Bright Horizons Read Online Free PDF Page A

three bird, but he never expected a
big, clumsy block of metal like this to feel so fast.
    Within
seconds he could see the atmosphere thinning and the stars starting to make an
appearance. The Shuttle jerked as the boosters fell away and there was a slight
deceleration.  The weight of the main tank slowed the Shuttle for a moment
before enough fuel was burned off to continue their assault against gravity.
    A few
seconds later and the atmosphere peeled back like a veil  Before those in the
cockpit was a bright, almost too bright, sky. Kyle couldn’t believe how bright
it was, and just as suddenly, it went black. He realized that they had just
passed from the sunlit portion of the earth orbit into the nighttime section.
    “Houston,
this is Fletcher, we have achieved orbital position. Over.”
    “Proceed
as scheduled Fletcher. Houston out.”
    Cowboy
reached up and flipped a switch.
    “Crew and
specialists onboard the Fletcher, we have achieved orbit. For the newbies among
us, welcome to space. We will be in position to dock with the Space Station
Galaxy in four hours, until then, sit back and relax. Each station has a video
console. We are pleased to bring you fifty movies on demand. Unfortunately our
space stewardesses are not with us this evening, so no peanuts or drink
service. For those who thought ahead, pull out your lunch and have a snack
before docking.”
    Immediately
the chatter started up and Kyle exhaled slowly. He was in space. Outer Space.
The thought was just unreal to him. In four hours he would be on the Space
Station Galaxy and the crew of the Torpedo would be getting in position for the
next phase.
    The
Chinese and Russians apparently thought that the Torpedo was just a maneuvering
engine to pull the Shuttle into the station for storage or repairs. Once the
Shuttle is pulled into a position where they are sure no foreign satellite can
see, it launches the Shuttle a short hop to the far side of the moon. From
there, the Torpedo launches to the destination designated for that particular
mission.
    Around
ten hours from now, that destination would be Jupiter. Eleven days after that,
the crew of the Fletcher would be the first humans to lay eyes on a bona fide
alien.
     
    26 May 2042
     
    “Houston,
this is Fletcher. We have assumed target location and are awaiting contact,
over.”
    At this
distance from earth, the radio transmission would be delayed by thirty five
minutes or so. By the time Houston received Cowboy’s transmission it was hoped
that contact with the Hedali would have occurred.
    Everyone
in the cockpit was anxiously looking out in every direction for anything that
might look like a spacecraft. Jupiter itself dominated over half of the field
of vision and the moon Io was clearly seen as well. Kyle just stared in wonder
at what he was seeing.
    “Look
Cap, over there.” Major Nestor was pointing out the window. By the time Kyle
saw what he was looking for, it was apparent. A small metallic ship came
towards them at high speed. It was sleek and angular looking, but without
looking like it came off of a Hollywood set. It had no external lights that
Kyle could see, and no large windows or points of entry. As it got closer, Kyle
realized that it was at least ten times the size of the Shuttle. Size was very
hard to determine in space he realized.
    As the
Shuttle approached the alien ship, it slowed and then came to a stop with a
slight jostle.
    “Whoa, we
are moving, and fast,” said Cowboy.
    “We must
be caught in their tractor beam,” Nestor nervously laughed.
    In just a
few seconds it was realized that was exactly what had happened as the Fletcher
was being pulled in a fast, but gentle, manner towards the alien craft.
    Kyle
realized that there was no chatter on the com, and he wanted to reassure his
Marines, so he started narrating what was happening.
    “Marines,
we have visual contact with the alien craft. They have apparently started
pulling us towards their craft. I can see a small