Chapter 10.1

“Roger,” Sally acknowledged.

Tom continued, “Carl, you’ve got that old Android Tablet on you, right?” Now that Carl had re-adjusted his orientation, Tom and Brandon were once again viewing the soles of Carl’s boots, as Brandon once again began reeling him out, in the direction of the sunny side of the ship.

“Affirmative,” Carl replied. He began to extract the small, somewhat antiquated multi-media device from the left thigh pocket of his suit. It had been a gift from his mother when he acquired his Engineering degree.

“You won’t need it until you are in position,” Tom told him. “But when we are ready, I’ll have you manipulate it to cast a shadow on the outer bulkhead.”

Carl smiled in understanding. “Gotcha,” He said. He could visualize the plan as Tom had explained it. As Carl shades an area on the sunny side of the ship, Sally will be able to view the cooler reading on the inner bulkhead using the IR scanner and thus be able to guide him to the exact point on the outside.

A moment later, Sally was in position and they were ready to go. With Brandon operating the winch, Carl dangled headfirst over the edge, stopping as he was suspended at waist level. Sally could distinguish Carl’s silhouette on the inside of the bulkhead, moving slowly and shape-shifting as re-exposed areas regained heat while other regions became shaded. “Carl, can you hear me?” Sally inquired.

“Loud and clear,” he responded, already holding the five-inch by seven-and-a-half-inch Tablet at arm’s length from his right hand. Sally could easily make out the rectangular shape well enough to ascertain where it was.

“OK, switch it to the other hand,” she directed, then waited for the image to stop moving again. “Good. Now, move it ten centimeters to the left.”

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