for a week if he heard you say that."
"I'm not going to tell him," said Michele.
Mark walked over and touched a far wall. The blank wall became a large, flat monitor.
"Nothing from anyone," said Mark. "But remember that Andrea's taking finals this week."
Michele walked over to the message board, touched a colored square and a chair came out of the wall. She sat and began checking the messages herself.
"You didn't check the University schedule, did you? Finals don't start until next week. She could have written if she had only thought of us."
Mark smiled. "How many times did you write home when you were in college?"
"Everyone wants their children to turn out better than they did," said Michele. "And this isn't her home. She's never been on board."
Mark grabbed her from behind and they both giggled.
"Switching to external video," said Michele.
Both Michele and Mark sat in the main control room and watched as the main monitors showed the upper atmosphere of Titan.
"Main suction tube extending," said Mark. "Lord, we need to succeed with this run. Please give us success."
"Amen," said Michele.
"Amen and Amen," said Mark. "I am now switching to monitor. Computer, alert us to any irregularities."
Several monitors shifted to wireframes of the main suction tube extending from the core openings in the bottom of the balloon.
"Suction tube extended fifty percent of length from balloon at twelve point five kilometers," called out Michele.
"Intermittent contact with upper atmosphere," said the computer. "Additional thrusters firing to stabilize parking orbit. Only 27% reserve thruster capacity."
"What does that mean?" asked Michele.
Mark explained, "If Titan's atmosphere creates any more drag on the Sojourner, we have an additional 27% of thruster force to counter it. If we use too much thruster force, we pull away from the surface and must recalculate a new parking orbit. Too little thruster force and Titan will pull us in. In that case, we discontinue the suction, pull in the tube, float away from Titan slightly and recalculate the parking orbit. If we are unable to pull in the tube, we jettison the tube. We have two backup tubes. In the worst case scenario, Titan's atmospheric turbulence would pull the Sojourner in and we would have to blow out of the top in the lifepod."
"Tube contact with upper atmosphere in 37 seconds," said the computer.
"I don't think the lifepod can keep us warm enough to get home," said Michele.
The scoop, extended its entire twenty-five-kilometer length, stopped moving on the monitor.
"I'm afraid that I agree with you," said Mark.
Contact was made with the methane upper atmosphere and gases began rushing up the transparent tube. The tube, along with the entire balloon ship, began a deep, even, loud resonation.
"How long will we hold together if this keeps up?" asked Michele.
"Not nearly long enough," responded Mark. "Computer! Any damage?"
"This resonance is within design parameters. No known damage."
"We need to design more isolation into the living area," said Mark.
"Methane entering balloon only 50% pure," said the computer. "Macrofilter is able to eliminate 98.4% of all impurities at the expense of 4.8% of the incoming methane."
"We might be jettisoning gases more valuable than methane!" said Michele. "Computer, analysis of major impurities."
A massive jet of gases battered the outside of the suction tube and the resonance became louder and irregular.
"I thought we might lose the tube, but everything seems to be holding together," said Mark.
"Analysis of major impurities outside of my design parameters," said the computer.
Michele slammed the flat of her palm against the control panel. "So how do we fix your design parameters?"
"I have neither the necessary sensors nor the attendant software," said the computer.
"The gas we're jettisoning is freezing and falling back into the atmosphere, causing quite a storm," said Mark.
"This resonance is outside of design parameters," said the computer.
"Raise suction tube," said Mark.
"Suction tube has developed multiple fractures," said the computer. "Suction is discontinued."
The deep throb of an explosion shook the living area as the monitors showed fragments of the tube falling into Titan's atmosphere.
"Suction tube jettisoned," called out Michele.
The tube monitor went dead as the methane storm violently increased. As the tube disconnected from the balloon ship, the living area became quiet.
"From now on we'll have to store the waste gases and jettison them after we raise the tube," said Mark.
The jets of methane from the storm rose to hit the Sojourner itself.
"Full thrusters," cried Mark. All thrusters facing Titan fired and the Sojourner moved safely away from the increasing methane storm. The grinding metal from the methane hits grew silent as the Sojourner moved out of range.
