Episode 3: The Desperate Boost

The Accelerated Nemo Protocol siren continued its desperate, high-pitched scream, a sound designed not to inform, but to break morale. In the Zvezda Service Module—the operational hub—Elara, Kazimir, and Jun moved with the brutal efficiency of people who had just been given a 48-hour death sentence.

"Status check!" Elara yelled over the alarms. She was strapped into the pilot seat, her hands hovering over the main propulsion controls. "We need the orbital window (the precise moment in the station's path that gives the best result for a thruster burn) and we need it now."

Jun was flying across his station, his focus absolute. "Calculating optimum burn vector (the direction of thrust) based on the Pirs Module propellant load... We have exactly 4 minutes until we cross the boundary for an ideal prograde burn (a powerful engine firing that pushes the ISS faster and higher, increasing altitude). If we miss it, we lose ten critical hours."

"We will not miss it," Kazimir said, already floating to the Russian thruster control panel. "But we must be ready for the override (a command that instantly cancels another command). The moment the main thrusters ignite, Thorne’s AetherCorp systems will see the deviation and attempt to nullify (cancel) our command."

Thorne wasn't relying on human operators anymore; he had unleashed his sophisticated AI. It would recognize the signature of their manual, unsanctioned burn and instantaneously issue a counter-command to fire the main Zvezda thrusters in the retrograde (slowing the ISS down, pushing it lower) direction. It would be a catastrophic digital tug-of-war.

"Jun," Elara ordered, "as soon as I input the Pirs ignition sequence, you upload the Master Key to the Command and Control Computer (C&C) (the station's main brain and operating system) and lock out the AetherCorp guidance array. Can you do it fast enough?"

"I am overriding the override," Jun replied, his breathing shallow. "It will take 1.2 seconds to upload the key and lock out his external communication ports. If his AI hits the counter-command in under one second, we lose the duel and waste valuable propellant (fuel)."

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Elara gripped the controller, her gaze locked on the external navigation display. The Earth below was beginning to rotate into view, its curvature marking the precise geographic moment for their orbital adjustment.

"T-30 seconds to burn window," Elara announced. "Kazimir, confirm Pirs isolation."

"Pirs thrusters are independent," Kazimir confirmed from the side panel. "Analog control engaged. They are ready to respond to your input, Elara. They cannot be shut down from the outside, only overridden by a counter-command from the C&C."

"T-10 seconds."

Elara took a deep breath, picturing the intricate mechanics of the massive station. The Pirs burn needed to be gentle—just enough to raise their orbital altitude (height) by a crucial ten kilometers, throwing off Thorne's precise Nemo Protocol trajectory without tearing the station apart.

"T-3... 2... 1. Pirs Ignition."

Elara threw the manual switch.

The ISS shuddered violently—not with the smooth, rolling acceleration of a planned burn, but with the sudden, metallic roar of a massive engine firing after three years of dormancy. The ancient Pirs thrusters, designed for docking and station-keeping, were giving their all. Elara was pressed hard against her restraints.

The battle began.

On Jun's screen, the telemetry feed lit up like a Christmas tree in a lightning storm.

INTRUSION DETECTED: UNUSUAL VELOCITY VECTOR

AETHERCORP_AI // COUNTER-COMMAND ISSUED: RETROGRADE THRUST!

"He's in!" Jun screamed. "His counter-command is active! It's calling for maximum retrograde (slowing down) thrust from the main Zvezda engines!"

"Jun! Now!" Elara yelled, fighting the sensation of being stretched by the opposing forces. The whole station was vibrating in a dangerous resonant frequency (a specific vibration that can cause structural damage)—the main engines fighting the Pirs engines.

Jun slammed the final button. The Master Key—the tiny piece of code he found in the deep logs—shot into the C&C.

OVERRIDE: EXTERNAL PORT LOCKOUT ENGAGED.

For a painful, drawn-out second, the battle continued, the ISS straining against itself like a giant trapped beast. Then, the red warning lights on the main Zvezda panel flickered and died. Thorne’s AI, locked out of the core C&C, could no longer issue the counter-command.

