Read the First Chapter of Terrestrial

Living the Dream – A preview of “Terrestrial”

Gus Langley watched as the ratchet floated away from him. As it drifted, the safety line attached to the tool grew taut. Gus tugged on the line, slowly bringing the ratchet back to him.

“Butterfingers!” laughed the voice in his earpiece. Gus grinned. Although he had arrived at the International Space Station with the rest of the current crew, it was his first spaceflight, so he was still teased for being a rookie. After securing the tool, Gus turned toward the view window and gave a thumbs-up. “You know me, Steph. I’m just out here living the dream.”

And Gus wasn’t lying. Ever since he was young, he had dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Now he was floating above the Earth, replacing a coolant unit outside the International Space Station. It was funny how the new guy always seemed to get the grunt work. But with a view like this, any task was worth it.

He adjusted the ratchet in his gloved hands and tightened the final bolt. When it was snug, he turned toward the small window behind him.

“That should be enough. How does it look in there?” Gus asked.

After a few moments, he saw Steph Johnson’s face in the window. She grinned at Gus, and he felt the warmth of her smile, even in the cold of space.

“I’m getting the green light in here,” Steph replied through the comm. “Looks like everything checks out. Good job, rookie. Now head back in.”

Gus turned away from the window. “What’s the rush? Give me a few minutes. I want to soak up the view.”

Gus gazed down at the Earth in all its glory, floating below him. As he did, pride swelled in his throat. School had been difficult, but even that paled next to his training. He had worked hard to get through the academy and into the astronaut program. If he was being honest, there were times he didn’t think he would make it. But now, at this moment, the view made all the hard work worthwhile. Gus watched the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean. As it did, the light revealed a swirling patchwork of clouds forming a storm in the middle of the sea. Slowly, the curtain of light moved toward North America. He thought about his dad in Iowa, probably already up, having coffee and reading the morning paper. His father had always been an early riser. As the son of a farmer, he was used to waking early to work on the farm. Now the farm was gone, but old habits die hard. Soon it would be light, and millions would leave their houses for school or work. Gus wondered how he could ever go back to that life after seeing it from this perspective.

As he pondered life on the surface, something caught his eye. “Hey, Steph, are you seeing this?”

After a moment, he heard Steph bump her microphone while she adjusted her headset. “Seeing what? Not all of us have time to sit and stare out the window. Some of us have jobs to do.”

“Come to the window,” Gus replied. He wondered whether he would grow as jaded to this view after being here long enough.

He looked back and saw Steph’s face in the window.

“Alright, I’m here. What should I be looking for?” Steph asked.

Gus pointed to his right. “There. Check it out.”

A fiery streak sliced through the atmosphere over Earth and kept descending. As Gus watched, dozens of fiery pinpricks appeared over North America.

Steph sighed. “Yes, very cool. It’s just debris. We see it all the time, new kid.”

Gus frowned at Steph’s sarcasm. “Yeah, I know, but I didn’t see them in our daily report.”

“True,” Steph replied. “But it doesn’t mean anything. This may not have been a known event. NASA doesn’t track every cloud of dust in the cosmos. Besides, while they put on a pretty show, they usually burn up in the atmosphere. In other words, enjoy it while you can, because it’ll be gone soon.”

Gus sighed. He knew she was right, but it was quite a spectacle. As he watched, even more fireballs appeared, trailing into the atmosphere as the original projectiles continued to fall. Gus tracked the lowest one he could see and watched it streak into the still-dark continental United States. The streak glowed brightly in the darkness until it suddenly ended in a small, bright flash. Gus was confused. What had he just seen? His mind raced as he saw another streak end in a flash. Were they hitting the surface?

Gus stared at the meteors. “Steph, call me crazy, but I believe several have hit the ground.”

Steph sighed as she returned to the window. “I think you’ve got an overactive imagination.” As Gus listened to Steph in his ear, he watched half a dozen streaks end in flashes.

“Wait, what the hell?” Steph exclaimed.

“You saw it, right?” Gus asked, his anxiety rising.

“How could I miss it?” Steph replied. “It looks like there are dozens of impacts across the continental United States. Gus, you need to get back to the airlock ASAP.”

Gus turned to walk toward the airlock. It took all his effort because he was transfixed by the scene unfolding below.

“I’m on my way. What do you think is going on?” Gus asked, double-checking his tether, gripping the rail, and starting the walk back.

“I have no idea,” Steph responded. “But I’m going to try to contact Houston and find out. If those objects are hitting the surface, this could be a big deal.”

Just then, a burst of static erupted through the com in Gus’s ear. He squinted and grabbed the sides of his helmet, startled by the piercing sound. To his left, he saw a bright flash. He looked over just in time to see a burst of flames quickly snuff out as oxygen escaped from what appeared to be an impact on the station, which then sent a cloud of debris his way. Out of instinct, Gus crouched to avoid the incoming shrapnel, knowing that if anything pierced his suit, it would be deadly. Several small pieces shot past him as he huddled close to the station’s surface. He glanced over his shoulder at the projectiles as he started to stand, only to be struck in the chest by a large piece of debris, rendering him unconscious.

Terrestrial arrives on March 4 at all major retailers.