(Freighter Roses for Jolene, Luna Space)

Michaela Carter, PhD mathematician, was not a confident passenger at the best of times. She knew the numbers of course, could calculate the exact boost they'd be getting from charging at some hellish speed across the surface of the moon. But somehow the numbers weren't enough to drown the little spark of panic. Sometimes it didn't help to know just how fast you were moving at just how small an altitude.

"So Mike, did you get those field calculations nailed down?" Clearly Ted was just trying to distract her, but of course it worked. A discussion about her dense mathematical proofs and their ramifications for physics occupied a few minutes and a lot of miles of empty space.

"So in the end," she concluded, "we had to throw out some bad assumptions."

Ted chuckled at that. "Yeah, I get that. Little assumptions, like 'the universe makes sense' for a start."

That got a laugh from the whole group.

"As funny as that is, you're not too far wrong," Basil chimed in. "If Louis and Mike are right we could be looking at something major. They might have just solved the missing mass problem for a start."

Michaela was surprised at that. She hadn't even considered the possible application of the math she'd been working on. Sure she knew the physics, had to in her role as the team's mathematician, but she was focused on the task in front of her not the ramifications.

"All hands, slingshot manuever completes in 10 seconds. Once we settle to normal travel acceleration you can unbelt and move around as normal."

The reminder that they were in the process of a fairly dangerous maneuver brought the previous stress back to Michaela's mind, but it died when the acceleration eased up and her body felt light again. Lighter really, since their "normal travel acceleration" was less than 1G.

"Glad that's done with Mike?" Ted was already releasing his harness as he asked.

"Oh yeah. Heavy acceleration is bad enough, but knowing the numbers on speed and altitude... it adds something, you know?"

"Well it's done now. We've got three weeks of boring travel before turnover. Let's get settled in and get to work."

(Freighter Roses for Jolene, Sol System)

"A moment of your time please Captain?"

Corwin paused to let the passenger - Geitzmann wasn't it? Astrophysics or something - catch up.

"Doctor Geitzmann? How can I help."

"Well Captain, I was hoping to go over some things with your navigator, Miss Wilson. She isn't avoiding me is she?"

"Not specifically Doctor," Corwin said. "Bridge just prefers to take a little downtime after launch. You'll see her around the lounge in a day or two."

Corwin paused outside the engineering hatch, turning to face the ernest scientist.

"Is there anything I need to know Doctor Geitzmann?"

"Oh, nothing of import Captain. I simply wanted to check some of the ship's data from our maneuvers against the information our equipment picked up."

"You're shipping active equipment?" Corwin's question was maybe a little sharp, and the diminuitive scientist leaned back a little from the force of it.

"Nothing actively scanning Captain, inertials only. I keep an intertial tracker in my luggage when I travel to help map out anomalies."

Well, that was at least better than some of the common active sensor systems which could interfere with a ship's own navigational systems, but still. Corwin slapped the hatch release and called through to his lead engineer.

"Seamus, haul yourself out of whatever piece of heavy equipment you're working on and get out here."

The resultant bang and muffled but apparently light-hearted cursing was entirely predictable. At least the little engineer was consistent. A few moments later Henderson appeared, grease stained and sweating.

"Light equipment this time Captain, honest," he stated cheerfully. "To what do I owe the pleasure... and the mild concussion?"

That too was a constant with Henderson. He didn't rattle worth a damn and was always up for a new distraction as long as it was related to his engineering passion.

"The Doctor here just informed me that he's been running unknown devices during maneuvers," Corwin ignored the Doctor's attempted interruption. "I want you to go with him and examine any devices he may have left running without informing the people whose lives he may have endangered." Another sound of protest, duly ignored. "Get me a list of all active devices and a risk assessment so that the Doctor and I can have a little chat about them."

Henderson grinned at that, perhaps a little maliciously. No reason to bust a perfectly good windup.

"Sure thing Captain. Anything else?"

"When you're done show the good Doctor how to access the navigation logs." Corwin turned to the now surprised Doctor and grinned. "I'm not a petty tyrant Doc, but I'm serious about Seamus looking over your gear. Things on a freighter like Jolene are a bit more... delicate than you're probably used to. Get it done, Seamus. Then come and see me about number 3 thruster. It's running 3% out of phase again."

The engineer's grin faded just a touch, but he nodded before turning to the Doctor. "Come on Doc, let's go have a look at those gadgets of yours."

(Freighter Roses for Jolene, 2 weeks out of Luna)

It had taken time but the crew had gotten comfortable around the group of passengers. Common ground had been found in a few cases, mutual interests identified and the inevitable discussions - and occasional arguments - held. All told June was content with the way the groups were settling out.

