The Boys' Club

Chapter 1

       The computer screen showed a stylised display of the spacecraft's orbit, the position of the objective, still over five thousand kilometres away, and a stream of numbers counting down the time and distance.
Below them was the huge orb of planet Earth, a spectacular vision of blue, white and brown colours surrounded by the whitish haze of the atmosphere. The spacecraft was in a low orbit just three hundred kilometres above the surface as it sped along its calculated trajectory as it chased down another man-made object.

The computer spoke in its soft female voice, "Thirty two minutes to contact. All systems normal."
The man in the left hand pilot's seat tuned to the woman in the seat next to him. "I'm going to the bathroom," he said, "You don't have to do anything till I get back, just monitor the systems. We're in the correct orbit, and Barry and Mike are down in the hold ready to deploy the tractor beam to snag our prize when we catch up to it in half an hour. I'll be back in a few minutes. Just don't touch anything." He unstrapped from his seat, gave a gentle kick and floated through the doorway to the compartment immediately behind the flight deck.

The woman scowled at him behind his back as he left. "Just don't touch anything," she mimicked quietly, "What am I, a child? I'll touch something all right." She reached forward to her computer touch screen and pressed the button which would give her a systems check.
Three columns of green lights appeared. "All systems on-line," the computer announced. But just as she sat back in her seat an alert tone sounded. "Warning," the computer said in a calm voice, "Radar detection of unknown objects on intersecting orbit with spacecraft. Initiating course deviation of seven degrees."
The woman watched as the computer took over the craft to make the necessary course change to avoid a collision with whatever was bearing down on them.

Another alert tone sounded and a series of red lights flashed on the screen. "Warning," the computer announced, "Major failure of automatic course correction system. Manual system override required. Collision with unknown objects on intersecting orbit in ninety eight seconds."

For two seconds the woman froze in horror as a dozen thoughts bombarded her brain at once. In one and a half minutes they would collide with something unknown which could easily damage or destroy the spacecraft. The commander, who could take control of the craft and move it out of danger was at the back of the ship, and the other qualified flight engineer was in the cargo hold below. Neither of them could get back here in time. Action had to be taken immediately. She had to do it herself. She was only a trainee, but she had done this manoeuvre a dozen times in the simulator back on Earth. Could she do it now in a real emergency? She had to. The lives of four people depended on her. She unstrapped and slid across to the commander's seat ignoring frantic calls on the intercom from Mike asking what the alarm was about.

"Eighty eight seconds to collision," the computer announced, "Immediate manual course deviation of seven point one degrees required."
"I know, I know," she muttered, "I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I hope I'm doing it." She stabbed several buttons on the touch screen and entered the course change, then took the control which fired the main engine in a short controlled burst which would hopefully alter the course of the spacecraft by seven point one degrees before the objects could hit them.
A vibration ran through the craft as the engine fired for five seconds.

"Objects identified as remnants of a satellite," the computer advised, "Relative speed two hundred and eighty five kilometres per hour, distance five kilometres, time to collision fifty five seconds."
She watched the screen as the figures displayed the agonisingly slow increase of their course deviation. It had to be seven point one degrees before that disintegrating satellite reached them.
"Thirty two seconds to collision."
The course change was up to five point one degrees. Not nearly enough!
"Twenty seconds to collision." Five point nine degrees.
"Ten seconds to collision." Six point four degrees.
"Come on! Come on!" she screamed, "Move you stupid slow ship! Move faster!"
"Five seconds." Six point nine degrees.

Then through the left side window of the flight deck she saw them glinting in the sunlight. Several large tumbling pieces of metal hurtling directly towards her as if there was a large bulls eye painted on her spaceship.

"Three seconds to collision." Seven point zero degrees. Not quite enough to save them.
She screamed and threw herself onto the floor waiting for the impact that would break open their ship killing her and her crewmates.

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