Sedulity (Book One) Impact Read Online Free PDF Page B

Captain Krystos
finished his emergency announcement. He returned to stand next to Kevin,
staring at the horizon, and asked, “What should we expect?”
    “I can’t say for certain,” Kevin replied. “Too many
variables. How big was the asteroid?  How far away did it hit? The point of
impact must be at least a hundred miles away, or the blast wave would already
be here.”
    “A hundred miles? And it still fills the sky like that?”
Captain Krystos sounded shocked.
    “Yes, and that indicates a very large strike. Even at this
distance we could experience supersonic winds and overpressures similar to a
nuclear bomb. And that doesn’t even take into account the thermal effects.”
    “Thermal effects?” the Captain queried.
    “Heat. A massive wave of heat traveling with the blast wave.
It could ignite anything flammable that’s exposed to it. So you were wise to
send everyone inside, away from windows, and order the crew to their fire drill
stations. By the way, what is Condition Epsilon?”
    “It’s the highest level of general emergency, where the whole
crew prepares to fight fire and conduct damage control everywhere on the ship.”
    “Good,” Kevin said. “Let’s hope it’s not that bad.” Both men
nodded and said their own silent prayers.
    “Captain!” a sailor called out. “Radar contact!”
    “Where?” Captain Krystos asked.
    “Everywhere! The whole eastern horizon. It’s on the weather
radar, Sir. A massive front, fifty miles out and moving unbelievably fast! Forty-seven
miles now and closing! It looks like a solid wall on the scope. Forty-five
miles… Oh my God….”
    “Stand fast,” the Captain said. “Mr. Jennings, send out a
distress signal with our position and report a mid-ocean asteroid strike. Warn
all vessels and land stations in the region to expect blast effects. Helmsman?
What’s our heading?”
    “Steadying out at 90 degrees true, Sir,” relied the helmsman.
    “Good work,” Captain Krystos said. “Sound the collision alarm
and tell everyone to brace for impact.”
    Everyone on the Bridge was silent except for Mr. Crawford who
relayed the warning over the PA to the rest of the ship and sounded the klaxon
again. Another crewman triggered a continuous blast from the ship’s mighty
horn, as if to challenge the approaching juggernaut.  Kevin and the Captain
stood staring at the horizon. Kevin saw it first. “There it is!” he exclaimed
and pointed at a shimmering mass that bore down on them from the east. It did
look like a solid wall moving at incredible speed. As it got to within fifteen
miles they could see a white line of foaming water at its base, rushing
headlong towards them.
    “I think we should clear the Bridge,” said the Captain.
    “Yes,” Kevin agreed. “I’m sure these windows are strong, but
I don’t know if they will survive the blast.”
    “Fix course! Slow ahead! Clear the Bridge!” the Captain
ordered in a commanding voice. The Bridge crew scrambled to comply and hurried
back into the navigation room abaft the Bridge. Kevin and the Captain were the
last to leave and were almost frozen in place by the unimaginable force bearing
down on them. It was only a few miles away when they slammed the door to the
Bridge behind them.
    ****
    There was a flat screen television mounted on the wall next
to the elevator bank in the stairway lobby where Amanda sat and held Emily. It
was always tuned to the closed-circuit view from a camera mounted above the
Bridge, showing the ship’s bow and a view of the ocean in front of it. Amanda
became fascinated as the view swung to encompass the faux sunrise. She could
even make out the billowing and glowing column that blossomed into a towering
mushroom cloud. It was terrifyingly beautiful.
    As the phenomena centered up on the TV screen, Amanda
couldn’t identify an object that began to fill the lower half of the screen,
obscuring the mushroom cloud behind it. Then she remembered what Kevin had said
about a blast wave.