That's what it said. It was as Clear as the nose on his ugly little primate face, the first rule of frontier stellar survival, "never leave your ship, as rescue could be at any time". The writers of the scout manual had obviously never been to some of the worlds Quinn had been to. Planets around systems so far out that centuries could go by without anyone chancing on the transponder signal, beeping out "mayday" and his location. It was only after he came to did he realize the reason for the high pay to scout this system. There were two major bodies orbiting Haibiachi, a Red Dwarf star.
Haibiachi c was the small, rocky planet on which Quinn had became an unintentional resident. It was similar in size to Earth but its close proximity to its sun kept it tidally locked, so the same half always faced Haibiachi. One only needed to consult Murphy's laws to discover what side Quinn landed on.
The larger and more bothersome Haibiachi b, a large gas giant five times the mass of Jupiter, had a more complex electromagnetic field than was reported. Quinn had little time to adjust his course to avoid getting caught in the large planet's gravitational well when the powerful EM field fried the main computer of his ship.
Quinn stabbed the transmit button. "This is Frontier Scout Delta Five Niner, completed emergency landing on the day side of Haibiachi c. Pilot needs assistance, craft badly damaged. Co-ordinates follows." He hit a couple other buttons on the console and took a look at a readout. "Good. Computer, standby to transmit through the high energy booster." A bleep confirmed that the computer was waiting.
He had gotten enough information on Haibiachi c to know that it had an atmosphere and barely enough oxygen to support Quinn. But there were toxins in the air too, and in high enough percentages to pose a problem. The temperature where he was was a balmy sixty degrees Celsius. The forecast did not call for a break in a heat wave that had lasted for billions of years. The heat was starting to bake the small scout ship and only minutes lay between comfort and the unforgiving blast of Haibiachi.
After grabbing a filtering mask Quinn popped the hatch. It was like being hit with huge pillow. Quinn was still not prepared for the heat wave that pushed him back into his seat. After a moment and a few grunts he hauled himself out and steadied himself beside the ship. Using the ship to brace himself against the constant wind, he worked his way around to the aft storage compartments and pressed a pair of release buttons to open a small compartment. "This isn't so bad. A little sun on a beautiful day, damned-well thinking of getting a tan." A good tug pulled a long cylinder out of the compartment.
Within a few minutes the Kelvin V Signal Booster was set up on the tripod and working. After a few more checks Quinn hit the communication button on his lapel. "Alrighty. Computer, keep repeating the recording." He smiled and patted the Kelvin V. "That's right, we three make an awesome team, guys." Less than ten minutes on Haibiachi c and Quinn was already feeling the effects.
Sweat was pouring down his cheeks as he made his way back to the storage compartment. Reaching in his pressed a hidden button and a larger compartment dropped open. With practiced moves Quinn removed a two foot long rod with a magnetic base. He slammed the magnetic base down hard on the top of his ship and automatically a solar array fanned out. Within a few seconds the power to the water condenser came on as a low humming sound began to drone.
Quinn wiped the sweat from his face, only to have it instantly replaced with more, and looked up toward the red sun. After being dazed for a few moments he shook his head. "Gotta get out of the direct sun." He stumbled to the other side of the ship, opened a third compartment and hauled out a large bag. Something inside clanged on the baked ground. Desperately Quinn rushed to construct his crude lean-to, trying not to overheat at the same time.
He collapsed under the protection of the lean-to, labouring to get oxygen. After a few seconds he ripped off the filter and gasped in a moment of satisfaction as he was able to breathe a little easier. "A little... trace methane... never hurt anybody." With a heavy sigh he flopped back against the bag as it was draped over a rock. He could still feel the heat beat down on him, but it was less severe. The air was still so hot breathing became a problem again, so Quinn put his filter back on; at least it cooled the air a little.
In time he fell asleep, the little work he did still being too much in the blasting temperatures of Haibiachi.
[to be continued]
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