Much better than the time she'd spent most of a trip tending to a miner who'd managed to break his own arm in three places... shortly after some extremely inappropriate behavior towards Erica. Such a shame June hadn't noticed how short on pain meds she'd been at the time.

The man had been quite reticent about explaining just how he'd managed the break, but it wasn't exactly a mystery. Erica might stand just under five feet tall and look fat but those looks were definitely deceptive. Most of what she was made of was muscle, and she got plenty of work as an engineer to keep in very good shape.

Still, the only people who really knew what happened clearly weren't going to make anything of it, so June was content.

Her only headache at the moment was in the form of a rather difficult patient from Earth of all places.

"Doctor Roche, I know you don't want to take time away from your work, but I really must insist that you let me give you that checkup. Your body just isn't prepared for low gravity and I don't want you ending this trip in a suspension tank."

The solid, serious and apparently stubborn Frenchman set his jaw and waved a hand at the trio of holographic displays he was working at. "But there is much too much work, I cannot laze about while you poke and prod at me."

Fortunately he wasn't the only one of his group, or the one in charge. The older, more settled leader of the group resolved the matter with a few deft touches of his tablet. The holographic simulations paused, then shut down.

"No Louis, she's right. You're no good to the project if you let your body degrade through sheer neglect. Let her check you out and we'll pick up where we left off."

Roche gave that particularly expressive shrug of his, pouting and raising his hands in a way June had learned to interpret as what can I do? He stepped away from the work station and waved for June to lead the way.

June smiled and complied, glad to finally have the chance to give him the checkup he'd been avoiding for days. "Thank you Doctor Roche. I promise I'll be brief. You'll be back at work in no time."

True to her word the whole process - a painless scan, some quick diagnostics and a supplement injection - was done in under 20 minutes.

"Apart from some slight inflamation in the lower lumbar muscles you're doing fairly well. I've added a mild anti-inflamatory to the supplement shot, but you really should look into posture realignment. A good chair will stave off back problems in 20 years."

"Oui, I have been told this. I simply do not like to sit while I work. How can one think when stuck in one place?" Said with a smile that came across as charming rather than petulant.

"It's up to you, Doctor Roche. Personally I'd rather sit still now and be able to stand 20 years from now rather than vice versa."

He clearly had a come-back for that, but before he could deliver it the lights flickered, then died as the ship rang with the sound of impact. Moments later a tearing sound from the rear of the ship preceded a complete loss of weight.

(Bridge, Freighter Roses for Jolene)

Everything shut off at the same time. Navigation boards, system monitoring, communications, the works. Brad Smallwood sat in the darkness for a few moments then reached for his tablet. OK, that still worked. The torch on the back lit up the bridge well enough to see the dead panels and a few items floating free from where they'd been sitting moments before.

In a couple of seconds he was connected to the emergency network the crew tablets used when the main ship network was unavailable and he could see the rest of the crew coming online. A comms channel opened automatically as the Captain initiated the emergency protocols.

"Engineering, I need a status report right now. What the hell happened."

"Working on it Captain," Erica Douglas responded. "Looks like we've lost the primary and secondary power conduits and the AM containment field's backup power is offline. If Seamus hadn't been tinkering with the AM storage systems we would have lost containment."

That was never a good thought. AM storage had triple redundancy on power exactly so that couldn't happen. Or it was supposed to. A failed containment field might be pretty to watch from a long, long way away but you hoped it never happened to anyone you knew.

"Captain," Brad broke in, "we've got zero across the board on the bridge. Emergency power is down, backup comms are offline, everything. And we're tumbling. Whatever happened we picked up a roll of..." a quick check on the cup drifting nearby "I make it about 0.2 rpm, may a tenth that in negative pitch."

"Well crap. Paul, what's your situation."

A moment of silence, then Michaela Carter's voice came from Paul's channel. "Mister Desmond is in the lounge, but he's not conscious."

"Miss Carter?" The Captain was clearly not happy that a passenger was on the channel. "What happened?"

"He was off balance when the ship lurched and I think he's hit his head against the forward bulkhead. Let me get the torch working on this tablet... yes, he has a 2cm wound on his forehead and is accumulating blood."

Brad was surprised at how calm the young woman sounded. He wouldn't have picked her as the sort to be level headed in this situation.

"On my way to the lounge Captain. I've strapped Doctor Roche onto the medbad table. He's conscious but unable to maneuver in zero G."

"Thanks June. Get Paul stable and check on the other passengers. Miss Carter, assist the Doctor when she arrives. Brad grab the patch kit and do a flying survey of the starboard cabins while I do the port side. Holler if you find anything serious. Engineering... status report every 5 minutes."