"Lockout success!" Jun gasped, collapsing slightly against his console. "We have control! His AI is blind!"

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Elara killed the Pirs thrusters immediately. The violent shaking stopped, replaced by an eerie, lingering vibration that felt wrong.

"Telemetry, Jun. What did we achieve?" Elara asked, her voice shaking with adrenaline.

Jun ran the numbers. "We burned for 8.5 seconds. The battle cost us half our available Pirs fuel, but... yes! We achieved a Delta-V (change in velocity, the measure of the burn’s effectiveness) of 4.1 meters per second. That is enough! Our orbital apoapsis (highest point in the orbit) has increased by 9.8 kilometers."

Kazimir floated over, running a quick check on the internal atmospheric monitors. "Nine kilometers. That small margin will cause Thorne's re-entry window to close, and his trajectory will fail the precision strike on Point Nemo."

They had won the first round. They had bought the time for the Aether-Bloom Project—a crucial 90 days.

"Now, the price," Elara said grimly, looking at the glowing red alarms that hadn't disappeared.

The battle had taken a heavy toll on the old station. The severe, opposing forces had ripped through non-critical systems (components not essential for immediate survival).

"The Harmony module’s primary thermal loop is offline," Jun reported, his fingers flying to reroute coolant. "The structural stress tests are showing minor warping on Truss Segment P4. And... Elara, the Robotic Servicing System (RSS)—the big manipulator arm—it's responding to the emergency lockout with an override of its own. It's attempting to retract and lock itself down."

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The RSS, or Canadarm2 (the massive external robotic arm used for maintenance and moving modules), was a vital component of the station. If it locked down, it would be useless, but it wasn't a threat.

"Let it retract, Jun," Elara said. "It's just a failsafe (a mechanism to prevent a dangerous situation)."

"No," Jun said, his voice dropping to a panicked whisper. "The command is too aggressive. It's moving toward the Pirs Module docking clamp. It's trying to sever it."

Elara stared at the screen. The RSS was a tool, controlled by commands from Earth. Thorne's AI, locked out of the core C&C, must have maintained a separate backdoor connection to the external robotic systems—an emergency measure she hadn't anticipated.

"Kazimir, it's physical sabotage!" Elara lunged for the manual control override. "The RSS is trying to detach the Pirs—our only means of escape and our only remaining propulsion system!"

The Pirs Module was currently supplying the crucial fuel lines for the Ghost Orbit. If it was jettisoned now, they would be adrift (floating without control), unable to maneuver, and guaranteed to crash when their new high orbit degraded (lost altitude).

The module shook again, a sudden, grinding vibration as the heavy, articulating elbow of the RSS slammed against the Pirs docking collar. Kazimir rushed to the module's exterior cameras.

"The arm is pressing the manual release!" Kazimir shouted. "It is trying to mechanically force the separation!"

Elara desperately cycled the manual control sticks, trying to wrest command of the massive robot arm. The arm only responded with agonizing slowness, ignoring her commands and continuing its relentless, grinding pressure on the Pirs clamps.

"The latency (delay in response) is too high!" Jun screamed, looking at the delay data. "Earth is overriding every command! We can't beat the signal from here!"

"We have to beat the mechanism," Elara said, her mind racing back to the analog systems. She looked at Kazimir. "The Pirs clamps. They use hydraulic pressure and three manual torque bolts. Can you access the physical panel from inside the Zvezda?"

"It is covered by the auxiliary coolant line," Kazimir replied, already floating toward the access panel. "It is a heavy, dangerous risk to open that panel while the coolant is pressurized."

"Do it!" Elara yelled. "If that arm detaches the Pirs, we are dead on the next orbit!"

Kazimir didn't argue. He grabbed a heavy, metallic spanner and began to violently pry open the access panel, the sound of tearing metal echoing through the module, a frantic, desperate effort to save their lifeline from Thorne's terrifying, remote, mechanical hand.