Delta Green - страница 28

“May I inquire as to why?”

“I would prefer not to say at this time,” Pearson said. “General Brackman would be a far better source.”

After only a moment’s hesitation, Sheremetevo said, “I will talk with Colonel Volontov and then call you back.”

Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Mitchell, Beta One, was Chief of Maintenance for the 1st Aerospace Squadron fleet. He considered every Mako and MakoShark to be his exclusive property, merely on loan to their flight crews and the United States Air Force. Of course, every maintenance section member, enlisted or commissioned, felt the same way. If the craft were ever divided among their owners, no one would have much. Except Master Sergeant Benny Shalbot, maybe. The electronics specialist was meaner than many of his co-owners.

On the frequency McKenna had assigned to his Tactical Two radio channel, Mitchell said, “Delta Blue, you can clear your port side CO2 storage tank, then open the pressurization valve between it and the fuel storage and take the pressure off the pellet feed.”

“If I do that, Beta, we may get a backfeed of pellets into the carbon dioxide tanks.”

“We worried about my bird or about one contaminated tank?” Mitchell asked.

“It means stripping the bonded skin off the wing to repair it,” McKenna told him, “and that means three or four days. I don’t want the downtime. Can’t have it.”

“Damn it, Blue! Let’s weigh the cost of the craft and the cost of a CO2 tank…”

“And lost air time,” McKenna broke in. “Delta Green is the priority now.”

“Ah, hell.”

“We need a design change so we can depressurize the pellet tank without backing into the CO2 tanks,” Munoz said, thinking ahead.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Polly Tang, the maintenance deputy, said, “but that’s future. Right now, I’ve got the schematic up on my screen. I don’t think the anti-blowback valve is the problem. The problem is going to be in the actuator that controls the valve, or in the actuator relay. You tried the redundant system, Snake Eyes?”

“Already closed, Beta Two.”

The MakoShark was flying nose high, but when he glanced through the canopy to his left, McKenna saw the coastline passing below. The South China Sea was a pretty blue, leaning toward emerald.

“All right, Delta Blue,” Mitchell said, “we can override the igniter interlock and shut down the igniter. The pellets will continue to flow.”

“And jam up the combustion chamber and nozzle,” McKenna noted.

“Maybe. Still, we can change those without stripping bonded skin,” Mitchell said.

“Give me another option, Beta.”

“Jesus Christ! What thrust are you developing?” Mitchell asked.

“One five thousand indicated.”

“Hold one, I’m calculating now,” the maintenance officer said.

On the intercom, Munoz asked, “Snake Eyes, you thinking of trying to land with an active rocket motor?”

“I want to see if Brad is thinking along the same lines. You want to get out here, Tiger?”

“Nah. I’ve been along when you’ve done worse.”

“Okay, Delta Blue,” Mitchell said. “Start your turbojets twenty minutes out of Wet Country. On the approach, we want forty per cent power on the right engine and five per cent power on the left. That should balance the power development, but you’re going to come in hot, fifty-five or sixty knots above normal. On the flareout, go immediately to a hundred percent reverse thrust on the left engine. That’ll maybe neutralize the rocket thrust. No more than ten per cent reverse thrust on the right engine.”

“And lay into the brakes?” Munoz asked.

“We’ll probably burn out the brakes,” Mitchell said. “And we’ll likely be thinking about new tires also.”

“I’m alerting the crash crews now,” Polly Tang said. “We’ll have mechanics on the runway, ready to open the nacelle and shut down the anti-blowback valve.”

“Sounds good to me,” McKenna said. “Alpha One, you listening in?”

“I’ve got a copy,” General Overton said.

“Comments?”

“It’s your call. Take your time, Delta Blue.”

“Good luck, Snake Eyes,” Amy Pearson said.

Everyone on board Themis seemed to be listening in on the conversation. Probably holding their collective breath.