Chapter 3

The run back to the homestead was uneventful. I sent a message ahead, advising the medical team to prepare for a possible oxygen casualty. Also, to have the air dock prepared for the damaged ship.

When we got in visual range, I lined up on the air dock. With the roof open, I had just enough room to squeeze the rock knocker in. Once I got it past the doors, I started unreeling the anchors. As she settled to the deck, I watched for any shifting. When I was satisfied, and the grounding crew was satisfied, I released the hooks and got out of the way.

As soon as the anchors cleared the roof, the panels slid shut. From there, we moved over to the landing pad and put the Sawyer Express on the deck.

Sawyer Express was the name given to our farm buggy. A rock knocker like the one we had just put it air dock. Only smaller. She wasn’t designed for deep space or long-range. I would be reluctant to take her much further than Armstrong station. But she could haul a helluva lot of mass. And that’s what mattered. She was a leftover from the previous mining operation. They didn’t want to pay the transport cost and just abandoned it.

We also had a dozen cargo pods that we used to haul produce to Armstrong. Those pods in a desperate situation could also be used as short-term survival pods, very short-term.

Once we got the express grounded, Thad and I went through our post-flight procedures. It was an hour before we finished. My first stop afterward was the infirmary. I needed to know what was going on with our visitor.

Coming into the infirmary, I was greeted by Doc Adams. Doc wasn’t a real doctor. But he was a fully qualified EMT and had a ton of emergency experience. “Well, Doc, what’s the word.”?

“Gideon, he’s in bad shape. Some burns, some broken bones. I’m not going to guess about the oxygen loss. We won’t know about that until he wakes up, and we can talk to him. I will tell you right now that if Thad hadn’t dumped his emergency tank, the guy probably would have been a goner before you could have rigged the full line.”

I looked over my shoulder at Thad. He was grinning like he had saved the queen of England. “Before we go any further, boy, that was the dumbest damn thing I have ever seen in my entire life. What if you had lost air? What if you had a tank leak? Even that 15-minute tank would have saved your life. we are going to have a sit down with your mother, and you’re going to explain to her why you thought some unknown, possibly dead stranger was more important than her peace of mind.” Thad started to say something, and I held my hand up palm towards him. “No, you’ll tell your mother.”

What I didn’t say was that this was revenge for stopping me from going EVA. Truth be told, I would have done the same thing. And his mom, my sainted wife, knew it.

I turned back to Doc Adams. “Ok, Doc, he’s still out of it, but can I take a look at him? I won’t make a sound.”

“No worries, Gideon. even with the drugs, he still won’t know you’re there.”

I pulled back the curtain on the room and stepped in and up to the head of the bed. It was difficult to see through the tubes and lines in his mouth and nose. But after a moment, it dawned on me. I knew this person. He was probably the most important person in my entire life. I owed this man my life, Colonel Hezekiah Montgomery.