The payloads themselves were at the other end of the payload bay to put some distance between them and the rest of the shuttle. If needed, the entire thing could be cut loose, although the whole process was not very quick and relied on a lot of electronics that didn’t have any redundancy. The need to cut the payloads free had not been a high priority of the project.

  A rail with rings fixed at various positions ran from this end to that, which could be clipped into if they needed to access the payloads while the bay doors were open. The control module was at this end of the bay however, so Jade didn’t need to go that far.

  She clipped into an anchor on the wall then opened the panel.

  Odessa couldn’t see the inside from this angle but she knew Jade would be looking at half a dozen smaller modules and switches.

  “Alright, commencing bay depressurisation,” Jade reported once she’d located the switch.

  “Confirmed,” said Dash.

  A loud alarm could be heard through the airlock doors and flashing red lights lit up the payload bay, warning anyone inside that the room was about to be depressurised. It wouldn’t happen immediately. They had tested how long it took to get from one end of the bay and into the airlock and then they’d added some contingency time, just in case.

  They waited as the timer counted down.

  “At least this seems to be working now,” Carmen said. “It wouldn’t even commence the countdown before because it couldn’t detect the state of the bay doors.”

  “Fingers crossed,” Dash agreed.

  Finally the words ‘Depressurisation successful!’ appeared on their screen, immediately followed by ‘Opening bay doors.’

  “You could probably come back in now,” Dash said over the comms.

  “Are you kidding?”Jade replied. “I didn’t put the suit on to just watch the doors start to open. I wanna see space. Besides, we should make sure it opens fully.”

  “It’s not a proper space walk unless you can see stars,” Odessa agreed.

  “We could be minimising our risk.” Carmen peered down at some logs on one of the other screens. “Hmm,” she said with a frown.

  “Hmm?” Odessa asked.

  Dash looked at Carmen, “You can’t tell me you wouldn’t take the opportunity to watch those doors open and peer out into the great beyond?”

  Carmen met his eyes and small smile worked its way onto her face. “No, I guess not.”

  But Dash was obviously worried about Jade because after giving Carmen a wide grin he turned back to the monitor with a serious expression.

  He needn’t have worried, not about the external bay doors at least. Those opened without a hitch, folding out like the wings of a mechanical bird and presenting the solar panels to the sun.

  “What’s it like out there?” Odessa asked.

  “Amazing,” Jade replied breathlessly.

  Odessa could hear the smile in Jade’s voice. She tried to imagine what it must feel like to stand looking out on an expanse of nothing. She wished she was out there.

  “Alright, I’m coming back in,” Jade reported after several seconds of silence. She flicked some switches to start the depressurisation of the airlock.

  The others waited. Athena fiddled with the music player. Carmen started to collect up some of the loose manuals with a frown. Odessa suspected Carmen hadn’t been the one to pull them all out.

  Then Jade’s voice came through on the comms.

  “Uh guys, I can’t get the external hatch open. The computer’s saying there’s a depressurisation issue?”

  Odessa kicked her way up to the airlock computer screen while Dash peered through the airlock window with a frown.

  “Yeah, we’re reading that in here too,” Odessa replied. “Hang on, I’m just checking the logs.” She clicked through to a second screen as Carmen appeared beside her with a book.

  “What’s the error code?” Carmen asked.

  “ENV-SYS-VA-005,” Odessa reported.

  “Is it a cable problem?” Dash asked. “Did you put all the cables back in?”

  “Yeah I put all the cables back. The depressurisation control one’s not on that rack anyway,” Odessa replied.

  “Could there be more out?”

  Odessa frowned. “No way.” It wasn’t entirely true. It was always possible it was another cable loose, just super unlikely. But then the other cables being pulled out had been unlikely too. “Maybe it’s a software bug? Or electronics?”

  “It’s not electronics,” Dash replied. Of course he’d say that though. Electronics was his area, just like mechanical, including cable connectors, was Odessa’s.

  “Well we know it’s not chemical,” said Carmen in an almost sarcastic tone.

  It wasn’t a tone that usually came from Carmen. Both Dash and Odessa turned to look at her.

  Carmen gave them a meaningful look.

  “Okay, okay.” Dash nodded in understanding. “We gotta stop passing the buck and figure out the actual problem. Are the readings right or not?”

  “A software bug is more likely though, isn’t it?” Odessa said. “Given we already had one.”

  “We also already had a wiring problem,” Dash pointed out. “Let’s just check everything in order. Guessing doesn’t help.”

  Odessa nodded and checked the error code again. “That code’s for a venting problem, likely a blockage assuming the error and reading are correct. Can you find me the manual for the venting system?” Odessa asked Carmen. “We’ll start by assuming there’s an actual issue.”

  Carmen nodded and returned to the pile of manuals. “It would be easy,” she remarked, “If somebody hadn’t pulled them all out.”

  Dash held his hands up. “I wasn’t expecting to need them so soon.”

  Carmen raised her eyebrows at him.

  Dash relented. “I’m sorry.” He shot the airlock a worried look then in a forced chipper voice he asked, “How you holding up, Jade?”

