Trajectory Book 1 (New Providence) by Robert M. Campbell

right here. You can bring the feeder up after dinner. I’ll do the dishes.” He transferred the pot into the sink and attached the hose, drained it from its spigot, vacuum pulling the water down the drain to be reclaimed. He released the latch and pulled the sieve out of the pot, noodles steaming. Edson took a fork and teased out a noodle, slurping it up, testing it. His goatee taking a splash of hot water.
    Building a bomb that worked in space was not a simple proposition. Without an atmosphere providing shock, the blast just detonated outward from wherever the explosion came from. It needed to be focused.
    Edson was also interested in making sure his crew had something to work on. Carl was a good man – good pilot. But he could be unpredictable depending on his mood. He was at his best when he had something to work on.
    “Spaghetti’s ready.”
 

025
    New Providence: Nicola Tesla University.
    Emma looked around the conference room table. “It has to be me. I found it.”
    Tamra coughed miserably in her seat. She was pretty sure she had a fever now and wanted nothing more than to go back to her room. “Well I can’t go. I’m sick. I have to go lie down.”
    Administrator Walter Brennan nodded to her, resisted an urge to cover his nose and mouth. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Franklin.”
    “I’ll check up on you later, Tam.” Greg gave her a concerned smile as she got her things together and stood up unsteadily to leave.
    Dr. Powell looked back and forth at Emma and Greg. The connection to the station had been terminated. With Tamra gone it was just the four of them.
    Greg looked at Emma. “I think it should be me.”
    Emma looked at him incredulously. “Seriously, Greg? I found this thing. How can you go? You bailed out on your suit test. How the hell are you going to make it through a shuttle flight to the station? Zero G?” She held his gaze.
    Greg looked down. “I don’t know. I can do it.” He looked up at her. “Your mom needs you. Tam needs you. If this shit goes sideways up there, your mom is gonna need you even more.”
    Emma grimaced. “Let’s not bring other people into this. Tamra could use your help now if she’s getting sick. Mom’s going to have to get used to me being in space eventually. Don’t give me that mother shit, it won’t play here.”
    Dr. Powell attempted to calm the room with his hands, instead appeared to be trying to levitate. “Students, please.”
    Administrator Brennan spoke up. “OK, you both want to go. I hear that loud and clear. Thank you Commander Mancuso for giving us this opportunity to exercise our decision-making abilities.” He exhaled, cast his eyes up for just a moment. “Let’s go over the facts.”
    He turned to Emma pointing his fingers from his clasped hands at her on the table. “Emma, you discovered the thing. Greg has been helping with the orbital calculations. Greg failed his suit test. Emma, you have family here in the colony. Greg has a sick girlfriend.” He looked back and forth at them. “Am I leaving anything out?”
    They both tried speaking up and Brennan spoke over them. “If you can’t handle this like professionals, neither of you will go!”
    Quiet.
    Brennan sighed. The two of them sat across from each other staring daggers into each other’s heads.
    “You’re going to force me to make an executive decision, aren’t you?” Brennan looked back and forth between them. “Powell, do you have any opinion?”
    Powell pulled on his moustache. “I don’t think any of them should go. They’re probably all carrying the flu virus.”
    Brennan sighed again. “The station’s been inoculated. They’re safer than we are on the ground.” More annoyed looks around the room. “Greg, when you flunked the suit test, what happened?”
    Greg grimaced and unclenched his jaw. “I had a panic attack, sir. Hyperventilated. It… It was my first time on the surface and everything looked… It was the sky. I just lost it.” He looked