A Space Oddessey 2061 Book 3 Chapter 27: Rosie PART III: EUROPAN ROULETTE

A Space Oddessey 2061 Book 3 Chapter 27: Rosie PART III: EUROPAN ROULETTE

Captain Laplace woke instantly at the first gentle tapping, like a distant woodpecker, of the attitude control jets. For a moment he wondered if he was dreaming: no, the ship was definitely turning in space. Perhaps it was getting too hot on one side and the thermal control system was making some minor adjustments. That did happen occasionally, and was a black mark for the officer on duty, who should have noticed that the temperature envelope was being approached. He reached for the intercom button to call - who was it? - Mr Chang on the bridge. His hand never completed the movement. After days of weightlessness, even a tenth of a gravity is a shock. To the Captain it seemed like minutes, though it must have been only a few seconds, before he could unbuckle his restraining harness and struggle out of his bunk. This time, he found the button and jabbed it viciously. There was no reply. He tried to ignore the thuds and bumps of inadequately secured objects that had been taken unawares by the onset…