  A voice with a similar tone carried back over the comms. “I’ll be alright once we get this door open.”

  “Worst case she should be able to push it. There’s a manual override,” Odessa said.

  “And 10 tons of force keeping that thing closed,” Dash replied.

  Odessa shrugged. “So? She’s a strongarm. She tore the shelf of its railings.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “The shelf wouldn’t have needed 10 tons of force to move.”

  “I doubt it’s that much on the door. We’ve got some partial depressurasation so some things are working. And she managed to lift 1.5 tons on earth. Where’s the manual for the door?” Odessa joined Carmen hunting through the manuals.

  “1.5 tons is not the same as 10 tons,” replied Dash but he sighed and asked Jade over the comms, “Hey, you reckon you could push that door open? I estimate about 10 tons of force required based on the pressure differential. We’re working on a solution but if you can use the manual override then we can at least get you back inside?”

  “I can lift 10 tons,” replied Jade.

  “Really?” Dash asked doubtfully.

  “Yeah, easy. Well, maybe not easy. It’s probably getting around my limit but I can give it a go, assuming there’s no risk of breaking things?”

  “The electronics and sensors will be fine,” Dash replied. “The biggest issue is you’re gonna get a bit of airflow once you crack it open. Odessa, will the door handle that?”

  “Yeah it’ll be fine. It opens inward so there’s no risk of ripping the hinges and the door itself should shield Jade from the initial burst of air, mostly.” Odessa grabbed the manual she wanted as it happened to float by right at that moment. She knew which section of the book she wanted so she flipped it open to approximately the right spot and then turned the pages until she found a line drawing of the plug hatch with all the dimensions on it. Then she returned to the computer screen.

  After a few quick calculations and another glance at the pressure reading in the airlock Odessa reported across the comms, “I reckon there’s no more than seven tons of pressure on that door, probably closer to six.”

  “Okay, well that should be do-able,” Jade replied with obvious relief in her voice. “Do you want me to try that?”

  “Yup,” replied Dash and Odessa simultaneously.

  “Make sure you’re clipped into something,” Dash reminded her.

  “Already am.” Jade positioned herself in front of the airlock. She shifted the clips attached to her suit to the rail above the door one at a time.

  Dash turned to the rest of the room, and without the comms on, said, “She can’t lift 10 tons. Six is more reasonable. Seven might be pushing it though.”

  “It’s six-ish. I did the math.” Odessa held out her scrawlings so he could see.

  He checked her working and nodded. “You’re good to go, Jade.”

  They all watched the screen as the suited figure of Jade engaged the manual handle, twisted, and then pushed. And pushed. And pushed.

  After several seconds of pushing, Jade fiddled with the handle and then gave it another go.

  “Jade?” Dash asked over the comms, a slight tremor in his voice.

  Odessa glanced at him. She’d never heard him sound scared before, not even when they were hundreds of metres up abseiling down beside the raging torrents of a waterfall. Dash laughed in the face of danger.

  “Are you sure it’s not more than 10 tons?” Jade asked after another try.

  Dash looked down at Odessa’s working again and then checked the pressure readings for himself. He glanced at Odessa. “Maybe it is closer to 10?”

  She shook her head and tried to rack her brain for why Jade couldn’t move the door. She was pretty sure her calculations had been right. “No, it’s definitely less than 6.5.” She reached out for the paper.

  Dash handed it over to her. “Maybe the pressure reading is wrong?”

  Odessa quickly redid the calculation assuming the maximum pressure.

  “Could it be overpressurising?” Carmen asked.

  Odessa paused mid-calculation. She glanced at Dash and then at the readout. “I have an idea,” she said. Then over the comms she said, “Hey Jade, hold fire out there for a second. I’m just going to repressurise the airlock and try the door on this side.”

  “We should put our helmets back on just in case,” Carmen said.

  Odessa ignored her and started pressing buttons. She watched the pressure reading rising.

  “Wait,” Carmen said as Odessa reached for the door handle.

  Odessa pulled the airlock door open easily. She turned to Carmen who was looking annoyed. Odessa shook her head. “I wouldn’t have been able to open it if wasn’t close to the same pressure as this room.” She then pointed across the room. “Can you pass me the handheld manometer.”

  Carmen sighed and then did as asked.

  “Can I do anything to help?” Athena asked.

  Dash glanced at her. “Can you please turn off the music so we can think?”

  Athena nodded and pressed a button on the music player.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Athena replied.

  When Dash noticed Odessa reaching for the other spacesuit he asked curtly, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m pretty sure that reading is correct but the best way to be sure is to vent the airlock while I’m in it and compare.”

  Dash shook his head. “It won’t help us open that door.”

  “I’m eliminating unknowns,” Odessa argued.

  Dash shook his head again. “The reading’s correct, it’s just too heavy for her.”

  At that moment, Jade, who was probably starting to worry, spoke over the comms, “How’s it going guys?”

  “Odessa’s just getting out of the airlock. I think it’s too heavy for you though,” Dash replied.

  “Maybe I could help push?” Odessa suggested.