"Maintain this orbit," said Mark. "Computer, cut back thrusters to maintain this distance. How much methane did we bring on board?"
"1.7%," said the computer. "If that rate could be sustained, the balloon could be filled in 2 days, 4.12 hours."
"Damage report," said Michele.
"No known damage," said the computer. "Both remaining suction tubes completely functional."
"Storm activity over Titan?" asked Mark.
"Storms are localized and subsiding," said the computer. "No indication of building storms by infrared activity."
"I need a shower and change of clothes before we go down again," said Michele.
"I think I'll join you," said Mark.
"Computer," asked Mark. "What is the projected storm activity for the next few hours at the suction site?"
"Available indicators show no projected storm activity," responded the computer.
"Thank you, LORD," prayed Mark.
"Lowering suction tube to 50% of total length, 12.5 kilometers," reported Michele.
"Balloon ship Sojourner descending," said Mark.
"Contact of suction tube with Titan's upper atmosphere in 10 seconds."
The monitor showed the second suction tube lowering to contact methane gases of Titan's upper atmosphere.
"Contact," Mark called out. "Suction beginning."
"No vibration?" asked Michele.
"There is some resonance," said Mark. "But it's isolated from the living area. It seems that the excessive resonance problem was caused by the gases we jettisoned."
"Praise the Lord," sighed Michele. "Everything else checks out. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll wake you if anything changes."
"Thank you." They kissed. "Computer, how long before we must jettison waste?"
"Nine hours, seventeen minutes if the rate remains constant," said the computer.
"Don't fill the waste area," cautioned Mark. "If I'm not up, wake me about half an hour before it's full and we'll jettison. Before I go down, what's to eat?"
"I picked a couple of pink grapefruit," said Michele. "And made some bread from last week's wheat harvest. The raisins won't be ready until we're ready to leave. You can always eat some more grapes, though."
"Great. Where's the synth-butter?"
"How can you eat that stuff?"
"It's all we've got," shrugged Mark. "And it's better than nothing."
"You're crazy."
"Had to be to marry you." Mark grabbed Michele.
"Eat and go to sleep. I want some rest too."
"Wait on the Lord and not on me."
Three
Michele walked into the dark bedroom and the walls began to glow for her.
"Mark? Time to get up. We had a slight rate increase, so you've only been down for about six hours."
Mark rolled over and smiled at his wife. He reached under the bed, opened his drawer, and pulled out his clothes. As he dressed he asked,
"What's today's Scripture?"
"Luke 3, John the Baptist and the genealogy of Christ. I read it already. You can read it to yourself while I pull up the suction tube."
"I wish that we had someone like John the Baptist," said Mark. "Someone to answer questions like these people had. All they did was ask and John told them what to do."
"I thought we were supposed to answer questions," said Michele.
"I wish I had the answers," said Mark. "You know that this one run won't make enough money to pay even half our bills."
Michele shrugged her shoulders. "So we have to do this again. I do wish the lifepod area was large enough to take the kids with us, but at least this is honest work."
"You know how much outfitting this cost for just one trip," said Mark. "Yes, we have to do this again. And again and again. This isn't any way for you to live. And we're not preaching the gospel to anyone out here."
"Honey." Michele began massaging Mark's neck. "We've gone over this before. We don't have any choice. Maybe we can enlarge the living area and bring the kids along. At least we'll get to visit with them a few weeks before we take off again. I know we didn't talk about coming out here again, but we both knew we would have to. I think everything should be paid off with two or three more trips."
"We have no idea what kind of radiation we're exposing ourselves to, what kind medical emergencies we might face or what would happen if we had a major breakdown out here. What if you get pregnant?"
Michele wrapped her arms around her husband. "The LORD will protect us."
"How is this carrying out the Great Commission?"
"I don't know, but He promised never to leave us."
A soft buzzer sounded and a yellow warning light flashed. They left their bedroom and walked down to the control room.
"Waste gas container will be full in two minutes," said the computer.
"I didn't break the suction!" cried Michele as she raced over to