The Nemesis Vector

By Bo Demont

The Nemesis Vector, a near-future adventure takes Sci-Fi to a believable “what if” reality right here on Earth. Two astronauts, on a routine mission aboard the International Space Station, become Earth’s unlikely heroes as the story unfolds bringing, thrills, laughter and even tears to the reader as they turn the pages. The story, taking many twists and turns, is sure to leave one asking the question, “what now?” as the characters love, support, and fight for all of mankind now unified as one entity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483590523

Book preview

43

The Nemesis Vector

Chapter 1

Sahara awoke early, knowing that today was the day, for her and her Mom to go shopping for all of the things needed for the upcoming birth of the baby. She had been looking forward to this day for weeks, not only because of the excitement of choosing the needed items, but moreover for this special time that she would be able to share with her.

Sahara and her mother hadn’t always been close, but her pregnancy had dissolved many of the barriers that had been between them. As Rory, Sahara’s husband had been away so long, the sharing with her Mom the many ups and downs associated with the months waiting for the birth of the child was a common thread that had woven a tighter bond between them.

Still lying in bed, Sahara stretched her arms above her head, and felt the firm kick of her unborn child, to the inside of her rib cage.

I guess your awake too… calm down little one. I’m getting up, Sahara says with a smile as she pats her tummy.

With an audible sigh, she exclaims, Gosh, I wish your Dad wasn’t so firm on waiting to find out your gender, my little karate kid. As her bare feet hit the cool, tiled floor, she mumbles, It would be so much more fun to be able to pick the blue or the pink needed items, instead of the ‘gender-unknown’ yellow or green items… alas, your space-age Dad is a little old fashioned about this so I hope, if you are a boy, you like yellow, because your Mom hates green!

She smiled to herself as she had thought many times during her visits to her OB doctor, how she could ask him to give her a sneak peak as to the sex of the baby and just not tell Rory. But knowing that she could never keep it a secret, as hard as it was, she had refused on more than one occasion the doctor’s suggestion of knowing whether it was a boy or a girl.

Jumping in the shower, Sahara quickly went over in her head, all of the things she wanted to accomplish this day. The days before her due date were ticking by and soon the baby would be arriving and she had nothing prepared. Nine months seemed like an eternity when Rory and she first found out that they were pregnant, especially having miscarried twice before and not knowing if she could make it through the first trimester which was the critical time-frame. However, now in her seventh month, the time was flying by and as each day passed, it became more and more apparent that she had better get busy!

As she rushed around in the bathroom, the phone rang. Hi Mom, are you already on your way? Whew! Aren’t you an early bird?

Sensing her Mom’s excitement, she, with a forced giggle, promised to be ready by the time her mother arrived. Hanging up the phone, Sahara realized she had better speed it up as her mother was not the most patient person when having to wait and Sahara wanted everything to go well today.

She pulled on some maternity jeans and a loose knit top and remarked to her unborn child, I love you… more than life itself… BUT, I will be so happy to get back into my favorite jeans! Just as she finishes pulling her long dark hair back into a pony tail, the doorbell rings.

There’s Mom! She said aloud to herself. She must have broken all speed records to get here. Guess makeup will have to be lip gloss only, as she cautiously, but hurriedly, goes down the stairs to open the door.

As she opens the door she sees her mom, dressed to the nines, in clothes that Sahara could only dream of owning. After all, living in south Florida was expensive and even though her husband’s salary as a Captain on NASA’s space team was good, with her not working things were tight. Medical bills surrounding the attempts to become pregnant were staggering and took all of their extra money.

You look great Mom! Sahara says with a smile and a hug.

You look… well… like you just got out of bed, Sahara… no makeup? she asks as she moves through the doorway into the living room.

I didn’t want to keep you waiting, she apologized. "I can certainly go up and put some on, as she feels herself once again trying to please her ever criticizing mother.

No, you look fine, her mother, softening, says quietly with a half-smile… You just look a little… shall I say… pale.

Sahara could feel herself bristling up just a bit at her mother’s comments, but immediately let it go. She had been looking forward to this day and she wasn’t going to let such a little thing ruin it.

Okay then… I’m ready to go Mom… that is, if you are? Are you driving, or do you want me to?

I’ll drive dear. We have a long day ahead of us, and I’m sure that will tire you out enough. Besides, my car has a bigger trunk for all of our goodies, her Mom says smiling as they close the door behind them.

