With her helmet tucked under one arm, Yukari stepped out of the elevator and walked down the ramp at the base of the launchpad. She stepped into the waiting Humvee and rode to the command center in silence. When they arrived, reporters thronged around her as she stepped out of the car.
“How does it feel to have your launch delayed again?” asked one of the journalists.
“I’m used to it,” said Yukari, her irritation thinly veiled.
“The rocket seems to be having one problem after another. Has this shaken your faith in the safety of your launch?”
“Not at all.”
“Some people are saying that safety has been sacrificed for the sake of weight and cost.”
“No comment.”
“Don’t you find it troubling that the test launch went so smoothly, while your own rocket has been plagued with problems?”
Yukari glared at the reporter. “If there’s something you want to say, say it.”
“I’m just—that is, I was only asking.”
“Then why don’t you try ‘asking’ Chief Engineer Mukai?” Yukari turned and strode into the command center.
✦ ✦ ✦
[ACT 5]
✦ ✦ ✦
“PACING BACK AND forth like that is only going to make you hungry,” said Matsuri, peering down from the top bunk. “You should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
“Is it?” Yukari shot back. “You know the launch will just be delayed again.”
“Getting upset about it will stir up angry spirits, Yukari. Maybe I should use some magic to ward them off and get some good spirits to protect you.”
“I don’t need any more magic.”
“I won’t charge you or anything.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Yukari stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. “I don’t want some creepy meddling spirits watching over me. I made it through my high school exams on my own. I can make it through this.”
“Hoi. Whatever you say, Yukari.” Matsuri was relieved to see Yukari still had some fight in her. “You don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to, but can we turn out the lights and go to bed?”
“Okay.”
✦ ✦ ✦
As Yukari was busy not falling asleep, Mukai was in a room beneath the launchpad pulling his fifth consecutive all-nighter.
“Come on, Satsuki, I’m desperate,” pleaded Mukai.
“Absolutely not. A stimulant will only make you more tired later.”
“I just have to make it till morning. This is it, I can feel it.”
“And what if there’s another delay?”
“That’s why I need to stay awake—to make sure there isn’t.”
“Sorry. You’ll have to make do with the IV.”
“I don’t have two hours to sit through an IV.”
Satsuki looked at Mukai. His ashen features spoke of utter exhaustion. “Fine,” she said, sighing. “Sit down.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
Satsuki took a syringe from her breast pocket and jabbed Mukai in the arm with five milligrams of Dormicum.
“That should help you relax.”
“Huh? Relax? I don’t have time to…relax…” Mukai’s chin came to rest on his chest.
“Everyone knows their job. They’ll do just fine without you,” said Satsuki. Mukai was already sound asleep. “It’s a shame you’ll have to miss the launch.”
✦ ✦ ✦
[ACT 6]
✦ ✦ ✦
DECEMBER 29, 8:50 AM
✦ ✦ ✦
YUKARI HAD ALREADY been in the capsule for three hours and twenty minutes, and the countdown was still on hold.
“I think I deserve an explanation. ‘We have doubts about the gyroscopes’ isn’t going to cut it,” said Yukari.
“Just try and hang in there a little longer.”
“I want explanations, not platitudes. Put Mukai on.”
“Mukai’s sleeping, but Director Nasuda is here. Hang on a sec.”
“We’ve been analyzing the telemetry from Pathfinder, and we found some unexpected vibrations during launch,” said Director Nasuda. “We don’t think it’s coming from an external source—it could be the booster itself.”
“It didn’t seem to have any trouble getting into orbit.”
“That could have been sheer luck. This is a critical component we’re dealing with here. With Mukai out of commission, I’d rather err on the side of caution.”
“If we let every little thing scare us, we’ll never launch.”
“We still have two days before the deadline. There’s no rush.”
“What about what this is putting me through? I can let two scrubbed launches slide, but three? Forget it!”
“You were the one clamoring for us not to cut corners. This isn’t the time to throw caution to the wind.”
“If something goes wrong, I can always fire the escape rockets.”
“The rocket could break up before you have time to react. No, we’ve done all we can today. Come on down.”
Yukari didn’t answer.
“Do you read me, Yukari?”
“I’m not leaving this capsule.” Her voice was a low growl.
“That’s an order, Yukari.”
“If you want me down, I’m bringing the capsule with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll fire the emergency escape rockets. I may not have control over the boosters, but from the capsule up, this is my ship.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“Do you hear me laughing?” Yukari’s voice was ice. “You can’t call someone the pilot and then ignore them when it comes time to fly. And what good is a rocket you can’t fly when you want to? Restart the countdown. Now.”
Yukari knew how to hit Nasuda where it hurt.
“Let me think it over.”
“You’ve got one minute. If the countdown isn’t started by then, the capsule and I are both coming down.”
“Understood.”
Fifty-six seconds later, Matsuri’s voice came through the speakers. “Hoi, Yukari. They’ve given us the go sign. The countdown will resume at T-minus five minutes.”
“Now we’re talkin’!”
At once, signs of life returned to the launchpad. A mechanical symphony of sounds reverberated in the cockpit.
“Flight control data check,” said Matsuri.
“Control data nominal.”
“Chronometer check.”
“Chronometer is running.”
“Set APU standby switch to on.”
“APU standby on.”
T-minus three minutes.
“Access arm retracted. Commencing SSWS flood procedure. Increase comm volume by two.”
“Comm volume plus two,” confirmed Yukari.
T-minus two minutes.
“Liquid oxygen release valves sealed. LOX at launch pressure.”
“All capsule systems nominal.”
T-minus one minute.
“Switching to internal power.”
“Internal power nominal.”
T-minus twenty seconds.
“Main booster APU start,” said Matsuri.
“APU start confirmed. I can hear it.”
T-minus fourteen seconds.
“Last chance to cancel, Yukari.”
“Do it and die.”
“Hoi. T-minus ten…nine…eight…seven. Main booster ignition. Four…three…two…one. SRB ignition.”
The mission event timer went positive. The rocket shuddered as it lurched skyward.
“We have liftoff. Tampopo has cleared the launch tower.”
Yukari felt as though she were sitting in a swing. There were hardly any g-forces.
“Vibration minimal,” reported Yukari. “It’s a smooth launch.”