Chapter 25 - Satellite Deployment

After breakfast, I buried myself in the mission brief. The highlight? Deployment, configuration, and calibration of the infrared satellite. This was it, the start of our real work. Once we launched that thing, it would map out the system, and a communications satellite would follow to extend its range and send a message back to Sol. The real beginning of our mission. No pressure, right?

The satellite launch itself was pretty uneventful. The ship had a deployment chute for satellites and probes: easy, automated, and done in minutes. We just guided the ship along a parallel trajectory to keep things lined up. Honestly? It was a little anticlimactic. I mean, we were starting something historic, and it felt more like flipping a switch. If only the rest of the mission were this simple.

The next step, though, was manual. And dangerous as fuck. We had to get out there, manually connect an F-Type Energy Cell, and confirm the satellite was responsive. The F-Type would power it for years, but yeah, it also meant someone had to actually step outside and do it. That part sat heavy in my chest, a lead weight of dread. My job, my team, my responsibility. And what a fucking mess it already was turning into.

Emily and Chris were on the bridge, monitoring the satellite’s telemetry and running calibration checks. Danny and Ryan? They were suiting up for their first EVA to service the thing. It was the first time anyone on our crew had to leave the safety of the ship, and sure, I was nervous. More than nervous. I was picturing everything that could go wrong: a snag in the tether, a slip that sent them drifting, some microscopic debris ripping through their suits. This wasn’t a game anymore.

Zoe was working on Danny's suit while I helped Ryan. She was meticulous, double-checking every seal, every tether, her hands moving with quick efficiency. Danny stood stock still, looking more like a mannequin than a person, probably terrified. Nervous, yeah, but trying not to show it. Probably thinking about Zoe. Or maybe about not dying.

Ryan, on the other hand, was cracking jokes like he wasn't about to step into the void. His grin was too wide, too forced, and I could tell he was covering the same nerves I felt in my gut, amplified by the fact that they had fucked up. Royally. How the hell do you forget the battery for a satellite? Were they too busy making googly eyes at each other? Probably. Fucking Ryan, always goofing off. It's a miracle we even made it this far with him on board. Though, Danny wasn't much better. Too busy daydreaming about Zoe, probably, with those damn dimples and freckles and that stupidly cute curly red hair. God, they were both infuriating. Ryan probably wouldn't have been so distracted if he was not so goddamn friendly with Danny. They probably just forgot the battery pack because they were fucking around. No, they're professionals, they wouldn't do that... right? They fucked up, big time.

"This is the fun part, right?" Ryan quipped, his voice tinny over the comms as I adjusted the seals on his helmet. He winced as I tightened a strap over what was probably a tender spot from our fight. Serves him right. His tone was light, but his grip on the edge of the table said otherwise.

"Fun, sure," I muttered, not bothering to look at him. "Just don't screw it up, or it's going to be a very short trip." And don't forget any more essential components, you fucking idiot.

Zoe shot me a glare from across the room, her expression saying, Not helpful, Captain. She turned back to Danny, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You're good, Danny. Just stick to the routine." And try not to let Ryan distract you into oblivion.

Out there, in the relative vacuum of space, they'd look like they were barely moving, just floating alongside the satellite. But we all knew better. They'd be hurtling through space at thousands of miles per second. A mistake out there? Fatal. No retries, no do-overs. Isaac Newton would make sure of that. And now, thanks to those two idiots, the danger just got ratcheted up to eleven.

I was trying not to think about how much could go wrong. But as their captain, I had to. Especially now. Now that I knew they were capable of making monumental fuck-ups. My hands were shaking, and it wasn't just from the adrenaline. It was from the sheer, unadulterated terror that was coursing through me, mixed with a healthy dose of anger. We were so fucked.

***

I cleared my throat, drawing their attention. "Alright. Let's get this done." I hated how shaky I sounded; I needed to pull it together. Fake it till you make it, Luca.