Chapter 2

The stars twinkle brightly in the darkness of space that envelops the U.S. space shuttle Intrepid; now on its 6th mission docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle is a brilliant bright white glistening against the eerie pitch-black, backdrop of space. Millions of stars miraculously suspended in the darkness, light the heavens even though the light energy has been traveling for thousands of light years to be seen at this very moment in time.

Captain Rex Huntley and Captain Rory Scott, astronauts for NASA’s space center, had dreamed of being among those stars most of their lives. As children, in opposite ends of the country, they each had dreamed of flying in space as glow-in-the-dark stars covered their bedroom ceilings and spurred their wildest childhood imaginations. Who could have known that the years of dreaming; the years of training in both the Air Force and then with the NASA space program, would have brought them to this moment… together.

The two astronauts float effortlessly in the zero gravity above the Intrepid’s cargo bay giving their full attention to the repair of the robotic mechanical arm which had recently malfunctioned.

With the robotic arm fully extended out, up and over the open cargo bay doors, Rory chuckles sarcastically, Rex, how is it that we are always the lucky ones… we get the exciting jobs up here. Do you think this breakdown is the same issue as before?

It’s likely Rory. From what I can determine from the troubleshooting sequence, once again the damn left actuator that helps to articulate the robotic arm isn’t working properly… and yeah… lucky… like hell!

The repair of the actuator manually, is a simple fix; however extremely time consuming when working in zero gravity.

Alright Rory, I’m taking the cover off now.

Rory intently watches as Rex struggles to remove the protective metal cover from the actuator. Typically these malfunctions have been historically caused by a single ¾ inch stainless steel bolt that through repeated extension of the arm literally shears in half.

Hey Rex, can’t you move any faster? You’re cutting into my lunch hour… I’m union now you know, Rory chuckles.

I would, but I heard you’re behind paying your dues… so you’re on my clock Rory, Rex retorts. There… finally got that damn cover off; what a pain in the ass.

How bad is the damage?

It’s not too bad, really. It’s just as we thought too. Looks like one sheared and broken bolt outa four. I was actually expecting much worse the way it was vibrating. I guess it’s our lucky day.

Really… it’s only one bolt? Like you said, the way it was vibrating, I would have thought it was at least two… yep, for sure we got lucky.

You know… I hate when I’m right. I had expected this very problem the moment that arm began to vibrate. It’s the third time this has happened, Rex notes as he moves into position to remove the bolt.

I thought the engineers had fixed this issue with a recent redesign, Rory questions. I know I read something about it in a mechanical flight maintenance report, just before this mission.

Well, you did read that, but I tell you Rory, this is one design NASA had better review again and consider taking this current worthless design back to the drawing board.

I hear what you’re saying. No one can afford a complete robotic arm failure during a satellite deployment.

Look at it this way; I think its good safety monitor practice for you.

Although, that might be true, from my viewpoint, it is incessantly boring.

Looking down and forward, Rex reaches out and places his wrench onto the broken bolt. With the wrench in position, he begins the tediously slow process of coaxing the sheared bolt out of the actuator. With the bolt having lost numerous threads, the removal is difficult. Trying his best not to further strip the bolt, Rex’s arms strain with each turn of the wrench as the bolt is removed, ever so slowly.

This really needs a redesign… badly, Rex grunts as he struggles to make each turn of the wrench. There must be too much torque and counter load for a ¾ inch bolt to handle; maybe one inch bolts would hold this puppy together.

You know Rex, on a brighter note… it dawned on me while you have been grunting and groaning… we are the only qualified, triple-A mechanics available for miles… many miles!

Most definitely… we are the only ones out here qualified to fix this expensive broken down, ill designed, piece of crap arm.

What do you think the going hourly-rate is these days for outer-space mechanics?

Laughing, Rex replies, Not enough. Maybe we should start a union; lobby for better pay, real food and decent working conditions that doesn’t include the need for someone to fix this damn arm on every other trip… also in my opinion, we should be getting hazardous duty pay, plus time and a half!

I think you’re dreamin’, but absolutely I’m for all of that… especially the real food you mentioned… one thing is for sure though…

What’s that?

We certainly have job security… no real competition for several hundred thousand miles, plus the work for the most part, is rather easy.

