First Steps (Founding of the Federation) (41 page)

"Selfish?
Just because I am cold?' she shrieked. Wanda and the other women
winced. She started to scream in French.

Mario
grabbed her and sat her back down on the chair. "Yes
selfishness. Did you even stop to consider that these kind of
temperatures are uncomfortable to the rest of us? That we would be
concerned about the damage it is doing?" he demanded when she
wound down. She glared at him.

"That
you were endangering our lives?" he asked, eyes boring into
hers. Her lips curled. She looked to the other women. Joyce was
glaring, Tess and Wanda nodded. Her face fell. Tears started to fall.

"I
will not do it again," she said.

Mario
let her go and turned to leave. "Damn right you won’t.
Tess get Toshi to work out a way to password protect the life support
controls when he wakes. If you have to have Luigi or ground control
figure something out. They should of pointed this out already damn
it," Mario sighed. "I'll start in hab one, it's the oldest
Hab. When you’re finished start in hab two." He brushed
past the women and went to work swearing softly.

...*...*...*...*...

Mario
heard the sound of rapid footfalls behind him and turned. "Ihr
arschloch!" Doctor Waldecker snarled. Waldecker's fist smashed
into Mario's jaw. He rolled with the punch then came up ready for
battle.

"You
got a problem with me
Dick
?" He ducked the German's
roundhouse and shot a hard shot right into his stomach. The Doctor
gasped and folded over his wounded abdomen. Joyce came running and
pushed them apart.

"What
the hell has gotten into you two?" Mrs. Waldecker, Wanda and
Tess came running. Joyce held Mario apart until Mr. Waldecker
recovered and shot a punch past her guard and into Mario's shoulder.
She whirled eyes glittering. "You want someone to play with?"
she snarled dangerously, hands curling.

"My
fight is with him! He touched my wife!" the German spat. Mario
snarled rubbing his shoulder.

"Is
this true?" Joyce asked him curtly.

"It's
true he manhandled me!"

Joyce
looked over to Mrs. Waldecker. "What did he do?" Wanda
started to say something but Tess beat her to it first. "He
shoved her into her seat when she tried to leave remember? Gave her a
piece of ALL of our minds about the temperature."

Joyce
shook her head. “
That
?” She turned on the
Waldeckers. Mrs. Waldecker was helping to pull them apart, clutching
at her husband. Sergei came running. "Okay, this stops now. He
didn't hurt her did he? I was
there
remember?" she asked
the Doctor.

"No.
Just made her sit and stay until
WE
were finished," Wanda
finished glaring at her husband's attackers. Her hand was on Mario.

"He
touched her! Assaulted her!" The German was starting to wind
himself up. Tess snarled something in Russian.

"Be
glad it was him, if I had she would have been missing some teeth,"
Joyce replied with some teeth in her voice. The German glared.

"You
both agreed to ship's discipline during this mission. Mario is the
Base commander in case you forgot." Joyce gave them both a look.
Their eyes widened. "Yes that's right. I have the rank, but
he
has been here longer. He knows this place better than all of us. You
better get used to it. When in the air, I'm in charge, but here it’s
his
..." She jerked her thumb to Mario who was rubbing his
jaw. "Ballgame. Get used to it or go take a long walk and don't
come back." She looked them both over. "Are you both done?"

Mario
nodded. "Yeah. I don't hold a grudge. Misunderstanding right?"

He
looked at the German who snarled something in German then nodded when
Joyce locked eyes with him. "Okay is done," Tess replied.
The Waldecker’s stormed off.

Wanda
hugged Mario as he continued to rub his jaw. ”I'll get an ice
pack," Joyce said and nodded to Mario as she walked off.

"You
let him off pretty light there tiger," Wanda said softly.

"I
go check systems," Tess cleared her throat and left.

"Well,
I could see it from his point of view." He tightened his arms
around Wanda. "I would have cleaned anyone's clock for touching
you."

She
smiled, suddenly happy. "Protecting the honor of your mate is a
male chauvinistic thing you know," she teased. Joyce handed her
an ice pack.

He
chuckled. "You’re telling me you wouldn't want me too?"
he asked.

She
smiled. "No, just saying it is a cave man attitude," she
teased.