Danny and Ryan were now completely encased in their hardened EVA suits. We had designed the bodysuits to be compatible with this equipment, so we just needed to raise the pants of the hardened suit to their waist, then lower down the top portion from the winch and secure them, making sure the seal was tight. The room before the airlock wasn't tight per se, but with the bulky suits on, there wasn't much elbow room left. They looked like a couple of overstuffed dolls. Or two idiots who forgot the damn battery.

Once sealed, they turned on their oxygen supply, making sure everything was working. I strapped them both to the tether cable, my hands moving automatically, but my mind was screaming. This is real. This is really happening. The tether would be hooked up directly to the inside of the airlock room. Once the exterior hatch opened, that room would be exposed to vacuum, allowing them to exit the spacecraft while tethered safely. They'd each have another tether they would secure to the outside of the ship, as a secondary safety measure if the first failed. Finally, their EVA suits had positioning jets that allowed them to move, somewhat clumsily, towards their destination, in this case, our telescope satellite. Our telescope satellite that's currently useless, thanks to them.

Zoe and I shared a moment alone as the airlock door closed, separating us from Ryan and Danny. With a smile and a wave, Ryan and Danny turned to face the exterior hatch and pressed the button, removing the air and finally opening the exterior door. I felt a tightness in my chest, a knot of dread that had taken up permanent residence there. This is it. We were actually doing it. And I was terrified they'd find another way to screw it up.

"You think they'll be ok?" Zoe asked, and I could feel her hand trembling in mine, and I suddenly wanted to hug her. She was scared, and also, I was probably also making it worse. I hated how much that terrified me, and she grabbed my hand. She's scared, too.

"They'll be fine," I said, I was lying, and I could feel my own hands clenching into a fist, holding her hand in mine. I was trying to sound convincing, but I was also trying to reassure myself because what the hell was this all about, also, what if they got hurt, and what if this was all just another mess? "They've done this before," but I wasn't feeling it, and my gut felt like I had swallowed a black hole, and I hated all of this. In simulations. Where they couldn't forget vital components.

Zoe nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and I suddenly wanted to kiss her, to make it all better, and that made me even more pissed. She knew the risks as well as I did. We all did, and that was also, part of the problem. Why did we always have to do things the hard way? Because apparently, we like to make things harder on ourselves.

***

On the command bridge, Chris and Emily were monitoring their every move, like they were all hooked up to them, and they were in control. While Joey was tracking their vitals, and I was sure that he was also terrified for his little brother. I hated being stuck on the sidelines, because this was it, and they were out there, and I wasn't. I should be out there, not stuck here watching.

Danny and Ryan pushed off from the safety of the airlock, and what was with them always trying to show off, it wasn't like it was a competition. They could have been a little less enthusiastic, my gut clenched, I had to fight the urge to call them out on that. Showoffs. I watched them float away from the ship and into the void, and it was like they were suddenly so small, and I wanted to pull them back, even if I was also feeling like they deserved to be there. Maybe a little scare will teach them a lesson. Their positioning jets fired, and they started heading for the telescope satellite, and they looked so small out there, it made my gut clench.

As they approached their destination, Zoe and I were monitoring their progress, and I felt like I was going to throw up. I wanted her to see that I also cared, even though I wasn't as brave, as competent, as good as them. Each minor adjustment from Ryan and Danny's jets felt like it took forever to get them to the satellite, and it was like I was watching this in slow motion, and that was the worst kind of slow motion.

"Forty meters… thirty meters… slow down a bit… twenty meters… Danny, slow down… ten meters… you're almost there," Emily's voice came steadily over the intercom, her calm tone a lifeline. At least someone's calm.

I stood at the airlock, and it felt too smooth, too much like what a real captain would be doing. I hated that I was starting to play the part, my arms crossed tight as hell, watching the telemetry feed. Zoe was beside me, her hand was still in mine, her eyes fixed on the live footage from the EVA suits' cameras, and I could almost feel her anxiety. Ryan and Danny were tiny against the vastness of space, and their movements were painfully slow, and they were also so small.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ryan’s voice crackled through the comms. “We’re here,” he said, his breathing heavy and strained, and I could finally breathe again. For a second.

