.'

'They'll know that's nonsense; Floyd could do the job as well as I could. There's not the slightest risk - except for a malfunction, which could happen to anyone.'

'I'd still be willing to stick my neck out, if you insist. After all, no-one can stop me - and we'll all be heroes when we get back to Earth.'

Chang was obviously doing some intricate calculations. He seemed rather pleased with the result.

'Replacing a couple of hundred kilos of payload with propellant gives us an interesting new option; I'd intended to mention it earlier, but there was no way Bill Tee could manage with all that extra gear and a full crew...'

'Don't tell me. The Great Wall.'

'Of course; we could do a complete survey in one or two passes, and find what it really is.'

'I thought we had a very good idea, and I'm not sure if we should go near it. That might be pressing our luck.'

'Perhaps. But there's another reason; to some of us, it's an even better one...'

'Go on.'

'Tsien. It's only ten kilometres from the Wall. We'd like to drop a wreath there.'

So that was what his officers had been discussing so solemnly; not for the first time, Captain Laplace wished he knew a little more Mandarin.

'I understand,' he said quietly. 'I'll have to think it over - and talk to van der Berg and Floyd to see if they agree.'

'And Head Office?'

'No, dammit. This will be my decision.'