You’re right about that… except for the ‘easy’ part, Rex grunts. We definitely have job security though. You could say we have a full-blown monopoly, up here, as both men begin to laugh.

You know Rex, another nice thing about it is; up here we are the only people, who can really complain about our work. Plus, there are no pesky refunds; no guarantees; and a panoramic view that is visually out of this world… incredible.

Yeah, for sure… gotta love the view up here. It is just like you said, incredible; it never gets old.

Rory watches with patient boredom as Rex continues to carefully remove the bolt.

Rex, did you remember to bring the remote to test the arm when you finish the repair?

Absolutely… per NASA protocol, I need to test drive this puppy, up close and personal when I finish here.

You know, it was a good thing this arm worked well enough to deploy that Mantis satellite this morning. I’m sure the Mantis Corporation would have been really tweaked if we would have had to bring their multimillion dollar satellite home on the return flight.

Agreeing, Rex says, Yeah… failure to deploy that satellite on schedule, would have landed squarely on the engineer’s shoulders and would have made no one very happy.

I hear that; after all we are just the delivery crew out here. Are you about done? This is really cutting into my lunch hour.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m the one sweating bullets here Rory… the one doing all the hard work, while you play safety monitor this time out.

Oh my… you sound like a very sore loser Rex. It’s not my fault you lost the coin toss… I won fair and square this morning.

Oh, come on, really… me a sore loser? And you call that toss ‘fair and square’?

Laughing, Rory taunts, I guess you could say it was the fickle finger of fate… I was lucky and you were… well… unlucky. What that means is you just need to continue to turn the wrench my friend. All that’s required of me… the lucky safety monitor… is to float around and observe what’s going on. So, get a move on there, Captain.

What does it look like I am doing? You just remember… I’ll beat you next time, with the caveat we use MY coin.

Sure Rex, by the way… are you about done playing triple-A space mechanic? Rory continues to tease and laugh.

Not quite, what’s the rush now? Don’t tell me about your union lunch hour again… you are just gonna have to hang tight; I’m almost done here.

No, although lunch sounds really good, I was actually reading our O2 levels and we only have forty-five minutes left in our oxygen supply. You know the rules; we will need to head back inside when the level gets down to 40 minutes.

Thanks for the update… you’re the most efficient, but boring, safety monitor I have ever worked with. I feel so safe with you on the job, watching my back!

Just keep working… and if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to have lunch before it gets to be dinner time.

Rex, without acknowledging Rory’s continued rant about lunch reminds him, You do know I helped write the safety protocol manual, right?

REALLY! Gosh, I can’t wait to have you autograph my copy. It’ll likely be a collector’s item… say… in a hundred years, Rory laughs sarcastically.

Okay! I just about have the new bolt tightened down in place; couple more turns should about do it.

With a few final turns of the wrench, Rex puts the cover back on and tightens down the screws. Finished, his arms tired and sore, Rex is satisfied his repair will work and the arm will function normally; at least until the next time.

Here Rory… take these broken bolt pieces and put them into your parts bag so we can take them back to the engineers for re-inspection… again. I’ll go ahead now and make sure the actuator is functioning properly with a little Huntley test drive. Pushing the buttons on the remote and moving the arm through a few contortions, Rex confirms, Ah ha! It works perfectly… knew it would with my expert repair skills.

It’s a miracle, I can’t believe it… you actually fixed it.

Very funny… you’re always the comedian. You just wait; next time it’s your turn.

You’ll have to win the coin toss first… can you say LOSER?

We’ll see about that. Let’s get you back in for some food… after all; I don’t want you doing some sissy thing like fainting out here, Rex laughs.

Hold up a second, Bates is on the com.

Hey there fellas, Bates here… I just wondered if you guys are about done playing out there. Lieutenant Suzuki has lunch about ready.

Thank you Commander. We are just now finishing up and will be heading back in about 5 minutes or so… that is, if the rookie here can move his big butt a little faster stowing these broken parts.

Have either of you tested the actuator yet? Bates inquires.

Yes Sir… I have, and it’s working just fine.

Great, we’ll see you two back in here shortly. Remember to keep a close eye on your oxygen levels.

Copy that Commander… my safety monitor… alias ‘rookie with a big butt’ has been keeping me apprised of our O2 situation.

