“Arrival to the destination point in two minutes and thirty seconds,” uttered the autopilot quietly.
Then there was a light jerk and the shuttle slid out of hyperspace.
“Oleg, assume the manual control,” ordered Paul. “Chris, start preparing to seize the object. Jane, what do the scanners show?”
“The object is drifting in the open space. Its coordinates and the images are displayed on the holographic interface,” answered the girl.
Paul approached the monitor on the bridge, while Lora froze looking at the panoramic front window. At first, she didn’t see anything in the darkness that swallowed even the light of the distant stars. But then, in that obscurity, a small dot appeared, which grew bigger and more distinct with every moment.
“According to the data, it’s a rescue unit: spherical in shape and 32 tons in weight. No external marks, it has been heavily damaged by the meteorites. The inside is filled with air. The scanner shows there’s one biological object with weak signs of life.”
“There’s a human being inside!” Lora looked at the hologram and jumped from her seat, pointing at the pulsing red light in the corner of the single deck.
“The ark’s too big for the cargo compartment…” said Paul rubbing his neck. “But, from the looks of it, the ship’s sheathing allows for towing in the hyperspace…”
“Wait!” exclaimed Lora, grabbing the young man’s hand. “We cannot tow a ship in the hyperspace with a dying human being in it! What if there’s some kind of malfunction?”
“We cannot dock to the unit, its technology is outdated…” said Oleg shrugging and pointed at the hologram. “But it’s possible to moor closer to it and throw out the flexible bridge… Here’s the trapdoor, as the scanner shows, and behind it there is an airlock. Let’s get there and see…”
“We also need to assess the level of biological and other threats,” added Jane.
“OK, let’s do that,” agreed the captain. “Time for preparation: 30 minutes.”
“I’m coming too!” Lora dashed to the compartment with the space suits.
“No; Oleg, Jane and I are going. You and Chris will be watching the monitors and following any changes on the scanner.”
“But…”
“I’m in charge of this expedition, Lora” Paul interrupted her.
The girl sighed resignedly.
“That’s better. We’ll be in touch.”
The airlock could hardly be called spacious; nevertheless, it easily accommodated three members of the crew.
“Everything is so old here… I can’t even remember this technology” Oleg reached for the adaptable control panel and connected it to the lifeless console on the wall. A minute later the air was filling the surrounding space with a characteristic hiss. “Oxygen level is normal; we can enter the ship,” he pressed some more keys and the portal door creaked and moved aside revealing the dimly lit deck.
“How do you like the picture?” asked Paul to the ones left back on the ship.
“It’s clear, the signal is strong, the majority of the machines are switched off and it’s interference-free. There’s no trouble,” reported Chris.
“You can say that again! The ship’s in the minimum energy consumption state…” Jane looked at the screen of the portable scanner. “The signal of the biological object is on the right.”
“And on the left there is some kind of an engine room… Oxygen level is stable around the entire perimeter,” Oleg added.
“OK! Let’s split,” ordered Paul. “Oleg, check the engine room, while Jane and I will assess the condition of the biological object. Stay in touch.”
