[ACT 1]
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YUKARI HAD EXPECTED Mir’s air lock to be something like an elevator, but it more closely resembled a tube with a manhole-like hatch on its far end. She entered feetfirst and closed the outer hatch above her head. With the flip of a switch, air began to flood the chamber, and the needle on the pressure gauge started to move. When the pressure in the air lock had equalized with the pressure inside the space station, a green light came on. Yukari then rotated a handle on the wall of the air lock to open the inner hatch beneath her feet.
“I’m going to pull you in now. Let your muscles relax.” Oleg grabbed Yukari by the ankles and gave a gentle tug.
Yukari drifted into pure white light. The room she found herself in had neither ceiling nor floor. She was surrounded by pipes and machinery. There was no clear ‘up,’ and it took Yukari a moment to adjust.
Grabbing hold of a handle on the wall, Yukari spun herself around to face Oleg, who floated at an angle to her on his side. He was a head taller than Yukari, but the body beneath his blue coveralls bore the sleek build of a gymnast.
Oleg’s wide, brown eyes were riveted on Yukari.
“Um…” What was proper etiquette for greeting someone in space?
Yukari decided to start by orienting herself the same direction as Oleg and removing her helmet. With the slightest spin of her body, her hair went every which way. Free of the 1 G in which it had been fixed, it gracefully spread out. Yukari extended both arms like a figure skater to stop herself from spinning. As she did, her hair danced as it recoiled into her shoulders and chest.
Without realizing it, Yukari burst into a smile. She had been unable to enjoy the full experience of microgravity in the confines of her capsule.
Oleg was transfixed. “At last we meet. Welcome aboard Mir,” said Oleg, embracing Yukari in a bear hug.
“What? Hey!”
Oleg held Yukari nearly a minute before finally letting go, and his eyes soon settled back on her body. Yukari’s skintight suit, a scant two millimeters thick, left precious little to the imagination.
“You are a vision,” said Oleg.
Under the circumstances, Yukari was willing to forgive his behavior. Oleg and his commander had been alone aboard the station for over half a year, after all.
“It’s, uh, nice to meet you. I can’t thank you and Nikolai enough for letting me aboard.” Yukari extended her hand.
The gesture seemed to restore Oleg to his senses. He took Yukari’s hand and gave it a firm shake.
“It is our pleasure, Yukari. Come, let us go to the core module. It is small, so you should leave your helmet and backpack here.”
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The interior of the space station was chaotic. Air ducts and cables snaked everywhere, making the already tight, tunnel-like space feel even more cramped. Bits of random junk were entwined along the walls. The air was filled with the loud whine of fans, and the place smelled like a locker room in the middle of summer.
It had already been over a decade since they had put the first module into orbit. Various patch-up jobs and additions hadn’t been able to hide the gradually deteriorating conditions inside. Originally planned as a new station, Mir 2 had floundered along with the Russian economy, eventually winding up as part of a larger international space station. Now construction on that international station had hit a roadblock, and there was no support for full-time astronauts on board—which meant they had to make do with Mir.
“If this had been the main air lock in the Kristall-2 module, we would have been able to fit your entire capsule inside,” Oleg said as she was moving in. “But it has been broken for some time. Now we use only for storage.”
Yukari was not inspired with confidence.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“If something happens we can escape in the Soyuz.”
A simplified version of the Soyuz remained docked at Mir at all times for use as an emergency escape vehicle.
Yukari peeled back a cloth cover held in place by bungee cords and went through a narrow, manholelike port into the core module. Past a pilot’s chair, with its switchboard and monitor, she arrived at the living quarters. This room was about three meters across, with a boxy dining table and four backless chairs attached to one of the walls.
A curtain ran along one side of the module, with a small space like a changing room behind it. Inside she spotted a sleeping bag attached to the wall and a single round window.
“That is my kayuta. I let you use.”
“Kayuta?”
“My berth. It is a bit narrow, but there is no place like home, yes?”
Yukari smiled. “That’d be great. Thank you.”
The Kvant-1 module beyond the living space had formerly been a science lab but was now relegated to use as a toilet and storage. Beyond that was the port where the Soyuz would be docked.
“We don’t have much time for chitchat, but there is a very important thing you need to know. I will get right to the point,” Oleg said, considerately describing how to use the toilet facilities.
Yukari listened, appreciating the man’s straightforward demeanor.
It turned out there was something like a large suction cup that handled both solid and liquid waste, sucking it away along with a quantity of air. It didn’t seem all that difficult to use. Much to Yukari’s relief, the station was equipped with female facilities.
Oleg left, and alone at last, Yukari used the washbasin—the design required her to stick her hands and face into a sealed compartment—and gave a deep sigh of relief. It had been nine hours since she’d last washed, and she really needed it. Being here felt like arriving at a hotel after a long journey. A little cramped, but cozy all the same.