Oh! Ouch! You have wounded me Rex… I’ll have you know that Sahara happens to like my tush just as it is!

You two guys are a stitch; I’ll have a plate saved for each of you.

Copy that Sir.

I don’t know Rory, I’ve seen you from behind and I doubt she would find your ass very attractive wearing that space suit, your butt looks huge in it.

Well, you might have a good point, but she knows and loves what’s in the wrapper… trust me.

You know what they say Rory… ugly gets better looking with a little alcohol. Tell me, was Sahara drinking the night the two of you met?

Truthfully, as I recall, she was.

Well there ya go… but then she decided to keep you after the alcohol wore off… go figure.

You’re too much… let’s start making our way back in before I starve out here.

Copy that… I guess we’re done for now.

California roll, here I come, Rory laughs.

Inside the space station Lieutenant Suzuki has prepared sushi for lunch; a favorite amongst the crew. He has even made a small batch of extra tangy wasabi for Captain Scott. His California roll is legend and there are never leftovers. Making this dish in zero gravity is no easy task, but he knows it’s a real treat for the crew and they look forward to it. He always loves bringing up the ‘fresh’ ingredients and making it on his visits as well as hearing appreciative comments from the crew.

Climbing down the robotic arm’s framework, Rory suddenly stops and blurts out, Rex! Stop! I need you to listen to me… I need you to remain completely still… do NOT move, not even a muscle.

What the hell are you talking about? We really have no time for practical jokes… we have to start back in; have you not checked the O2 levels to see we are at thirty-nine minutes?

Rex, this is not a joke… I mean it. I need you to remain absolutely still.

Come on, I thought we were done ribbing each other?

Turning to look at Rory, he sees the alarm written on his face and at that moment, feels his NASA training kick in. The job of the safety monitor is to insure the safety of everyone performing a particular task… to keep everyone alive. With the look of fear he saw in Rory’s eyes, he realizes that this is not a joke but a moment of true concern. With no further movement, he asks… Okay, what is it?

Rex, turn your head ninety degrees and look to 10:00… but slowly. We do not want to attract ANY attention where we are with any physical movement.

Ninety degrees and look to 10:00.

Rex slowly turns his head and looks up to a position of 10:00. Oh my God… what the hell is that thing?

I absolutely do not know… but I swear… it was NOT there seconds ago. It literally appeared out of nowhere.

How can that be? Where did the damn thing come from? It never made a sound.

I don’t know but it’s definitely not one of ours. Who the hell are they and what do they want with us?

As Rory utters those words, on the top of the ship an oval door opens and a red laser beam radiates down, moving methodically back and forth over the length of the space station’s hull. The beam, producing a bright iridescent red glow, bathes the entire ISS in an eerie blood red hue. The beam, penetrating the hull’s structure, completely engulfs the astronaut’s living habitat.

Oh my God, Rory, those assholes are hitting the station with what looks to be a laser beam of some kind.

They seem to be scanning the entire station Rex. What do you think that beam is for? We’ve got to do something to stop them!

Let’s calm down… I’m not sure what they are doing or what action we could take to stop them Rory… I think the best thing to do is just to sit tight as long as we can, and wait until they leave. Then we can make our way back into the station.

Understood… but I desperately want to help the crew.

Look… first of all, we are not sure what that beam is doing… and it may not be a hazard to the crew. Secondly, I think we both need to think about the bigger picture… if something happens to the crew, someone needs to be able to communicate to Earth what has happened.

Copy that… I hear what you’re saying.

Let’s just hope their intentions are friendly.

I really have a bad feeling about this Rex.

We have to sit tight Rory… we just do.

As the beam penetrates the hull, the crew of the space station is quickly incapacitated. As the red laser envelops them, the men cry out in pain as their bodies contort in spasm. In a matter of seconds the entire crew is subdued; leaving no one on board the ISS to alert Earth of this hostile encounter.

Commander Bates, come in! Bates come back, do you copy? I’ve lost my com link to the station… its dead. I can’t raise anyone inside the station… how about you?

Mine too, Rex. There’s no connection… it’s down. What’s going on in there? Getting hit with that laser beam must have knocked the com out. What do you think is going on in there?

I don’t know Rory… but we need to remain calm like I said. We just need to wait it out, or there could potentially be no one to warn NASA about this situation… we need to figure out what they are doing and why they are here.