He
snorted. "Me uma thump any who toucha me girl," he mock
growled. His eyebrows knit together and he pouted.

She
chuckled. "Oh you brute!” she murmured. That made him
smile. “Besides, if anyone had touched me, I'd clean their
clock myself." She arched her eyebrow up at him.

"That's
my girl," he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her.

Accident:

In
the middle of the night an alarm klaxon started to bleat. "What
is that?" Wanda asked sitting up.

Mario's
sleepy mind started to clear. “Crap!
HULL
!" He
thrashed about, tossing the covers aside. "Move! We've gotta get
to the suits!" He practically carried her to the lock.

"Hull
breach in hab one, hab two...”

"
SHIT
!"
Mario pounded on doors as he ran.

Tess
and Sergei came out looking sleepy. "What is going on?"
Sergei looked confused. He should have known better, they'd had
enough drills in training but couldn't quite get the cobwebs out for
his brain to start functioning.

"Hull
leak. Get suited fast!" Mario snarled as he carried Wanda into
the lock and set her down. He pulled out her suit and tossed it to
her then pulled out his.

"It’s
bad, rupturing fast. I have hab three locked down guys," Joyce
called. "The Waldecker’s are in hab two they are in the
airlock." Mario grimaced. Wanda finished getting her bottom half
on then started pulling and tugging at her top. Mario sat on the
bench pulled his bottoms up over his nakedness then wrestled with the
top.

"Hey!"
Tess called from the door. He moved to the side letting them squeeze
in.

"We're
in the airlock." he called, not even looking up.

"Roger
that. Looks like the connecting tunnel between habs one and two
breached. Someone left the doors open too so it's bad."

Mario
grimaced. "Crap." He got his top on as Wanda finished
zipping up hers and started pulling her gloves on. He stood quickly
to allow Tess to slide in behind him and yanked the breather off the
wall. He put it on his wife's back. She shouldered the harness straps
on then finished her last glove seal.

"Pressure
in the hab is not breathable anymore," Joyce reported after a
moment.

"Any
injuries?" he asked.

"Twisted
my ankle getting out of bed. Latisha managed to seal the hatch on our
end. We're okay," she reported sounding a little disgusted. He
sighed. Joyce had Toshi and Latisha with her. He placed Wanda's
helmet on.

"What
about you?" she asked batting his hands away.

"Don't
argue with me, get it on!" He grabbed his gloves, fumbled one
and it tumbled to the floor. He grimaced.

She
finished her neck seal and bent to pick it up. "Reading five by
five, my seals are good." She reported. He sighed in relief. He
felt her place his pack on his back. He stood up and zipped his
front, then finished the seals. "Get your gloves on,”
Wanda ordered as she set the helmet on his head and worked on the
neck seal and connections.

"Yeah."
He got his left one on, using the fingers of his right hand to press
the openings between fingers to get it to fit. "One." He
put the other on. She grabbed his left wrist and finished the seal.

"Two."
He sealed it. "Five by five." He reported after a moment.
They turned to Tess and Sergei. Tess had her skin suit on, but Sergei
was nude. Mario looked around. "Crap. His breather and helmet
are here, but the suit was missing.”

Sergei
didn't look up. "Is in bedroom," he said subdued.

He
helped Tess get her pack on. "Um fella, you’re a bit um,
under dressed,” Mario replied.

"Da,"
Tess said softly sounding scared and very worried.

"I'll
say he's undressed," Wanda murmured. He looked to his wife. She
was blushing. Sergei finished with Tess and pulled his breather and
helmet on.

"Best
we can do. You're dead if you get exposed you know that right? The
bends are not a nice way to go bud," Mario grimaced. He looked
over to Tess.

"We're
going to need his suit." He looked up to the ceiling. "Joyce
can you get to his suit?" he asked.

There
was a long pause. "No. Toshi, Latisha and I came in through hab
two, our suits were left there," Joyce reported after a minute.
Mario grimaced. Even if they had their suits Toshi couldn't put one
on. That was out.

"Great.
What about the Waldecker’s?" Wanda asked.

"Mr.
Waldecker's suit is in their quarters," Joyce reported.

"You
have
got
to be kidding me!" Mario sighed. "Could we
have planned this any worse?" he sighed, hand to his helmet.

