"Got it."
A number counts down the meters as the K1 grows closer. The tricky part, which thankfully, the computer is handling, is figuring out how to match velocity and direction with the K1 without using too much fuel and making it obvious that a rocket is approaching.
Most of my acceleration was compensated for by using an elliptical path that put me on a steep climb where the earth's gravity could slow me down — kind of like a curveball.
Through the walls of the DarkStar I can hear the hissing sound of the micro-jets making tiny course adjustments, accounting for the remainder of my speed.
As the K1 grows from a tiny white pinpoint to a massive cross I get a chill down my spine when I think about what happened here just three days ago.
All I wanted to do was get to safety. Now here I am, about to jump right into the stupid middle.
66
Touch Down
The DarkStar makes one tiny little course adjustment and I come to a stop, 100 meters directly over the K1. We're still on the dayside, so the K1 is a brilliant gleaming cross in the middle of four iridescent blue squares of solar panels.
On my display panel the K1 sits perfectly in the middle like a cross-hair over the earth. In a few minutes we'll pass over the horizon into the nightside and the K1 will be a giant black square against the glittering lights of the cities below.
I check my suit to make sure my life-support is working then call in to my fellow outlaws below.
"What's the word?"
Captain Baylor is on the comm. "So far we haven't detected any unusual radio signals from the K1. It looks like you're a go for EVA."
"Okay… what's the status of Markov's man or woman on the inside? Will anybody be there when I come calling?"
"We're checking on that…"
"Checking? It's kind of important."
"Hold on."
I finish inspecting my suit and get ready for my EVA out the hatch behind me.
"Baylor here. Markov says to proceed. He's sent a message to the operative."
"But there hasn't been a reply…"
"Affirmative. They may not be in a position to do so. We think it's best if you head to the airlock and wait there."
"Sure." I mean, what else am I going to do?
I lower the seat back and attach the EVA strap to a clip on my waist. It's basically a giant fishing reel I'll use to keep me tethered to the DarkStar until I reach the K1, where I'll attach it to a clamp there.
The nice thing about modern space stations is that they've got more hand rails than an old folks home. The challenge is going to be getting from here to there.
The thing about zero-gravity is that although it looks like you're Superman flying through the air, he gets to change his mind about what direction he wants to travel mid-flight. I don't.
To train for this, iCosmos has a huge blacked-out warehouse with a very smooth floor and a robot arm that glides around on an air cushion, supporting you. You kick off replicas of the Unicorn and US/iCosmos modules and fly through the air with nothing to stop you except another surface.
You get a deep appreciation for Newton's First Law of Motion very quickly. All you have to do is misjudge where you plan on landing by a few inches and you'll watch your intended destination whiz past at the same velocity you kicked off.
In real space there's no padded wall to run into. You just eventually burn up in the atmosphere and cremate yourself.
While my spacesuit has jets that fire compressed gas, this is very limited. With nobody out here to lifeguard me, it's important I get it right the first time.
I turn the vent valve and the DarkStar releases the air inside the capsule in all six directions at once so it doesn't start shooting around like a balloon.
This was a clever feature I noticed in the manual. On a ship this small, venting just 20 cubic feet of air would send it flying and defeat the whole "stealth" thing.
The front of the ship is pointed down at the K1 and Earth like the pointy tip of an ice cream cone. When I open the hatch at the back, my eyes are greeted by thousands of stars. The sun is directly behind the door and the DarkStar, true to its name, doesn't reflect any light.
I give myself a few seconds to appreciate the view then push myself out of the compartment. Once I move outside the shadow of the DarkStar I'll be visible to the K1's radar, so moving quickly is important.
There's no way I'll be able to completely avoid detection in my suit, but if I'm just a quick blip, I should be okay.
I think.
67
Standby
I glide out of the opening, then use the edge of the hatch to bring myself into an upside down position. That's another thing, while you can bend around your center of gravity in space, trying to do a somersault is a practical impossibility without anything to act against.
I gently push away from the DarkStar and begin to move out from behind its shadow. When I'm a meter away I activate the jets on my pack and a tiny spurt of air sends me towards the K1.
It doesn't look like I'm moving at first — and that's a good thing. If I was at running speed, like 25 MPH, that means I'd hit the K1 at that velocity — which is the same as falling from a two-story building and landing on your face.
The tip of the upper spire on the K1 gradually grows closer while the tether at my waist spools out a thin line fast enough to keep pace without getting tangled.
My target is the cross-shaped module at the end of the spire. This is the section that juts upwards from the station.
Although I tend to think of the K1 as built like a cross, it's actually more like a little toy jack.
As I get closer I can see inside the top module through a skylight. Thankfully, nobody is looking back at me.
A few meters from impact, I reach my hands out to soften my fall. I spot a railing around the window near me and grasp it.
Boom. We have touchdown. I think I hit soft enough to not make a big noise inside.
"I'm on the K1," I report into my comm.
I take the tether from my belt and clip it to the handrail.
When I look up at the DarkStar my heart does a flip flop when it's not there.
Duh.
Stealth ship.
Even the tether is invisible past a few meters.
I pull myself along the rails to a set of handholds that lead down the upper module and to the side of the airlock.
Okay. If everything else plays out this smoothly, I'll have a nuclear device in my hands in the next few minutes and be ready to take this thing home.
"OPS, any word on the insider?"
"Hello, David. This is Markov," he says in case the accent wasn't a tip-off. "There's been a complication. I'm unable to reach my operative. We suspect the commanders of the K1 may have restricted the other crew."
"Hold up. Are you saying there's nobody here to let me in?"
"That is correct. Until further notice we need you to stand by."
"And if you can't get hold of your operative?"
"We're working on a contingency."
"Um, Markov, I'm not sure if you realize there really aren't any contingencies. I need someone on the inside to open this airlock. It's not like I brought C4 and can blow my way in."
"I understand that. Please stand by…"
I can tell he's just as frustrated as I am. After everything we've gone through to get this far, to come this close and fall short…
I stand by and stand by some more. It's not the worst place to wait for the end of the modern world.
Below me the earth moves into its nightside and I see the sparkling lights of southeast Asia. The entire half of the Pacific Rim is a glittering crescent.
"David. We've intercepted some chatter from Roscosmos. We have confirmation that the commanders have locked down the crew."