  “You’re not even close to the strongest one here,” Dash argued.

  Carmen nodded. “Human strength won’t even make a dent in a multi-ton door.”

  They were right of course but Odessa still scowled as she got out of the airlock.

  They watched as the airlock attempted to vent again. Once more it only managed a partial depressurisation.

  Odessa compared her calculations to the pressure readings again, then re-did them, adding in extra error this time.

  Carmen and Dash worked their way through the logs, referencing the manual as they needed.

  “Could be a vent blockage,” Dash suggested. “The air gets recycled so there’s a few places it could be.”

  “And several of them hard to access,” Odessa replied.

  “Which makes those ones less likely to get blocked,” Dash pointed out. “Anyway, we have a snake cam. Go stick that down the tubes. I’ll check the wiring up here, but everything’s reading as connected so I don’t think it’s a wiring issue.”

  Odessa groaned but gave a nod anyway. She knew he was right but the pressure calculation was bothering her. She looked down at her notes. It didn’t make sense. Jade should be able to move the door.

  “Guys?” Jade asked. “Do you want me to try the door again?”

  “Nah, it’s too heavy I think,” Dash replied. “Odessa’s going to check the vents for blockages. I’m going to check the wiring and test points.” He handed Carmen back the manual and gave her an order at the same time as he relayed it to Jade. “Carmen’s going to see if we can get the software to work around the error, maybe do a slower vent or something. We’ve got an overpressure alarm that’s triggering a shutdown but it’s able to vent at least a little so if it’s blocked it’s probably just partial.”

  Carmen nodded.

  Odessa set her comms to everyone. “It’s definitely not more than seven tons of weight on that door. I’m sure of it.” Then she turned to go investigate the vents like Dash had asked.

  “I’m going to try again,” Jade said.

  Dash sighed but replied, “Sure.”

  As Odessa dropped down through the floor hatch to the lower deck, Jade’s voice said over the comms, “That’s definitely more than seven tons. Hell, that’s more than 10 tons. I know what 10 tons feels like, even if I might struggle to lift it and this is way more than that.”

  Odessa puzzled over that in her mind as she retrieved the snake cam from where it was fixed to the wall near the lower deck tools station. It was a long bendable skinny white stick, a few metres in length, that could be pushed around corners but was still stiff enough to maneuver. It had a handheld camera that would show whatever image it was seeing at the other end of the snake.

  Odessa found she could still hear them talking on the upper deck. It wasn’t quite as clear as if she’d been up there but the sound travelled surprisingly well and she could make out the occasional sentence. She marvelled at how it echoed. She was reminded of being underground in a cave. She was also suddenly reminded of how little there was between them and the lifeless vacuum outside. Just a thin metal wall. Even less for Jade. She wished Dash had let Athena keep the music on. She’d the found the background tunes calming, reassuring, invigorating. Now there was just the hum and whir and echos of their voices. Voices in a place voices were not meant to go.

  The main vent filtered into a sort of shell that ran around the lower deck and doubled as a cable run. It was too small for Odessa to fit fully inside but sections of the wall could be taken off for access and she could poke her head in and get a look around. There was a small section between the sleeping area and the ablutions cubicle where the channel was most accessible. The vents themselves were situated almost behind the ablutions cubicle but she should be able to poke the snake around the corner and get a good look at them.

  Odessa removed the vent with a clatter, careful not to let the screws just float off. She placed them in a sealed bag she’d tied to her suit and then she got herself down low.

  She turned on the screen and carefully fed the snake around the corner.

  At first she fed it in by touch. It was faster to do it two handed rather than hold the screen in one hand, but then she felt it bump into something where it shouldn’t have.

  She glanced down at the screen. There was nothing but black.

  “What?” she mumbled to herself. The snake should have good visuals in low light. It was designed for this sort of thing. Was it stuck on something?

  She tried to push it forward but it wouldn’t move. So she poked her head in the vent and peered around the corner to see what it was stuck on.

  For a moment it just looked like shadows.

  Then one of the shadows moved.

  Odessa jerked her head back out of the channel in surprise. When she next looked at the screen there was nothing there. The channel and laid wiring were as visible as they should have been the first time.

  For a moment Odessa wondered if she’d just imagined it? Should she stick her head in again?

  She wiggled the snake, poked it around to look at the vent, which looked normal. Then she slowly pulled it back out again.

  One more time she stuck it around the corner.

  Finally she stuck her head back in. What had she seen? Whatever it was it wasn’t there now.

  She pulled back, eyeing the channel warily. Her gaze tracked its path around the rest of the room. She listened but all she could hear were the whirs and hums.

  “Hey Dash,” she said over the comms. “Give the depressurisation another go.”

  “Righto,.” he said. “Depressurising.”

  Odessa waited, too scared to stick her head in the cable run again.

  Finally, Dash’s relieved voice came over the comms. “That worked! What’d you do?”

  Odessa scratched her head. “Nothing,” she replied. She eyed the spot where the shadow had been.

  Dash’s confused voice echoed back over the comms, “What do you mean nothing?”