"Calm
down, we'll think of something," Wanda said soothingly as she
rested her hand on his arm.

"We'd
better," Mario grimaced.

Tess
sighed. "We go through tunnel to vault is safe enough, no leaks.
Leave Sergei there, then come back."

There
was a long thoughtful moment as each digested that idea. Mario didn't
see any other option and he was fairly certain the others didn't
either. Mario looked over to her. "We didn't fully test it; it
may leak," Mario finally replied.

Tess
shrugged. "Is perfect time." She waved to the door then
Sergei who nodded.

"Yeah,"
he sighed reaching for the controls.

"Wait,
what are you doing?" Wanda asked.

"Checking
the tunnel. I am going to fill it with air and if it holds pressure
we're going to send Sergei to the vault," Mario replied. He
looked over to Sergei. "You’re going to freeze your nuts
off, but you should be okay even if there is a leak as long as you
move fast."

Sergei
smiled. "Is like balmy day in Siberia," he replied, hands
under his armpits, head down. He stomped in place to get the
circulation going.

Mario
chuckled. "Okay, pressure is rising...” He tapped the
controls then looked down. Better put your boots on bub, if you don't
your skin will shred on the cold bricks," he told the Russian.

Sergei
grimaced. "Is in bedroom with suit.”

It
was Mario's turn to grimace. "Here." He wiggled over to the
bench and sat down, then pulled his boots off. "Put these on."
Wanda started to protest. He looked up at her. "I still have my
suit dear, he doesn't. I can stay in the lock while you two go get
his suit," he said. Reluctantly she nodded as his logic
penetrated.

"Not
me, I go shut door," Tess said.

Mario
nodded. "Good idea, then we can see about getting this hab
fixed.”

“Mission
control to Mars base, we're reading your emergency beacon, it looks
like you've got a serious problem. Wait and we will check for a
solution," a voice came over the box.

"You
are a bit late there fellas," Mario chuckled. “Time lag is
a bitch,” he muttered. He checked the tunnel.

"Leaking
like a sieve but we expected that. It is about eighty percent and is
holding there." He turned to Sergei who was standing. "Better
get a move on," he said gruffly. Mario opened the outer door.

"Is
cold!" Sergei said, immediately his skin started to turn blue.
His breath clouded around him.

"Go
on, get moving." Mario waved. Parts of Sergei's anatomy were
starting to stand at attention. The Russian ducked through the lock
door and sprinted down the plastic coated corridor and to the first
door.

"Is
opening..." he chattered. Tess reached for the door but Mario
waved. "I'm in, will leave door open in case other stuck on
end." Sergei rushed on. "Door stuck... I got it," he
called and then grunted. "AM in. Mmuch wwwarmer hhhere," he
stuttered. They heard a clang.

Mario
sighed in relief. "Good work." He closed the outer door.
Wanda was staring at him. "You ladies ready?" He turned to
them. Tess gave him a thumbs up. "Okay, pressure check." He
checked his seals then checked Tess's while Wanda checked his. Tess
looked up from checking Wanda and gave a thumbs up. "Okay.
You’re good." He patted Tess on the arm.

Wanda
fiddled with his right ankle then looked up. "It was loose.
You’re good now," she said.

He
nodded. "Okay equalizing pressure and atmosphere now." He
tapped the controls. They didn't have the time to prebreath even if
they hadn't left the equipment out in the mud room.

"All
right base, this is mission control. We've looked the situation over
and it seems one of you will need to get suited up and close the
doors and check for leaks," Mission control said over the
intercom. Mario grimaced as he rolled his eyes. The audio feed had
come to his helmet directly; obviously they hadn't noticed some of
them were already suited. "Go on, move." He opened the door
and stepped aside for the girls to pass.

A
few minutes later Wanda returned with the missing suit and boots,
Tess right behind her. "I closed the doors on both ends of the
tunnel, but our side has a leak around edge. Will blow out if we try
to pump up."

Mario
sighed. “Great. Looks like we're all going to have to go to the
vault." He waved to the outer door.

"Isn't
there a better way?" Wanda asked looking at the door. She was
anxious now.

Mario
shook his head. "No there isn't." He made sure the inner
door was closed then re-pressurized the lock. "Joyce?" He
looked up.