Rook Winters - Weight of Ashes

“You don’t have to ask. I’m volunteering.”

Elle didn’t have to see Court to know his reaction. She could sense it, and it was unmistakable in his voice. “Britt’s right, Elle, we’ll find another way.”

“You don’t know that. This could be our only chance. My options are to spend the rest of my life running or to go back to a prison to be a science experiment. Or I can do this thing and help the people who can literally save humanity. When’s the next pod launch?”

Kamil looked at Bear nervously before he answered. “Tonight. In roughly ninety minutes.”

“Can you put me in a suit and get me on it?”

“Like I said, in theory, but—”

“No buts. Too many people have already lost their lives over this. Better to lose one more than for all the others to be for nothing. Besides, there’s a chance the Willow Wisp would pick me up in time, right?”

“A slim chance. A very slim chance.” Kamil looked to Bear again, his concern evident. “This is a lot different from sending some supplies up on the sly.”

“I agree with Britt and Court,” Bear said. “This isn’t a good plan.”

“Yes, it is. It just doesn’t make anyone feel good. The Qyntarak literally want to send starships full of humans to their planet to eat. How will we live with ourselves when that happens knowing that we stood here at this moment and didn’t try to stop it?”

“They want to eat humans?” The horrified expression on Kamil’s face told Elle everything she needed to know. The others might not like it but she could get him to help, she was confident of that.

“Yes, and we know how to stop them. We have to tell the Reclamation leaders on the Willow Wisp .”

“No,” Court said, “this is insane. We are not having this discussion.”

“There’s no discussion to be had. I’m doing it. It’s my choice. They’ve been telling me what to do my whole life but not anymore. This is how I finish the job that Dr. Donovan started.”

Bear, then Kamil, and then Court looked to Britt. Elle saw a shimmer of moisture in her left eye before she blinked it away. Britt handed the little white box to Elle.

“It’s not my preferred way to see this through, but you’re right. We all want our autonomy back and it would be hypocritical of me to say that you can’t decide this for yourself.”

“There’s not much time,” Kamil said. “We must hurry to make the launch.”

He took them to a storage area and hauled a blue and silver suit from a storage crate.

“This is a long duration EVA suit, meant for use in low gravity. I’m going to have to do some creative accounting to explain this thing going missing. We’ll need to carry it to the pod. They’re one-size-fits-most and it’s pretty easy to get suited up, but once you’re in, you can hardly move in full gravity.

“It has self-contained atmospheric and biological management, meaning it can keep recycling oxygen into the air and convert your piss into water to keep you hydrated. It’s a closed system, but it relies on some chemicals and batteries. Sunlight will keep your batteries topped up but the chemicals are a fixed quantity. When those run out, the clock starts ticking.”

“How long will she have?” Court asked.

“It’s designed to let maintenance crews work in vacuum for up to thirty-six hours. If you don’t exert yourself and you take a few hits from the sedatives to slow your system down, I’d guess you could stretch it to forty-eight hours.”

“Sedatives?” Elle said.

“Yeah, when you get in, the suit pops a needle into you. That’s how it manages your hydration level. There are a few things it can pump into you. Some emergency calories, painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants. Just enough to buy you a few extra hours on an EVA in case of emergency.”

“So I’ve got forty-eight hours for the Willow Wisp to chase down the transponder and pick me up.”

Elle said it for Court’s benefit, she could sense his anxiety about her decision. She was pretty sure everyone else knew there was no chance of the Reclamation ship finding her in time. She was going to die from carbon dioxide poisoning inside this suit in order to get the data out there.

Kamil gave her a thorough tutorial on how to operate the suit while Court hovered over their shoulders, his anxious energy nearly palpable.

“It’s time to go,” Kamil said. “Bear and Court, help me carry the suit. Elle, you bring the package. Britt, I suggest you stay in here. It’s a bit of a jaunt.”

Tears flowed freely down Britt’s cheeks as she took Elle’s hands in her own.

“Thank you for what you’re doing, for all of us. Humanity will remember you, I promise.”

Elle smiled at the older woman and broke eye contact, worried that if she thought about any of it for too long, she would lose her nerve.

Petra’s voice interrupted their final goodbye. “Hey, folks, we’ve got a situation here. I need to move. Kane’s grav flyer is heading our way. ETA four minutes.”

“You need to get moving. Now.”

Britt’s command was fierce, almost harsh, but the sentiment wasn’t ambiguous. Bear carried the legs of the EVA suit, one under each of his arms, while Court and Kamil hustled to keep pace holding on to the arms and sagging torso section. The path from the warehouse to the launch pad in the distance was at least a kilometer by Elle’s estimate, and it was slow going with the heavy suit. It would be impossible to get there before Kane arrived if he was heading their way.

A whirring sound from behind grew louder. She turned to see a young man driving after them in a six-wheeled open vehicle.

“Hey, Kamil,” the man shouted. “Why are you carrying that thing? Want a lift?”

“So much for going unnoticed,” Kamil said softly. “Hold up, everyone.”

They set the suit on the ground and Kamil waved to the arriving driver.

“Last minute addition to the payload. I didn’t want to bother you with it since you’re already busy getting the pod ready to go.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. Everything else’s is all loaded. You can borrow the cart. I’m due for my break anyway.”

“Thanks, Valentin.”

“These new trainees or something?”

“Nah, just private sponsors sending an EVA suit upstairs. They’ve got family on a ship.”

“Trying to buy some favors. I get it.” Valentin winked at them. “Good luck, folks.” He unwrapped a ration bar, the only food Elle had known until she met Court, then walked toward the warehouse.

“That was fast thinking,” Bear said. “Can’t believe he bought it.”

“What can I say? They still only hire guys as slow as you around here. Let’s put the suit on the cart. Its limiter won’t let it go very fast but it’ll beat walking.”

The cart moved at the speed of a casual jog. If Kane had figured out they were here, he might find them before she was stowed away. Elle chewed on the inside of her cheek and forced her breathing to slow.

Kamil brought the cart to a sudden stop.

“They already pulled back the loading ramp. We’ll have to carry it up the rest of the way.”

They slid the suit from the back of the cart and Kamil stared at its left forearm, empty except for a series of shiny gold contact points.

“Oh, shit. The op con isn’t here. I can’t believe I missed that.”

“What’s the op con?” Bear demanded.

“The operator’s console. We need it to activate the suit. It must still be in the crate.”

Bear tripled tapped his earpiece. “Britt, you there? We need you to check the crate for the suit. We’re missing a piece.”

“It’s white, looks like a rugged wrist computer,” Kamil said.