Mitchell's Revenge
Spacecraft Testing course, Karhu System

The nose of the small spacecraftjerked upwards and the craft disappeared. The second craft shot past thewormhole mouth, then came to a stop and hovered. The pilot waited forinstructions.

“He’s done it again!” shouted Lauri.“If he doesn’t move left before he reaches the wormhole he’s going to getthrown back to the beginning of the course every time!”

The technicians in the control roomwere doubled over with laughter.

“That’s the fourth time today,”said Lauri, nowhere nearly as amused as his technicians. “If he doesn’t get itright this time I’m calling him in.”

Lucy’s voice came clearly over thecoms unit, “Do you want me to give it a try?”

“That’s a good idea,” replied Lauri.“Come on in and swap ships with Jake. We’ll see if a another pilot makes anydifference.”

As Lauri spoke Jake’s spacecraftpopped back into view at the start of the course. He grabbed the coms unit andshouted into it.

“Jake, listen to me! You have to pull left after the last pylon oryou’ll keep going straight into the wormhole. Do you hear me?”

Jake’s tired voice echoed into thecontrol centre. “Yes, I hear you. Ithink there’s something wrong with the steering. It’s just not responding to meand I keep going straight on. I’ll give it one more try and then come back in.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” askedLauri. “If you think there’s something wrong with it you’d better come back innow and we’ll run some diagnostics on the system.”

“One more try,” responded Jake, determinednot to be the pilot who failed the testing run.

“OK,” replied Lauri, “When you comeback in, plug the diagnostics unit in. If it’s clear then swap with Lucy. Let’ssee if she has the same trouble.”

The craft began accelerating awayfrom the start line. Lauri watched anxiously from the viewing deck as itskipped around the pylons, weaving left to right like a skier dancing down aslalom course. The craft was responding well. Its sleek lines were designedfor optimum handling in space. And it could travel just as easily to thesurface of the planet below.

As he rounded the last pylon, Jakeslowed the craft and veered left, this time missing the wormhole mouth that hadcatapulted him back to the start on the last run.

“That was weird,” Jake’s voice cameover the coms unit. “I didn’t slow down just then. The ship slowed itself. Weird.As if it made the decision for me.”

Lauri laughed. “Yeah, right. Asentient ship! Sure thing! Just get back in here and we’ll take a lookat what’s going on with it.”

Jake swung the craft around andheaded back towards the shipyard docking bays. The technician monitoring thesmall crafts’ systems looked at Lauri.

“He’s right,” he said. “The craftadjusted the speed itself. Look, right here.” He brought the display up on thescreen in front of him and they both looked at it in amazement.

“Better replace Lucy, quickly. I’m notletting another pilot into a ship that’s behaving that way.”

Lauri strode back to his controlpanel. He glanced from the viewing deck and realised he was too late. Lucy wasalready in Jake’s ship and accelerating towards the start of the course. Jakeappeared at the rear of the control centre, listening to the interchangebetween the head of space design testing and his pilot.

“Lucy!” Lauri shouted over the comsunit. “Stop! Right now!”

“Just one run Lauri,” she calledback to him. “The diagnostics were all clear. I’ll be right back!”

The craft accelerated towards thefirst pylon and began its rhythmical dance. Lauri found he was holding hisbreath. Every technician was glued to the viewing screen, watching Lucymanoeuvre the craft gracefully through the course.

“She’s the best pilot we have,”said Jake quietly, “be damned if I can fly like that!”

“Oh crap!” Lucy’s voice was loudthrough the coms unit.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lauri.

“The steering’s gone. Completely. Ohcrap!” Lucy’s voice echoed through the control room. Jake sprinted to theemergency rescue craft moored in the docking bay.

Lauri watched in horror as thespacecraft plowed nose first into the last pylon on the course, sending themagnetised beam spinning away into the vacuum. The impact slowed the craftsspeed, but the nose of the ship crumpled and a crack slithered across thewindscreen. Lucy was knocked unconscious. The spacecraft rotated lazily wherethe pylon had been.