“Alright,” Emily replied, her voice firm and measured. “We’re going to do this slowly and take our time. No rushing.” I just wanted them to hurry the fuck up.

Danny and Ryan tethered themselves to the satellite, and they looked like they knew what they were doing, and their figures bobbing in the zero-g. Methodically, and they were doing this so damn slowly, they started to install that F-Type energy cell, each movement deliberate, every tool change a slow, careful effort, and my brain was on fire, and I wanted it all to be done. Every muscle in my body was tense, and I felt like I was holding my breath. That was probably exactly what I was doing. I needed to stay calm. Hurry up, you idiots, before you break something else.

My fingers tapped restlessly against the viewport as I watched the process. I fought the urge to chime in; it wasn’t my place right now, but goddamn, I wanted to. The tension in the room was palpable, a weight pressing down on everyone on the ship.

After what felt like hours, Ryan's voice broke the silence. "The battery's in place," he said, a mix of exhaustion and relief coloring his tone. I held my breath. Please, please let it work.

Emily leaned forward, her hands on the keyboard as she began the remote system checks. “Alright, hold tight while we test the connections. Don’t unhook yet.”

Zoe exhaled audibly, her posture relaxing slightly as the satellite’s systems began to respond to Emily’s commands. The diagnostic data streamed in, and I caught the faintest hint of a smile on Emily’s lips as the results populated.

“Looks like it’s working perfectly,” she announced, her voice triumphant. Thank god for small mercies.

“Hell yeah,” Ryan muttered over the comms, his tone lighter now. Danny let out a small laugh, the tension in his voice finally easing.

“Great work, guys!” Emily exclaimed. “Now, make your way back to the ship. Nice and steady.” I needed them back.

On the screen, and it was like I was now watching this on repeat, the two figures started their return, using their positioning jets in short bursts to close the distance to Triumph, and I had to stop myself from looking. Everyone was silent, that was so unlike us, tension lingering till the airlock hissed closed behind them, and it felt like a release, and also, like the start of something new.

As the feed cut off, and the indicator lights on the airlock panel turned green, Zoe leaned back, and I suddenly saw that, she was also a mess, like I was. Sighing loudly, “They’re back,” she murmured, relief washing over her face.

“Good,” I said simply, my voice steady, and I was trying so hard to not look like the mess that I was, but my shoulders finally relaxed, and I could breathe, again. I turned to Zoe, and I hated how vulnerable I suddenly felt. “Let’s head down and meet them.” I just needed to see them with my own eyes, that’s all, I needed to make sure that they were real. And maybe yell at them for being such colossal screw-ups.

The science lab was abuzz, and it was too damn loud. Though Danny looked like he might lose his mind, I could see the vein popping out on his neck, he was definitely about to have a meltdown. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly irritated, and his glasses were all askew, as the rest of the crew crowded around the consoles.

“Would you people stop breathing on my screens?” he muttered, swatting at Ryan’s hand as it hovered near one of the displays, ready to touch something, anything, just to make the scene all the more chaotic.

Ryan, who was grinning, pulled back. “Relax, man. I’m not touching anything. Yet.”

I stood by the doorway, leaning against the frame with my arms crossed. I didn’t need to be in the lab, but there was no way I’d miss this. The first scan data from our deployed satellite was coming through, and everyone was itching for a glimpse of the Alpha Centauri system. What would we find?

Finally, numbers began to flicker across the screen. Danny’s irritation gave way to focus as he scrolled through the incoming data, his brow furrowing in concentration. He pulled up a simplified model of the system, a web of light representing the three stars, planets, and asteroid belts. It wasn’t much yet, but it was enough; this was the real deal.