Brad unstrapped and kicked over to the emergency locker to fetch the "patch kit" - a foam sealant dispenser and a pack of cartridges velcro-backed to attach to his shipsuit - plus a torch and battery-powered door opener. It'd take far too long to crank open the hatches by hand with the power out.

Heading around the starboard side he opened each hatch enough to make sure there was no vaccuum on the other side, then just wide enough to slip through. He was almost to the end of the lower deck before he found one hatch jammed against its frame. He marked it on the tablet's map of the ship and notified the Captain.

"Storage locker aft 2, hatch jammed, possible pressure loss."

"Aww shit, my luxury rations are in the aft-2 freezer." Erica sounded more resigned than anything.

"Can it Erica. Just get us some power and when we hit port I'll buy you whatever luxury dinner you like."

"We've just about got the secondary power conduit patched up Captain, you charmer. Two minutes to lights, then we'll be able to really see what's wrong."

Brad finished his checks just before the lights came back up.

(Main Lounge, Freighter Roses for Jolene)

"I'm OK June, honest."

"Can it Paul. Hold still while I staple this cut, unless you particularly want an impressive scar."

Paul sighed and held still while the doctor closed the gash in his forehead. "How long was I out and what the hell happened?"

Michaela... no, Mike replied to both parts of the question. "A little over three minutes, and we don't know what happened yet. We lost power."

"Erica and Seamus got power back online but they're busy trying to assess damage," Joan said as she finished dressing the wound. "OK, let's see your eyes. Good pupilary response. Any headache? Trouble focusing?"

"Just where I tried to make a new door with my face. Oherwise I'm fine."

"Excuse me doctor," Doctor Geitzmann broke in, "I think Ted might need some assistance."

"No Basil, I'm fine. Just out of practice with freefall and this damn tumble is messing with my inner ear."

Paul hadn't noticed any motion, but apparently the scientist was much more sensitive to it. But if he was fine then Paul had other things to worry about. He pushed off the counter he had anchored to and pulled up at a rail beside the mathematician.

"Can I have the tablet please Miss Carter?"

"Call me Mike, and sure." She passed over Paul's tablet. "It came on while I was checking you after the incident. I didn't know what else to do so I yelled for some help."

"Sounds like you did the right thing. Now go strap in with the rest of the group... where's Doctor Roche?"

"He was in the medbay with your doctor. I think he's still there."

"Thanks." Paul hit the comms button on the screen. "Captain? June and I are in the lounge with three of the passengers, all unhurt but shaken. Passenger four - Doctor Roche - is in medbay. Where do you need me?"

"Nothing for you to do at the moment Paul. We've got a possible breach in one of the storage rooms, which can wait until we get some thrust back and stop the rotation. Until then stay close to the passengers and make sure they're ready to move if needed."

(Engineering Bay, Freighter Roses for Jolene)

"I don't get it Erica, we've got power on the secondary bus but the systems aren't coming up."

"Well get your skinny ass over here and give me a hand. I can't reach the power couplings for the computers."

Seamus grabbed one of the guide lines and pulled himself over to where Erica was trying to fit into a hatch obviously too small for her.

"That's 'boss' and 'please,' midget. Here, shift out of the way."

Joking helped, but they both knew that time was short. Nobody had said it in clear yet but everyone knew that life support was down and half of the system was controlled by Jolene's central computer core.

Seamus pulled his body half into the access hatch, twisting and reaching to grab the power connector. "Looks like we burnt out a connector. Hand me a soldering wand and some wire strippers will you? Thanks."

Fortunately he was used to working in cramped conditions like this. He should be considering how many hours out of every day he could be found with legs or sometimes just feet protruding from some piece of the Jolene. He clipped the wires, stripped out the connector and soldered the wires directly to the board. Jury rigged all to hell, but it'd hold.

"That'll get power to the system. Let's just hope... ah crap, main inverter board is leaking smoke. Grab me a spare will you?" More seconds passed as he replaced the power inverter, then flipped the breaker on the base of the computer core power bus. Fans whirred to life in the core and the computer started to cycle back up. "We're in business."

Erica helped him out of the access port then bounced across to the engineering terminal. "Yeah, it's coming up." She watched as the saved engineering profile loaded, bringing up the standard displays. "We have access to about a quarter of the ship. Looks like burnouts or breakdowns here, here and here." Red markers appeared on the ship schematics on their tablets as she sketched them in.

"Life support is coming online though, so that's something. Well done, assistant mine. We get to breathe for a bit longer."