Copy that Rex… copy that… Rory responds, but fear, now overtaking him, sends his fight or flight reflex into action. His instincts tell him to move to safety, but he realizes there is nowhere safe to go.

While Rory and Rex wait helplessly, Houston control realizes that both audio and visual communication with the station has been lost. Technicians scramble to identify the problem so it can be restored and although these communication breaks are uncommon, when they do happen, they are often caused by either a simple glitch in the system or a solar flare. Generally benign in nature, these breaks are still concerning but generally fixed within a matter of hours.

Several precious minutes pass as the two men watch.

Bates, do you copy? Bates, come in over.

Still no com Rory; damn alien scan must be interfering with all our com links. We need to stay still and remain calm and hope they miss finding us with that beam. As soon as we are able, we will re-establish the com and contact NASA.

Copy that… Rory answers quietly.

As the red beam of the laser suddenly ceases its intrusive activity, the two men, now out of harm’s way, breathe a little easier.

Rex, I don’t think they detected us; we weren’t in the laser’s path, fortunately we were up too high for the scan to reach us.

I think you could be right Rory… I don’t believe they are aware we are here outside watching them.

Look! What is that? Son of a bitch; it looks like they are going to board the station with that device; they are moving it toward C airlock!

It looks like some kind of boarding tube; yeah… it’s definitely a boarding tube.

Copy that, I can’t believe it… they ARE going inside the station.

Helpless to do anything, the two men watch as the aliens extend a large tube-like structure toward C airlock. Adhering to the airlock opening of the ISS, the tube allows a group of dark clad figures to move from the alien ship through the tube and into the station. As Rex and Rory track their movement through the viewing portals, they see the invaders look curiously at the human figures floating immobile just above the floor. Although curious, their bigger interest seems to be in the technology aboard the ISS. One alien notices and handles a camera sitting on the com. Another checks the humans for weapons; rolling them over for a closer inspection.

Rory now agitated watches them and yells within the confines of his space suit, You dirty bastards; leave the crew alone! LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE!! Get away from them! Oh my God, leave them alone!

Calm down Rory… we have got to stay calm. We can’t help them if we lose it out here, and if you want to help them you’ve got to pull yourself together… do you understand me?

No, no I don’t, we have to get in there and help them.

Take a deep breath, try and relax, we don’t know anything yet… just hang in there with me.

The minutes seem as hours for the two men who are unable to do anything but watch helplessly. As more time passes, a monumental fear pulses thru each of them as the fate of their colleagues remains unknown. Their minds race, not knowing if their colleagues have been killed, abducted or something even more sinister. They wait quietly, but impatiently, for an opportunity to return back to the ISS. After what seems to be an eternity, the dark clad images move back through the boarding tube onto the alien ship. With the boarding tube disengaged, the huge alien ship is gone as quickly as it had arrived.

Chapter 3

Sahara and her Mom spent all day going from shop to shop, oohing and aweing over all of the adorable baby things and by day’s end, Sahara was worn out, just as her mother had predicted. Over dinner and with tears in her eyes, Sahara thanks her mother for all she had done.

You know Mom; I honestly doubted I would ever see the day, when I could look forward to the birth of this baby, let alone buying all the beautiful things we bought today… I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough!

Placing her hand on her daughter’s hand and smiling, Sahara’s Mom whispers, Just have a healthy baby; you and Rory be good to each other and take good care of my grandchild… that’s all I ask.

Oh, we will… we will; I can promise you that.

Sahara’s mother had not always approved of Rory. She thought him to be immature and too much of a clown when they had first met seven years earlier. She had even tried, on more than one occasion to introduce Sahara to other men… men ‘she’ felt were more fitting for her daughter… men that could offer her a better lifestyle than a young lieutenant in the Air Force. But Sahara knew from the moment she met Rory, that he was the one. The very things her mother disliked were the very things she loved… his quick wit, his Cheshire cat smile, and his willingness to always look at the bright side of life. Through the years of trying to conceive, and then miscarrying, those characteristics had held not only their marriage together, but her together.

When is Rory supposed to return from this mission?

"I’d like to

Reviews for The Nemesis Vector

[Pat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From the sample chapters I read, the story was exciting and scary. It appears the astronauts are in danger if the aliens come back. Great story line so far.