Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy by Gary Weston

securing a line to her belt, about to leap into the black velvet once again.
    'Hearing me?'
    'Hearing you,' said Breeze.
    'Opening outer airlock door now. Here I go.'
    They watched the screen for Dillow to float by towards the satellite.
    'She is so brave doing that,' said Anna.
    'We might all have to do that to fix that thing,' said Skye.
    'I don't think so,' said Anna. 'You got me this far, and I stay right here.'
    Dillow's voice called out. 'Attaching the positioning unit. Ah, jeez. Green. It's aligned ok.'
    'That means it's something else,' said Breeze. 'Dillow. Take a good look at everything while you're there.'
    'No obvious damage. I'll try the diagnosis computer. Dead.'
    Anna said, 'Dillow. That satellite has been in service for twenty years to my knowledge. I'm amazed it lasted this long. It could be the battery isn't charging up from the solar panel, due to corrosion or something.'
    'Right. I'm coming in. Can one of you find the new battery pack, please?'
    'I have it,' said Stella.
    Dillow pulled herself along the safety line and got through the airlock.
    'Here's the new battery pack,' said Stella, handing it over.
    'And here's the positioning unit. Off I go again.'
    Dillow made her way back to the satellite. From her tool belt, she took out a screwdriver and unscrewed the two plugs holding the old battery.
    'Dillow. Any signs of corrosion inside the battery housing or the terminals?'
    'Gold plated. Clean as a whistle. Replacing the battery. Battery secured. Damn. Still nothing. I'm coming in. We need to think this out.' 

Chapter 37
    T wo dozers were driven out, one by Richie, the other by Mantle. On the month long journey through space, they had been meticulously maintained. One dozer carried the replacement parts for the helium extraction plant. While four men worked on the plant, the two dozer drivers would be scooping up the grey dust to a depth of two yards, piling it close to the extraction housing, ready for processing. Whilst they did that, Rocky and Morgan did a full systems check, confirmed their radio was functioning correctly and attempting to contact Mars. Everything was satisfactory apart from the lack of contact.
    'What the hell is going on?' Morgan asked.
    Rocky shrugged. 'Your guess is as good as mine. I hate not being able to talk to Amethyst and the kids.'
    'And I want to hear Carlotte and Astral. Five weeks of not knowing will be tough.'
    'Nothing has happened back there. I have to believe that or I'll go insane. It's a glitch, pure and simple.'
    'It shouldn't surprise us,' said Morgan, eager to agree with his friend. 'Everything we got on Mars is old and worn out. There's only so much patching up we can do. Did you smell that sanitation plant lately?'
    Rocky said, 'Did I? Man. The wind blows in the wrong direction, I'm grabbing my helmet. I hope they got that fixed by the time we get back.'
    'I'm staying in orbit until they do. Time for a feed and a couple of beers.'
    'You packed beer?'
    'Just a couple each. Pilots perks.'
    Rocky laughed. 'Pilots perks. I'll drink to that.'

Chapter 38
    D illow took off her suit and sat in her one piece undies. 'And I say we drag the damn thing in here and work on it in comfort.'
    Breeze wasn't convinced. 'Then we'll have the nightmare of repositioning it.'
    Anna said, 'We have the tools to do that.'
    'Ok,' said Breeze. 'We'll vote on it. I say no.'
    Skye said, 'No. Only as a last resort.'
    Stella said, 'Every time one of us space walks, we risk our lives. I say bring it inside.'
    Dillow said, 'You heard my opinion.'
    'Stalemate,' said Breeze.
    Skye said, 'We haven't heard Anna's vote. Aunt Anna?'
    'Me? You want me to vote?'
    'Why not,' said Skye. 'Your opinion counts as much as ours.'
    'Can we even get it inside the ship?' asked Anna.
    Expecting that, Dillow had figured it out prior to re-entering the ship. 'If we take off the solar panels, I believe so.'
    Breeze said, 'Ok. If we can get thing in, we bring it inside. At least in zero gravity, we can manoeuvre